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Miramonte freshman Cassy Haskell ran a season-best to 17:37.3 to secure second place in the Division III state meet.
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All three Lamorinda high schools sent representatives Nov. 28 to the CIF State Cross Country Meet (Fresno, Calif.). An estimated 2,000 runners, spanning five divisions, made the trek to Central California.
In the Division III girls' race, Miramonte freshman Cassy Haskell put the finishing touches on a tremendous fall, finishing second overall with a season-best 17:37.3 - twelfth overall across all divisions. Haskell was the first Lady Mat runner to qualify for State since 2005, the last time the team itself qualified. This fall, the girls finished fifth in NCS, just one spot away from its first CIF berth in 10 years.
"Six of the seven girls ran season-best races (at NCS)," head coach Brian Henderson said. "It's not disappointing, but definitely bittersweet."
In order to qualify for the state meet, the boys' team ran a thrilling NCS race, besting rival Acalanes for the fourth and final spot in the event. Strong finishes from junior Jonathan Fiero (7th) and senior Pete Bull (11th) punched their ticket to Saturday's action.
The Mats finished 17th overall on Saturday. Fiero recorded the Mats' best time, coming in at 16:02.0 (54th overall). The team graduates just one runner, Bull, and Henderson anticipates both his teams will continue to "raise the bar" in 2016.
The Campo Cougars sent both their boys' and girls' squads to Fresno. The week before, both teams secured their third-consecutive NCS Titles at the sectional meet in Hayward, Calif.
Campo senior Hana Sun shaved 10 seconds off her fourth-place NCS time, finishing sixth overall with an impressive 17:37.3. Sophomore Hannah Ruane finished 18th overall (18:16.9), helping the Lady Cougars secure their third-consecutive top-five state finish - they earned 5th overall.
Junior Jared Yabu led the Cougars on the boys' side, finishing 8th overall (15:29.4). The Cougars' goal was to make their first podium visit - i.e., a top-three finish - since 2008, but ultimately came up short, finishing sixth overall.
"It was a fast race but we had the ability to move up," head coach Andy Lindquist explained. "We just didn't do it today. It's hard to come in as underdogs and manage the expectations and pressure. I'm extremely proud of their efforts."
Yabu echoed his coach's sentiment. "We got too far back in the beginning and weren't able to make up places in the second half of the race," he said.
Acalanes senior Cameron Gaskell qualified for State as an individual and placed 37th overall (16:03.4).
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA