Cross Country
Neev Takes First in Varsity Race
By BOB CAMPBELL

Photo by Debbie Neev Sophomore Matt Neev kicks to the finish to win the Pepperdine Invitational varsity race.

Coming off a bye week, the boys' cross-country team from Laguna Beach High blew away the competition at the Pepperdine Invitational last Saturday in Malibu. The JV squad, led by senior Rand Hardy's second place finish overall, scored a resounding victory over Orange Lutheran by a count of 23 to 44.

Hardy (17:33) finished 10 seconds ahead of fellow senior Horacio Acosta (17:43), who came in third. The trio of juniors Jake Johnson (18:00.2) and Alex Young (18:00.5), and senior Brian Yale (18:01), who finished less than a second apart in eighth, ninth and 10th, capped off the JV's dominant performance.

Sophomore Matt Neev, the state's fourth-ranked Division IV runner, added to his growing list of individual titles, leading a short-handed varsity squad with a winning time of 15:54. With seniors Casey Finnerty and Jordan Festa taking the SAT, Coach Dave Brobeck started only four of the minimum five runners needed to record a team score. And with all four finishing among the top 11 in their race, there is little doubt that the addition of Finnerty, a top runner, or Festa, a solid competitor, would have given the CIF second-ranked boys' varsity a victory of their own.

Senior Tommy Newtonoffensive Neal (16:50), and juniors Blake Hofmeister (16:53) and Andre Shapero (17:14) finished seventh, eighth and 11 respectively for the varsity.

Only three seconds separated freshman Natasha Strickland (20:46) and junior Parker Yamasaki (20:49), who finished 13th and 16th to lead the girls' varsity to a second place finish, an impressive performance considering one of their top runners, junior Kativa Strickland, dropped out near the one-mile mark with a tight quad muscle. Although Kativa's exit undoubtedly affected the Breakers' score, she would have had to finish at least sixth or better for Laguna to make up the 25 points behind winner, Clovis North.

Junior McKenna Nokes (21:12, 21st), freshman Marisa Merchant (21:15, 25th) and sophomore Sophie Radach (22:28, 42nd) completed the scoring for the varsity Breakers.

Both frosh/soph teams notched third place finishes. The boys Swartz, who finished sixth overall in a time of 17:40. Freshman Jeff White (18:19, 13th) and sophomores Kevin McQuaid

18:39, 23rd), Wyatt Fair (18:58, 29th) and Alec Toro (19:10, 32nd) rounded out the scoring five.

The frosh/soph girls were led by freshman Hannah Jonus, who finished seventh overall in a time of 22:39. She was followed by the tight-knit trio of freshmen Tori Toma (23:14, 15th) and Julia Milang (23:14, 16th), and sophomore Carly Savage (23:18, 17th). Freshman Mo Berger

23:34) completed the scoring for the Breakers.

Senior Margaux Reckard 23:33) and juniors Maddie Silvers

24:05), Chelsea Garmshausen

24:06), Bryn Valaika (24:39) and Jourdana Gergis (26:08) combined to give the girls' JV a sixth place finish.

The Breakers have next week off. The season resumes Saturday, Oct. 18 with the Orange County Invitational in Irvine Regional Park.