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DFAL
Championships RESULTS AT BOTTOM OF PAGE Girls' Frosh Soph Victory Sparks Sweep of League Team Titles; Sun's Improbable Upset Tops List of Individual Champions Having finished a distant 3rd behind Las Lomas' accomplished veteran and Miramonte's freshman phenom at both regular season contests, Hana Sun (16) was not considered much of a threat to take the individual crown in Saturday's varsity division of the DFAL championships. But when Chloe Hansel, the defending state champion, and Cassidy Haskell, the sections' top freshman, turned the race into a tactical affair, it was Sun who saved her best play for last. After a pedestrian opening mile the lead pack was still crowded as it navigated the hard first turn to begin Jackrabbit loop, approximately half way through the Hidden Valley Park 3.0 mile course. Soon thereafter Hansel made her bid for the win, surging to a lead of as much as 20 meters before crossing the double bridges which would bring her to the base of Finale hill, a steep, 150 meter incline roughly a quarter of a mile from the finish. As the senior star began her climb however, the cost of earlier efforts became evident. Both Sun and Haskell, who had been battling for 2nd place, caught sight of the struggling Hansel. Each seemed newly inspired, and as the trio continued their ascent, the gap to the leader evaporated. At that point, all three athletes disappeared down the backside of the hill, where they would loop around, bound up a small rise and then descend onto the manicured grass before rounding the final turn for their sprint to the line. The clock ticked on as spectators hurried around the base of the hillside in an effort to beat the leaders to the finish. The expectation, of course, was an exciting battle, down to the wire, between the reigning queen and the upstart rookie. Few could have imagined that Sun would be the athlete to first burst back into view. Yet, there she was, having left the favorites a full 50 meters in her wake. Sun flashed through the blur of screaming parents and ecstatic teammates who lined the last stretch and leaped into the finish chute, 5 seconds ahead of Haskell. The improbable victory by the 4-year varsity workhorse helped the Cougars to a dominating team win, and added another year to Campolindo's streak of individual varsity girls' league champions, which dates back to the 2008 season. Perhaps most incredibly, it is the 1st individual varsity win of Sun's entire career. While he left out the late race drama, Jared Yabu (17) also claimed an upset victory by winning the boys' varsity division. With a gutsy surge throught the final mile, the junior was able to drop defending league champion Cameron Gaskell of Acalanes and the rest of the contenders to secure his first individual league title. His time of 15:26 is a new school record and the 2nd fastest time ever run on the course. Yabu was followed by another impressive pack performance. With 5 scorers in the top 11, the boys’ varsity claimed their 8th consecutive league championship. After falling to the knights of Las Lomas at the 2nd center meet of the season, the frosh-soph girls turned the tables, winning by a resounding margin to secure the outright league title. An individual win from Jessie Foxworthy (18) along with clutch performances from Kira Riegelhuth (19) and Remy Moran (19) was too much for the rest of the league. One of the most exciting moments of the day came in the JV Boys’ race where the 8-time defending league champions found themselves significantly challenged by a strong Dublin team. The Gaels used an aggressive start to establish a substantial point lead throughout the first mile, and still held a considerable advantage as the main pack crossed the double bridges. However, the cougars came alive during the last 400 meters of the race, with Dylan Hoover (17) and Gabriel Valverde-Turner (17) both overtaking Dublin’s #3 and #4 runners. That, coupled with a resounding victory from Kyle Flett (17) and a return to form by Navid Boozarpour (17), who finished in 2nd place, turned what had been looking like a disappointing conclusion to the legendary streak into a convincing affirmation of the JV boys' cotninued prowess. Campolindo managed to retain all 6 DFAL team titles and won 5 of the 6 individual crowns.
Campolindo's Yabu, Sun star in DFAL cross country championship meet MARTINEZ -- Campolindo High's Hana Sun had a critical decision to make as she was powering up the final hill of the Diablo Foothill Athletic League girls cross country championship race Saturday. The senior, who had never won a high school cross country race, saw leader Chloe Hansel of Las Lomas farther up on the hill, which is approximately 150 yards. With less than a half-mile left in the race, Sun, who was in second, had to consider whether she could take the lead. "I said 'I can't do it, but I've got to try,'" Sun said. Sun certainly did it, as she took the lead at the top of the hill and never relinquished it to win the 3.0 mile race at Hidden Valley Park-Martinez with a time of 18 minutes, 15 seconds. "I can't believe it," said a shocked Sun after the race. Sun was part of a pack of a large lead pack that passed through the first mile, and she moved into second place near the bottom of the final hill before taking the lead for good. Miramonte's Cassy Haskell, a freshman, finished second in 18:20 and Hansel was third (18:21). Other runners who broke the 19-minute mark in the race were Dougherty Valley's Alexandria Tucker (fourth, 18:43), Campolindo's Hannah Ruane (fifth, 18:47), and Dublin's Gabrielle Gamboa (sixth, 18:55). Campolindo placed three runners in the top seven and all five scorers in the top 13 to win its third straight DFAL championship race title with a score of 37. It also clinched its third straight overall league title. In the boys race, Campolindo's Jared Yabu took the lead for good a little earlier than Sun did. After the two-mile mark, the junior used an incline to take the lead and stretched his advantage to 10 seconds with approximately 600 yards left and 17 seconds at the finish, as he won with an outstanding time of 15:26. "I felt really encouraged the second half of the race," Yabu said. "I was able to make a move ... After two miles, I decided to pick it up." Dublin's Anirudh Surapaneni placed second in 15:43, and Acalanes' Cameron Gaskell was third (15:49). Las Lomas' Tom Robey also broke the 16-minute mark in the race (fourth, 15:56). Campolindo placed four runners in the top nine and all five scorers in the top 11 to win the team title with a score of 34. The Cougars had an impressive one-to-five gap time of 63 seconds. It was the Cougars squad's eighth straight DFAL championship title, and the win also clinched the overall DFAL title for the Cougars team.
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| BOYS'
VARSITY Campolindo 34, Dublin 68, Dougherty Valley 80, Las Lomas 91, Acalanes 129, Miramonte 130, Alhambra 195
BOYS'
FROSH SOPH Campolindo 32, Dublin 46, Las Lomas 94, Dougherty Valley 98, Acalanes 132, Miramonte 147, Alhambra 196
BOYS'
JV Campolindo 21, Dublin 35, Las Lomas 72, Dougherty Valley 119, Miramonte 144, Acalanes 173 |
GIRLS'
VARSITY Campolindo 37, Dougherty Valley 72, Las Lomas 77, Dublin 86, Miramonte 103, Acalanes 176, Alhambra 178
GIRLS'
FROSH SOPH Campolindo 33, Las Lomas 54, Dublin 57, Dougherty Valley 83, Miramonte 144
GIRLS'
JV Campolindo 28, Las Lomas 40, Dougherty Valley 67, Miramonte 114 |
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