South Surrey and Cloverdale runners found themselves leading the pack last week in the first event on the Surrey high school cross-country calendar.
Running at Crescent Park Thursday afternoon, local competitors found themselves on the podium in numerous races and were simply dominant in the 4.8-km senior girls race, sweeping the first six spots.
Clayton Heights Secondary’s Christina Sevsek was the first to cross the finish line, and was followed by Earl Marriott Mariners Georgia Ginther and Hayley Ribiero, who placed second and third, respectively.
Elgin Park’s Danielle Steer was fourth, followed by EMS runners Carly Good and Simran Saria. Marriott runners Lisa Seidelmann and Coco Wiebe rounded out the top 10.
Another Earl Marriott standout Thursday was Kera Mumford, who won the junior girls race – also 4.8 km – despite being in Grade 8.
“She is only a few seconds behind our top senior girls,” noted EMS coach Scott Kent.
Local runners also finished with podium spots at the 6.4-km senior boys run – EMS teammates Dawson Ribiero and Sajjan Sarai placed second and third, respectively.
Marriott’s Jeremiah Mackie – who placed sixth in the junior race at 2015 Fraser Valley Championships despite being in Grade 8 – finished second in the junior boys race, followed by Semiahmoo Secondary’s Trey Ference and Elgin’s Oliver Gibson, in third and fourth place, respectively.
For a full list of results, visit www.fraservalleyxc.com
Runners from Surrey high schools will return to Crescent Park trails this week, as they get set for another afternoon of running Thursday.
After this week, the Surrey cross-country schedule moves on to Bear Creek Park (Oct. 6) and Fleetwood Park (Oct. 20). Fraser Valley championships are set for Oct. 26 and Coquitlam’s Mundy Park, and provincials are schedule for Nov. 5 in Peachland.