Viewpoint captures first state championship

Agoura boys seize bronze in Division 3; Newbury Park boys and girls celebrate Division 2 titles




GOLDEN STATE OF MIND—Viewpoint High’s boys’ cross country team won the CIF State Division 5 championship on Nov. 30 in Fresno. Courtesy of Viewpoint Athletics

GOLDEN STATE OF MIND—Viewpoint High’s boys’ cross country team won the CIF State Division 5 championship on Nov. 30 in Fresno. Courtesy of Viewpoint Athletics

Girls want to have fun, too.

Newbury Park High’s boys’ cross country team celebrated the program’s first CIF State Division 2 title last fall en route to earning a trip to the Nike Cross Nationals meet in Portland.

This year, the girls sought to make history.

Mission accomplished.

Sam McDonnell, a sophomore, paced the Panther girls’ team to its first state crown with a personal-best time of 17 minutes, 56 seconds, good enough for ninth. Hailey Golmon, a senior, and Fiona Hawkins, a junior, chipped in by finishing 11th and 12th, respectively.

The boys followed up by earning their second straight Division 2 state crown with a course record team time of 75:27.

Both Panther squads will make the trip to Oregon this weekend.

“It’s definitely going to be a lot more fun with the girls’ team there,” said Nico Young, a senior who paced the boys with a time of 14:28, the second-fastest all-time course mark.

Young was one of four Panthers to cross the finish line in the top 10: Jace Aschbrenner, a senior, finished second in 14:53; Colin Sahlman, a sophomore, placed fifth in 15:09; and Nicholas Goldstein, a junior, was 10th in 15:17.

LIGHTNING—Agoura’s boys’ team took third place in the Division 3 state meet last weekend in Fresno. Courtesy of Agoura Athletics

LIGHTNING—Agoura’s boys’ team took third place in the Division 3 state meet last weekend in Fresno. Courtesy of Agoura Athletics

“The team’s success made the whole thing better,” Young said.

Viewpoint’s boys’ squad, a Division 5 team making its second state appearance in program history, also claimed a state title, the first for any sport at the private school in Calabasas.

Patriot senior Ronnie Orosky, the first Viewpoint runner to cross the finish line, in 15:50, said he and his teammates prepared for expected stormy weather with early morning runs in the rain in the week leading up to the state meet.

“We had prepared for the worst and hoped for the best,” Orosky said, “and we got the best.”

Miles Clark, a junior who clocked a 15:58, and senior Thomas Matthew (16:05) aided in the Patriot victory, which still hadn’t settled in earlier this week.

“Even after we were all lined up to receive our trophy, I was still in shock and disbelief that it actually happened,” Orosky said.

Michael Mireles, a Thousand Oaks senior, will also be making the trip to Oregon for the national meet. The Lancer qualified as an individual.

“All season that’s been the goal, and it happened,” Mireles said. “It’s like a dream come true.”

His personal-best time of 15:03 at the state meet helped the Lancers finish sixth as a team in Division 2.

Among Division 2 boys, Ian Gerth, a Simi Valley senior, finished 20th in 15:31. Westlake junior Owen Kobett clocked a 15:40, good enough for 27th.

On the girls’ side, Jill Walker, a Simi Valley senior making her third appearance at state, had her best performance in Fresno, crossing the finish line in a personal best time of 17:49, good enough for seventh in Division 2.

Her time ranked 20th out of all girls’ runners at the state meet.

“I was really proud of that,” Walker said. “Last year, I didn’t do as well. That gave me a lot of motivation this year to really improve.”

The junior, who qualified as an individual the past two years, said it was helpful racing with teammates this fall, including senior Gianna Gonzales, who finished 45th in 18:40.

“It was very motivating to have everyone up there with the same goal,” Walker said. “I’m really proud of my team. It was a big accomplishment for all of us.”

Three local boys’ teams finished in the top 10 in Division 3. Agoura, led by Beau Borderlon (15:34), capped a stellar season by capturing a third-place plaque. Royal, paced by juniors Angus Fitzgerald and Jack de la Rionda, placed seventh. Moorpark senior Keith Murray (15:44) paced the Musketeers to a 10th-place finish.

Agoura sophomore Georgia McCorkle, the lone local girl in the Division 3 race, crossed the finish line 27th in 19:01.

Oaks Christian’s boys finished ninth in Division 4. Hector Martinez, a freshman who clocked a 16:15; Nathan Fedoroff, a senior who finished in 16:32; and freshman Ishan Dubal (16:42) ran well for the Lions.

Elizabeth Scott, a Viewpoint senior, capped her cross-country career by finishing 25th in the Division 5 girls’ race in 19:25.

Scott and the Patriot boys celebrated their success with In- N-Out burgers. They were joined by alumni James Smathers and Connor Hogan, former Viewpoint runners who graduated in 2018.

Orosky said sharing that postrace meal with his former teammates was special.

“The whole culture shift started with them,” Orosky said of Smathers and Hogan. “It was awesome that they were there to experience that moment with us.”

Follow Jonathan Andrade on Twitter @J_ Andrade_.

IN A NUTSHELL

Newbury Park High’s boys’ and girls’ cross country teams claimed CIF State Division 2 championships this past weekend in Fresno.

Viewpoint’s boys’ squad claimed the school’s first state title, in Division 5.

Both Newbury Park teams and Thousand Oaks senior Michael Mireles, will travel to compete at the Nike Cross National meet this weekend in Portland.