North County runners excel at CIF championship
Templeton’s Josh Bell. Photo taken earlier this year.
Fastest distance runners in the state competed in Fresno
– The California High School Cross-Country Championships were held Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno. The fastest distance runners in the state competed in ten divisions – Divisions 1-5 for boys and girls.
In the first race of the day, Templeton High School Sophomore Joshua Bell placed 18th in the Boys Division 3 race. Bell was the first sophomore to cross the line. Of the first 17 runners to finish, 15 were seniors. Bell’s time on the 5k course was 15:41, which is 5:02 mile pace on the hilly 3.1 mile course. 25 teams and 207 runners competed in the Boys Division 3 race.
In the Girls Division 3 race, Templeton Freshman Keani Neuhs finished 155th. In the Girls Division 2 race, Paso Robles Senior Charlotte Castelli finished 54th. Junior Sydney Moore finished 10 seconds behind Charlotte to place 67th.
Charlotte Castelli. Photo from earlier this year.
San Luis Obispo’s team won the Boys Division 2 Race. The SLOHS boys finished in places 9, 11, 18, 30, 37.
In the Boys Division 4, Senior Patrick Thomas of Mission college Prep placed 30th. Senior Anthony Erickson placed 45th.
Newbury Park Boys Team set a new record by winning the Division One race with a near sweep. Their runners finished in places 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 to score only 16 points. Two sets of brothers finished in places 1-4. Three of their top four runners are juniors.
