Runners Excel at Woodbridge Classic

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

There was great strength in numbers for Palisades Charter High School September 15 and 16 at the 42nd annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic—particularly for the girls at Orange County Great Park in Irvine.

The Dolphins took 11th place out of 33 schools in the Blue Varsity Girls ‘B’ race, totaling 330 points to finish four spots ahead of City Section rival Granada Hills (410).

Sophomore Louisa Mammen ran the 3.022-mile flat course in 18 minutes, 32 and one-half seconds to finish 17th while senior Kyra Morris (18:37.2) was right behind in 18th.

Rounding out Palisades’ lineup were freshman Zoey Morris (27th place in 18:52.5), sophomore Maya Basin (20:36.0), freshman Gabriella Gilyard (20:37.9) and junior Leena Adeli (21:07.6).

Granada Hills sophomore Samantha Pacheco won the race in 17:43.4 and senior teammate Lilianna Moreira was 24th in 18:45.6, but the Highlanders finished 15th with 410 points—80 behind Palisades.

Palisades’ boys contingent was not as large as the girls, but the Dolphins participated in the featured boys sweepstakes race against the top schools at the meet.

Palisades finished 20th out of 34 teams with 559 points. Herriman of Utah won the team title with a score of 93, followed by Southlake Carroll of Texas (142) and Temecula Great Oak (155).

The defending LA City Division I champion Dolphins were the only school representing their section in the loaded field, led by two-time City individual champion Max Fields. The senior ran 14:35.2 to place 49th out of 267 runners. Junior Owen Lewicky was 147th in 15:20.1 and sophomore Zachary Cohen was 148th in 15:20.2.

Rounding out the Dolphins’ lineup were senior Axel Mammen (15:30.1), sophomore Blake Sigworth (15:34.9) and sophomore Andrew Razo (16:47.5).

Dana Hills junior Evan Noonan was first in 13:41.3, a fraction over three seconds off the meet record of 13:38.1 set by Leo Young of Newbury Park at SilverLakes Sports Complex in 2021.

In the Blue Junior Boys race earlier on Saturday, Ben Barnett was 24th in 16:42.8 and Basel Thierry ran 18:32.5 as each ran individually. Granada Hills had enough runners to contend for the team title and placed ninth out of 19 schools.

Palisades had five girls in the Blue Junior/Senior Girls race: juniors Cecelia Tierney (20:46.4), Giada Rice (21:29.3), Casey Scaduto (23:06.0), Molly Liberman (23:52.2) along with one sophomore, Lucie Brazier (24:30.2). The Dolphins took 19th out of 25 teams with 476 points.

In the Blue Sophomore Girls race, Palisades finished in eighth place with 190 points, two spots and 60 points ahead of reigning City Division I team champion Granada Hills.

The Dolphins’ top finisher was sophomore Dalia Hartnick, who placed 14th in 20:22.3. Ninth-graders Violet Cash (21:36.4) and Abigail Hanelin (21:53.2) and 10th-grader Rumya Elashoff (21:59.0) also placed among the top 60 in the field of 200 runners.

Sophomore Tallulah Younger (23:02.5), freshman Daria Sierova (24:24.6) and sophomore Connie Regwan rounded out the lineup.

Next up for the Dolphins is the Bell-Jeff/Sacred Heart Invitational on September 30 in Griffith Park.