XC at Mt. Sac Invitational

Becki Ottusch, sophomore for Malibu High School Cross Country, won 5th place at the prestigious Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational Division 4/5 Meet on Friday October 21st. Captain for girls' varsity, Ottusch said after the race, "I usually run with the boys (team), and without one of them to pace me, I wasn't sure how fast to run." Junior Stopher Eldrige, captain of the boys' varsity medaled in 19th place in the Sweepstakes heat in Division IV, where runners from the fastest teams compete. Eldrige was very excited before the heat, saying "We'll be competing with some fast teams." The boys' varsity team stepped up to the plate, beating Division IV rival Oaks Christian, and coming in 8th place out of 11 teams. Running for boys' varsity were seniors Jason Law and Daniel Nemirovsky, and sophomores Cameron Burrell, Nick Burrell, and Chris Peck, who ran PRed (Personal Record).

In its 58th year, Mt. SAC is the oldest and largest cross country race in the nation and a grueling course. Held at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA, over 16,000 high school athletes are running in heats every 8 minutes. Every California school with a running team competes against teams from Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado. Coach Johnson noted last year, "Every college coach asks a (prospective XC recruit) runner, 'How did you do at Mt. SAC?' " This is the giant of all cross country races, the seminal event in a runner's career. With steep switchbacks and two big hill climbs, the Mt. SAC course is known throughout the country as a demanding course. Heat and dust add to make this course even more demanding. Ottusch said that, "Our coach (Jeremy Johnson) trains us on hills. Our team is prepared for hills. It's the flats that give (our team) a problem."

The girls' team sorely missed sophomore Alexa Galarze, the second fastest runner on girls' varsity. The girls' varsity team ran some of their best times at Mt. SAC. Running for girls' varsity were senior Sabrina Foster, sophomores Michelle Capra, Caitlin Sherry, and Katie Holmes.