Elite Girls Battle for Southern Section Supremacy

Girls Division 4 Preview

La Canada freshman Kayley Bond closes in on the finish during prelims. (Photo by Lizette Adams)

Malibu junior Claudia Lane is the defending division, state and national champion who just obliterated the three-mile Riverside Championship Course record at last week's prelims. Afterward she said that she didn't expect to go as hard at this Saturday's division final as she looked ahead to the State final, Foot Locker West Regional, Foot Locker Nationals and, potentially, an international competition in Scotland. 

So, about that battle for second ... 

For as much fun as it is to watch Lane quietly run alone among the trees and against only the clock and history, they don't call it a "race" for nothing. Perhaps La Canada freshman Kayley Bond, JSerra junior Nadia Tabrizi and Orange Lutheran freshman Sophia Gutierrez can deliver a heart-fluttering finish, even if it is some 90 seconds after the winner.

Bond had the second-fastest time among the combined heats (17:38.00), less than three ticks before Tabrizi with Gutierrez about nine seconds back. Tabrizi was second to Lane at last year's final and was fifth at State. 

Don't sleep on Bishop Amat junior Olivia Paez. She was 13th in the combined prelim heats but third at last year's division final.

Ventura Foothill Technology, Pasadena Mayfield and La Canada are the top three ranked teams coming into the championship portion of the schedule. Is JSerra, the defending champion which has won five section titles and placed second twice since 2009, hiding in the weeds, ready to pounce? Tabrizi leads a trio of juniors that includes Isabella Abusaid and Emilie Dufault who were the top placers at prelims. 

Junior Lauren Kearney, fourth overall at last year's final, was the top placer for Foothill Tech at the prelims, finishing 38th in the combined results. Kearney, who went 17:42.15 in last year's final, posted a pedestrian time of 19:06.90 at the prelim. 

So, if all are up to form, that race for second could be fun. 

For the complete merged heat results from the preliminaries, click here.