CIF State Cross Country Championships
When: Today
Where: Woodward Park, Fresno
Distance: 3.1 miles
Races: Division II girls, 8:30 a.m.; Division III girls, 9:05 a.m.; Division II boys, 9:40 a.m.; Division III boys, 10:10 a.m.; Division IV girls, 10:40 a.m.; Division V boys, 11:15 a.m.; Division I girls, 11:45 a.m.; Division IV boys, 12:20 p.m.; Division V girls, 12:50 p.m.; Division I boys, 1:25 p.m.
At a glance: The Division I girls race has a distinctly North County flavor with Rancho Bernardo junior Molly Grabill having established herself as the individual favorite after a unbeaten season in which she collected course records like key chains. Remember, last spring Grabill was second in the 3,200 meters at the state track and field championships behind Jordan Hasay, the Central California phenom who won four individual state cross country titles and four individual track state titles in the 3,200. Hasay runs for the University of Oregon now. In addition to Grabill, there is the Torrey Pines team, which is ranked No. 2 in the latest CIF Division I state rankings behind Temecula Great Oak. The Falcons are led by Megan Morgan and Alli Billmeyer, who were fourth and third, respectively, at the state meet last year. Teammate Ashlyn Dadkah cracked the top 15 in 2008 as a freshman. Morgan, a senior, is a contender for the individual title. She has been running close behind Grabill, a junior, for most of the season, even posting a better time ---- though in a different race ---- at the North County Conference championships two weeks ago. ... Mt. Carmel's Erin Menefee, the section Division II champion, appears primed to improve on her 13th-place finish in 2008. She'll have her teammates ---- the Sundevils qualified as a team, too ---- alongside her at the starting line. ... The boys do not have as many state championship-level storylines, but three North County teams qualified as teams in Division I: Poway, Rancho Buena Vista and Torrey Pines. The hot runner among the boys is La Costa Canyon sophomore Darren Fahy, who pulled a minor upset in winning the Division I section title last week. Mt. Carmel (Division II), Westview (III), Valley Center (III) and Cathedral Catholic (III) qualified as teams on the boys side. ... Mission Hills (II), Cathedral Catholic (III), Calvin Christian (IV) and Pacific Ridge (IV) qualified their girls teams to compete.
---- Tom Sheridan
