SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Cross Country

Helix cross country: it’s all about respect

By Phillip Brents
Posted Sept. 8, 2003

Helix High School cross country coach Ray Mounts feels his top three runners — juniors Jamie Marliere and April Montgomery and senior Evon Willingham — are among the best in the county. Few would dispute that reckoning after pouring over the results of last Friday’s Wolf Pack Invitational at West Hills High School.

Marliere finished in sixth place in the junior girls race in 9:34, followed by Montgomery in seventh place on the 1.5-mile course in 9:35 to help set the pace for the 80 finishers. Willingham placed seventh in the 62-deep girls senior race, timing 9:58.

All three runners are returning members of last year’s squad that placed 10th at the state championship meet after finishing second in the San Diego Section II championship meet.

Marliere and Montgomery both made last year’s All-Division II team by finishing among the top 10 runners at the section finals. Marliere, who finished 26th at the state meet, was the Grossmont South League Runner of the Year last year.

Montgomery earned a trip to last spring’s state meet by finishing 2:13 in the 800-meter distance.

April has trained with Jamie all summer Both are in great shape. Evon is looking very strong. She’s mainly a track athlete but does very well in cross country. That top three I think are as good as any in the county,” Mounts said.

At the moment, the fourth and fifth runners on the Highlanders appear to be Amanda Schramm and Whitney Cleveland.

Mounts called Cleveland “a senior with great potential.” Schramm won last year’s Grossmont junior varsity championship.

Also returning to the defending Grossmont South League champions is senior Ashley Banks while freshmen Elena Esqueda, Kela Casiple and Corrinne Bollendorf are keeping everyone on their heels.

Cleveland was 14th with a time of 10:28 and Banks was 16th in 10:31 to record top 20 finishes in the girls senior race at the Wolf Pack Invitational. Casiple (14th) and Esqueda (17th) both had impressive top 20 finishes in the 82-strong freshman race.

Helix jumps to the Division I ranks but the CIF finals still remain a goal, according to Mounts. “The girls want to return to the state meet and win league. I think we will compete well,” he said.

Wolf Pack Invite notepad
Coronado’s Katherine Wingert (9:21) finished ahead of West Hills’ Elaine Gillespie (9:29) to earn top honors among the 80 finishers in the senior girls race while West Hills’ Matt Noble was the top finisher for the host team among the 73 finishers in the boys senior race with a time of 11:41 in 12th place, followed by teammate Billy Scott in 11:43 in 14th place.

Valhalla’s Alicia Nugent (9:21) was second and Grossmont’s Randee Meek (9:28) was fourth in the junior girls race.

Valhalla’s Chris Dalton was 17th in 11:50 to lead Grossmont South League senior boys runners while Steele Canyon’s Fadi Al-Bana was 20th in 12:07.