Restocked Torrey Pines Girls XC Team Eyes Big Season

SAN DIEGO -- When Torrey Pines assistant cross country coach Gerard Reski saw Tal Braude win the 2013 CIF State Division I title, he thought for sure the Falcons would return the next year to contend for a title.

Braude would graduate in the spring, but sophomores Spencer Dodds and Ian Hutchinson would be a quality 1-2 punch to build around.

But Dodds would transfer to Temecula Great Oak, where his third-place finish in the 2015 CIF-State Championships led the Wolfpack to the team title before he headed off to the University of Virginia. And Hutchinson moved north to became one of Newark Memorial's top runners, eventually going to the University of California, Berkeley.

"That's high school sports," said Reski.

It's relevant because Reski, now in his second year as head coach at Torrey Pines, is certain there are those who shake their head when they discover the 2021 Falcons girls' team, already considered one of the tops in the state heading into the season, added three quality runners via transfer.

"The rich just get richer," said a San Diego Section rival.

More like Karma -- what goes around, comes around.

Here are the three newcomers:

-- Emma George (Rancho Bernardo): She was the Broncos' No. 1 runner a year ago, clocking an 18:23.8 for 3-miles at Dana Hills with a 12:47.8 time for 2-miles at the Bronco Roundup.

-- Sammi Dorostkar (Canyon Crest): She posted a 3-mile best time of 18.26.6 while clocking a 12:24.4 to win the Bronco Roundup 2-mile Frosh/Novice race.

-- Nikki Dorostkar (Canyon Crest): In that same Dana Hills race, Nikki posted an 18:41.6 before finishing fifth in the Bronco Roundup at 12:49.7.

"I had no idea Emma had moved in until I went out to track practice one day and saw someone I knew I'd seen before but couldn't place," Reski said. "It was Emma."

The Dorostkar twins, meanwhile, have some background: Their older sister Carlie was the CIF-State Division I champion in 2019 with the fastest time of the day.

"I'd heard rumors over the summer that someone might be coming, but you never know and you don't take that seriously," Reski said. "They were there the first day of practice."

Even a team with one or two quality runners would celebrate, but the Falcons figured to be far better than that.

For starters, the state's seventh-fastest returning 3200-meter runner, Annika Salz, who placed sixth in the San Diego Section and 31st at state in 2019, will provide the Falcons with one of two potential top 10 finishers.

The other is Scarlett Taylor who as a freshman last winter went 18:02 for 3.1 miles in a dual meet in the winter before stepping on the track and going 10:57.25. She had a 3-mile best of 17:53.1.

A few steps back are Marissa Gaut (18:48 and 11:21.57 for 3200), Kiana Bourgeois (18:40 and 5:11.89 for 1600), and Natalie Wang, a sophomore for whom Reski says is the team's secret weapon.

That's eight runners with a gap of less than a minute between them.

"We've tried to keep a low profile but I guess that won't last for long," said Reski, whose team will run at Woodbridge, Clovis, and Mt. SAC before the league and San Diego Section championships in November.

"This team has frightening speed, but we'll have to see how they perform. They are training together extremely well."

Salz, who has never had talent like this around her, is especially pumped.

"I'm really excited," she said. "Now I know what others mean when they say cross country is a team sport. 

"We have a lot of young girls (only two seniors), but we'll need to take it one week at a time. This year we're running at Woodbridge, which always produces fast times; at the Clovis Invitational so we can learn the state championship course as a team; and at Mt. SAC."

It all maps out well on paper, but she is still cautious.

"First, I want our team to make it to state, then we'll see," she said. "Individually, I want to be in the top 10 at state. OK, really the top five. This is so exciting and different." 

Karma can be that way.