By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
No matter the race or the level of competition, Palisades High cross country runner Brent Smith has the same goal: to win.
Smith didn’t finish first in the varsity boys Sub-Sweepstakes race at the Mt. SAC Invitational, but he posted the fastest freshman time of the day and took third behind two seniors Saturday morning in Walnut.
Photos: Steve Galluzzo
Covering the dusty three-mile course in 15:31, Smith continued to display stamina, speed and confidence beyond his years.
“I like challenging courses and I like competing against the best but what killed me today was that it goes hilly, then flat, then hilly again at the end,” Smith said. “I guess it’s called reservoir hill. At the mile mark I was first or second and at the end I passed the person in first or second so I’m pretty happy. I actually enjoy running with the seniors.”
Chino Hills’ Peter Torres won in 15:26 and Timothy Chrisman of Monte Vista was second, three seconds ahead of Smith.
Junior Jakob Pollack was 15th overall in 15:53, sophomore Ben Hamer was 21st in 16:04, junior Jack Hockley was 64th in 16:49 (a huge PR), Jake Greanias was 92nd in 17:27, fellow sophomore Finn Cawley was 103rd in 17:41 and senior Connor Smith was 110th in 17:46 as the Dolphins took ninth place in team competition.
“Ben and I got off to a fast start and I was able to keep going,” Smith said. “I’ve learned how to let people faster than me do the work early in the race, then I can kick at the end.”
Hockley’s previous best at Mt. SAC was 17:36 last year.
“I was a little behind Jakob most of the way,” he said. “Experience definitely helps on this course. Our workouts have been helping us out a lot but today our back people needed to be closer.”
Kimia Samandi and Emma Ulfvengren didn’t run for the girls in the Division I varsity race as freshman Brittany Darrow led the way by placing 31st in 20:35.
Junior Shannon Lee was 38th overall in 20:48, Kiana Billot was 57th in 21:38 and junior Chelsea Levi was 66th in 22:08. With only four runners the Dolphins didn’t factor into the team standings.
Palisades took eighth place in the freshman girls Division I race with 210 points.
Ellie Schultz was 41st in 24:09, Skylar Smith was 51st in 24:46, Juliet Petrisor was 64th in 25:46, Jackie Hamilton was 68th in 25:48, Rachel Smuts was 74th in 26:06, Katie Thomas was 75th in 26:08, Grace Dean was 100th in 27:58 and Nina Cawley was 101st in 28:00.
“The girls struggled today and we’re going to have to run a lot better to win City,” Pali High head coach Bob Macias said. “We typically have not run well here, but hopefully this serves as a bit of motivation.”
Ryan Breitman was 48th in the freshman boys Division I race in 19:44, Emmett Kallmeyer was 56th in 19:57, Phillipe Konis clocked 25:05 and Matthew Stern finished in 26:39.
In the sophomore boys Division I race, Joseph Reed was the Dolphins’ top finisher, coming in 38th in 19:12. Oscar Gagne was 59th in 19:40, Henry Navarro was 72nd in 20:05, Jordan Hughes was 85th in 20:33, John Mete ran the course in 22:39 and Isaac Solouh ran the three miles in 27:04.
Junior Nicole Figueroa was 31st in the junior varsity girls Division I race in 21:39, sophomore Lulu Takei was 40th in 22:02, junior Anna Bohuny was 49th in 22:16, sophomore Ilaria Stewart was 59th in 22:28, Greer King clocked 24:4, fellow senior Maddie Frick ran the three miles in 25:35 and junior Julia Klotz finished in 26:23.
In the junior varsity boys Division I race, Gabriel Fuligni led the Dolphins with a 30th place finish in 17:33, fellow junior Jordan Burkhardt was 36th with a time of 17:36.
Senior Will Taylor ran the course in 18:02, Ben Hansen crossed the finish line in 18:08, fellow junior Philip Neman finished in 18:14, Galaan Abdissa finished in 19:04 and Theo Balestra clocked 20:12.
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