SALINAS -- The Live Oak girl's cross country team didn't come close to setting any personal records, but still finished the CIF-Central Coast Finals meet right where it was predicted to.
With 256 points, the Lady Acorns placed 10th in the 12-team Division III field Saturday in Salinas, fulfilling its estimated result by Dyestatcal.com. Live Oak senior Olivia Duran finished a team-best 34th, covering the three-mile Toro Park course in 21 minutes, 36 seconds.
"Everyone's time was probably slower today," Live Oak coach Tom Sumpter said, alluding to the high-80 degree temperature. "When it's this hot out, you feel warm when you start, so you go out fast and fade. That's what a lot of people did today.
"The girls are probably upset with their times, but not to finish 10th."
Sumpter was correct in both assumptions.
"I finished like a minute and a half off my PR," said Duran, who's been hampered by bursitis in her hip. "I'm not used to running like this because I've been injured all season. So that made it really hard. I was trying not to focus on that and the heat."
Following her coach's advice, Duran eased into a moderate pace through the first mile but struggled with Toro Park's infamously difficult terrain.
"I didn't have a super-good start, but I pulled up and felt pretty good," she said. "The hills killed me, though. My left hip felt terrible."
Duran ambled through the 1.75-mile mark but picked up speed in the final 200 yards. She finished a second behind Valley Christian's Elizabeth Wallace.
Live Oak's Renee Dominguez crossed the finish line less than a minute later in 43rd at 22:27, and teammate Pauline Olsen followed in 58th at 23:05. The Acorns' Chelsie Faulk (24:00) placed 69th, Emily Mandel (25:45) and took 83rd and Vanessa Santoya (27:06) and Abrianna Robles (28:38) finished 88th and 91st, respectively.
"We finished right where we wanted to -- just not with the right kind of times," Sumpter said. "Everyone was dying out there, so I told the girls to take it easy and not go out too fast. But it's CCS -- that's easier said than done."
Jennifer Bergman (18:15) of Valley Christian won the Division III individual title, and Saint Ignatius placed five in the top 15 to take the team championship with 46 points.
Anthony Macadaeg (19:13), Live Oak's only male representative, finished 66th in the Division III race.
"I think it affected me a lot," Macadaeg said of the weather. "It was that bad; not bad on my time, bad on the race."
Macadaeg was making his debut in the section finals, which he had hoped to run since his freshman year.
"My goal was to go out a little faster than usual to try and keep up with the first pack as long as possible," he said with a hint of disappointment. "Then, I wanted to back off and wait for my second wind.
"It was pretty hard. It's my last race, so I wanted to go all out. But it just didn't happened. No regrets, though."
Willow Glen's Nohe Lema (15:44) placed first, and Aptos won the boy's championship with 56 points.
Scott J. Adams Scott J. Adams covers Morgan Hill sports for South Valley Newspapers. Send him an email or call him at 779-4106.
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