Runners Shine at Bell-Jeff Invite

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

The Palisades High girls and boys cross country teams were in fine form Sept. 28  at the Bellarmine/Sacred Heart Invitational in Griffith Park. The varsity girls won the Large Schools race with 52 points, six fewer than runner-up Sant Monica, and were led by sophomore Zoey Morris, who was third individually in 19:34.9 on the three-mile course. Coming in second in 19:22.6 was Granada Hills’ Samantha Pacheco, who ran second to Morris at last year’s City Championships. Dolphins junior Louisa Mammen was fifth in 19:40.6, sophomore Gabriella Gilyard was 10th in 20:47.9, freshman Eleanor Mammen was 15th in 21:07.3, sophomore Kendal Shaver was 19th in 21:20.5, junior Mar Henderson-Maclennan (21:34.6) was 24th and Palisades’ seventh runner was freshman Amelia Halpin (21:35.7).

In the boys’ varsity race, Zach Cohen was third in 15:56.1 and fellow junior Blake Sigworth was two spots behind in 16:04.6 as the Dolphins (66 points) placed second in the team standings behind Loyola (55). Senior Owen Lewicky (16:31.1) was 16th, junior Andrew Razo (16:40.6) was 19th, freshman Theo Mayeda (17:00.8) was 23rd, freshman Sebastian Funk (17:20.7) was 30th, and junior Jackson Taylor  (17:36.5) was 38th. Ridgecrest Burroughs senior Zion Ortiz was the individual winner  in 15:29.8.

Palisades’ JV girls won the Large Schools division with a score of 31, paced by freshman Lucy Amos (third overall in 22:35.3), sophomore Violet Cash (fifth in 23:11.0), freshman Hanna Sadzik (sixth in 23:11.4), freshman Ruba Gneid (eighth in 23:21.1) and junior Tallulah Younger (ninth in 23:21.9). The JV boys were sixth with 155 points and the frosh/soph boys won the Large Schools race with 37 points, as Mako Holt was first in 17:08.7, Ethan Funk came in second in 17:11.8 and Justin Funk was third in 17:15.5.   

In the Girls Varsity Small Schools division, Palisades resident Amelia Sarkisian won by almost five full seconds. The Brentwood School sophomore clocked 18:45.6