Tartan Cross Country Finishes on top at First League Meet

On Tuesday afternoon, St. Margaret's opened the league cross country season by sweeping all four divisions at the first league cluster meet at Mason Park in Irvine. The top-ranked Tartans, who are currently No. 1 in the girls CIF Div. V poll and No. 2 in the boys, took the top three spots in all four races to secure the lead in the league standings after one round of racing. 

 

"Our goal is always the state championships in November, so we have been training fairly hard over the past few weeks, but I'm proud of how the team responded on tired legs," said head coach Pat Bendzick. "To earn decisive wins over another ranked opponent is a good sign of our progress." 

 

Liesel Blau (19:59) and Everett Capelle (16:54) took home individual honors in the varsity races, and both showed tremendous leadership pulling their teammates into position. Amelia Kang (20:12) followed Blau, and Capelle was trailed by Kevin Shen (16:54) and Aiden Momtaz (17:09). The Tartans also displayed some young talent, with Sarah Bendzick finishing 3rd (20:27) in the girls varsity race and Jared Botuchis finishing 7th (18:10) in the boys. 

 

"We have been pushing our young athletes to develop rather quickly, knowing that they will play a pivotal role come championship season. They are a talented group and made a huge difference today," said Bendzick. 

 

The team has next week off from racing but will be back in action on October 9 at the Clovis Invitational in Fresno. The event will be the program's opportunity to run on the same course used for the California State Championships in late November.