Erika Schaeffer finished third in the SBCC Invitational for the second straight year on Friday at Leadbetter Beach and Shoreline Park. The sophomore from Newbury Park covered the 5K course under cloudy skies in 20:51, improving her time from last year by nearly 1:20.
Sara Toberty of Orange Coast won the cross country race, which started on the beach and ended in the park, in 20:28. Glendale, ranked No. 2 in Southern California, took the women’s team title, beating Orange Coast 36-49 in the 10-school competition.
Ayla Granados was 18th for SBCC in 21:28 while Sarah O’Connor finished 51st in 23:15.
“Erika ran a really strong race and this is a great way to head ito the conference championship meet,” said coach Scott Fickerson. “Ayla ran a great race as well and put herself in the position to be a top 10-racer at the conference meet.”
In the men’s four-mile race, Garrett Edwards took 22nd for the Vaqueros in 22:50. Germay Tesfai of Fresno City was the winner in the 143-man field in 21:48.
“Our men were strong,“ said Fickerson. “They raced the course smart by moving up in the second half of the race and being tough when it mattered most. Garrett ran 1:15 faster than last season, so this was a great improvement for him.
“We were very pleased with the turnout today. The weather conditions, while not as picturesque as a nice sunny day, were ideal for hard racing, so I’m happy for the athletes.”
SBCC will compete in the WSC Championships on Oct. 26 at Crescenta Valley Park in La Crescenta.
SBCC Invitational
Men (12 teams, 143 finishers)
Team — 1, San Bernardino Valley 42. 2, Orange Coast 66. 3, L.A. Trade Tech 80.
Individual — 1, Germay Tesfai 21:48.
SBCC results — 22, Garrett Edwards 22:50. 88, Luis Garnica 24:55. 90, Marcial Ordaz 25:12.
Women (10 teams, 120 finishers)
Team — 1, Glendale 36. 2, Orange Coast 49. 3, L.A. Trade Tech 83. 4, Cerritos 122. 5, Victor Valley 181.
Individual (5K) — 1, Sara Toberty, OC, 20:28.58. 2, Angela Martinez, G, 20:45.09. 3, Erika Schaeffer, SBCC, 20:51.76. 4, Beth Tademy, Fresno City, 20:53.26. 5, Claudia Pelayo, OC, 20:56.19
Other SBCC results — 18, Ayla Granados 21:28.70. 51, Sarah O’Connor 23:15.74. 80, Sofia Danielson 25:09.97.
