Sugimoto, MCHS Boys Qualify for State

Mira Costa senior Kelli Sugimoto ran her way into the CIF state finals with a time of 17:25, taking fourth place on a hilly 2.95-mile Mt. San Antonio College cross country course Saturday. 

She will be joined next Saturday at the state finals by the Mira Costa boys team, which took fifth place last Saturday in Division II with 181 points. The top seven teams in each division advance to the state championships, as do the top five individuals in each race that are not on qualifying teams. The boys Division II race is set for 11:15 a.m. Sugimoto's Division II girls race is at 12:50 p.m.

The MCHS girls team finished in ninth place in Division II with 233 points. Both the girls and boys teams competed in the CIF Southern Section Finals at Mt. SAC.

Sugimoto will run on Saturday, Nov. 26 at Woodward Park against Division II race winner Sarah Baxter, a Simi Valley sophomore who took first place in 16:44 Saturday. Sugimoto ran her personal best (16:52) at Mt. SAC on Saturday, Nov. 12. Kayla Ferron, a Redondo Union junior, was the first girl to cross the finish line for her team taking 12th place in 17:43. Ferron will run in Fresno along with her teammates since RUHS qualified for state finals by placing third with 121 points. MCHS senior Jenna Tong took 28th place in 18:18.

MCHS senior Travis Taylor was the first to cross the finish line for his team, taking 29th place in 15:43. Teammates Adam Perez and Zach Adler, seniors, finished in a tie at 15:48, and senior Sammy Nunan finished in 15:58, junior Dillon Shambaugh, 16:24, and sophomore Nico Pappas, 16:23. 

The RUHS boys team finished in 11th place with 245 points and will not compete in state finals.