Ventura, CA: It wasn't a matter of if they would win, but rather how much they would win by. U.S. #3 Saugus (CA) came up victorious, but in a much grander fashion they perhaps imagined. Last fall Saugus was ranked one of the top girls teams in the country, showing that they would be tough in 2007, but perhaps even stronger in 2008, as they finished second at Nike Team Nationals and returned most of their squad this season.
On Friday evening at the Seaside Invitational, Saugus showed just how strong they will be this season, winning the team title with a combined team time of 87:33, crushing their 89:17 team time from last fall. With each grade running their own race, Saugus won three of the four races, with a top seven that all ran times between 17:06-18:00.
Freshman Karis Frankian won the freshmen race in 17:27, easily beating the field, while sophomore teammate and team leader Kaylin Mahoney won the sophomore race in record time, blitzing a 17:06, while sophomore teammate Stephanie Bulder finished second in 17:42.
In the junior race Amber Murakami finished in the runner-up spot with a 17:46. In the senior race Briana Jauregui won the race in an impressive 17:32 and teammate Courtney Wilson placed third in 18:00. Such a dominant performance for the third-ranked team in the land