Cross Country Running

Something happened to Courtney Pugmire during the summer before her senior year. She turned into a distance runner. Through a combination of fierce desire and an unmatched work ethic, she earned The Times Orange County runner of the year honors. Known primarily as a middle-distance specialist for the Aztecs the past three years, Pugmire found previous success in cross-country (second-team all-county as a junior), but was more at home on the track.

A high school freshman who collapsed during a 3-mile cross-country race in September died from an inflammation of the heart, the Orange County coroner's office said Monday. Megan Myers, 14, died from multifocal myocarditis, said Cullen Ellingburgh, supervising deputy for the county coroner. An autopsy performed the day after Megan's death was unable to determine the cause. Dr.

Members of the Riverside Rubidoux High boys' cross-country team didn't fall off the face of the Earth during the 2002 track and field season. It just seemed that way, especially when one looked for their names among the top performers in the 800-, 1,600-and 3,200-meter races. Rubidoux, which romped to Division II titles in the Southern Section and state cross-country championships last year, is looking to do the same this year under its longtime coach, Sam Gee. The Falcons earned a No.

The death of 14-year-old cross-country runner Megan Myers after a three-mile race stunned Dana Hills High School, as students and parents tried Thursday to comprehend the loss of an athlete with so much life yet to live. "She was the greatest kid, very bright and full of life," said Terry Tutton, a longtime friend of Myers and her family. "She had always been a runner and very athletic."

Since the state cross-country championships began in 1987, no City Section runner has won an individual title. That could change next weekend, when Manuel Ruiz of North Hills Monroe High makes his run at history and tries to continue a story line that reads like a Disney movie. Two years ago, Ruiz arrived from Mexico to live with his brother. He spoke little English and had never engaged in any running except for racing to catch the bus in Mexico City. Basketball was his sport.

The death of 14-year-old cross-country runner Megan Myers after a three-mile race stunned Dana Hills High School, as students and parents tried Thursday to comprehend the loss of an athlete with so much life yet to live. "She was the greatest kid, very bright and full of life," said Terry Tutton, a longtime friend of Myers and her family. "She had always been a runner and very athletic."

To be a member of one of the state's best boys' cross-country teams, one must adhere to Chino Don Lugo Coach Don Salyers' formula of pack running, or staying together as a group as long as possible to maximize point potential. It often means sacrificing individual honors to meet the team's goal. "Ninety percent of the time," Salyers says, "the team that has the individual champion doesn't win the team championship." Senior Fitsum Tesfa, however, is usually the leader of the pack.

John Mahr is facing a problem entering his ninth season as the cross-country coach at Hesperia Sultana. He thinks his girls' team is talented enough to win the mythical national title this year, but he doesn't want it to become obsessed with reaching that goal. "[The girls] know the writing is on the wall," Mahr said. "They know that most of them ran big [personal-record times] during track season and that they're in better shape now than they were a year ago....

Michael Poe of Etiwanda won three major boys' cross-country championships during the season, but the way he bounced back from a disappointing performance in the Mt. San Antonio College Invitational in October was the best indicator of his drive and determination. Poe, a senior, was expected to be one of the top finishers in the individual sweepstakes race at Mt. SAC on Oct. 26.

The UC Santa Barbara men's cross-country team is ranked 13th in the latest NCAA Division I poll heading into the West region championships Saturday at Randolph Golf Course-North in Tucson, but only one of its top seven runners was a standout in high school. Senior Aaron Sharp, Santa Barbara's No. 5 runner, was a state Division V cross-country champion at Oxnard Santa Clara High and placed ninth in the 3,200 meters in the 1998 state track championships.

The U.S. Embassy said it has been alerted to a possible terrorist attack against this month's international cross-country championships in Kenya. The IAAF World Cross Country Championships are scheduled for March 24 in the coastal city of Mombasa. Athletes from 66 countries are expected to compete in the races, which are being held in Kenya for the first time. The embassy said it also had heard of threats by Kenya's coastal Muslim community to disrupt the races through unspecified means.

With Christmas being the time for giving, Bennett Duval of Los Angeles Loyola offered his fellow students one of the best presents of all last month with the sacrifice he made for the cross-country team. Duval was a 6-foot-3, 160-pound sophomore volleyball player who went out for cross-country simply to get into shape. For two weeks in August, while training with the team in Mammoth, he finished last among the 18 runners every time, causing him to ask, "Why am I doing this?" Fast forward to Nov.

Bill Tokar, the girls' cross-country coach at Ventura High, isn't the kind to rest on accomplishments. There is always the next practice, the next meet. So when it comes to appreciating the Cougars' record-breaking performance last week at the CIF Southern Section cross-country finals, this is the wrong week to look back in admiration. You can't look back when the state championships are Saturday at Fresno's Woodward Park.

To be a member of one of the state's best boys' cross-country teams, one must adhere to Chino Don Lugo Coach Don Salyers' formula of pack running, or staying together as a group as long as possible to maximize point potential. It often means sacrificing individual honors to meet the team's goal. "Ninety percent of the time," Salyers says, "the team that has the individual champion doesn't win the team championship." Senior Fitsum Tesfa, however, is usually the leader of the pack.

Alma Escobar still feels the stares when she strides away from the starting line, almost as though she's the lone participant in a race. But eyes no longer train on Escobar solely for her diminutive frame. Escobar, a junior cross-country runner at Corona, is gaining more attention for the way she dwarfs the competition. "She has a Cadillac engine in a Volkswagen body," said Don Chadez, the athletic director at Corona and a former track and cross-country coach for 26 years.

The Southland cross-country season began in earnest this weekend, giving runners a chance to measure the results of their summer training. Most ran hundreds of miles since school ended in June. A few traveled much farther. Crystal Reed, a junior at Fountain Valley, surpassed the 1,000-mile mark late last month, averaging more than 100 miles a week. She wasn't alone in piling up the miles. Teammate Danielle Dabney, a senior, amassed nearly 1,000 miles during the 13-week period from June 1 to Aug.

The U.S. Embassy said it has been alerted to a possible terrorist attack against this month's international cross-country championships in Kenya. The IAAF World Cross Country Championships are scheduled for March 24 in the coastal city of Mombasa. Athletes from 66 countries are expected to compete in the races, which are being held in Kenya for the first time. The embassy said it also had heard of threats by Kenya's coastal Muslim community to disrupt the races through unspecified means.

Daniel Niednagel of Dana Hills High School didn't face much competition from Orange County runners this season. Sure, he was pushed in some races, but he was also first at the finish line. Niednagel, a senior who was undefeated by county runners, dominated the season, winning the Laguna Hills, Dana Hills, and Orange County invitationals. It was not that way in 1989, when Niednagel had strong competition from San Clemente's Mike Farrell.

FIRST TEAM *--* Kelsey Delagardelle Sultana Sr. The top runner on the best team in the Southland placed second in the Southern Section Division II final, ninth in the state meet and 26th in the West Region championships. Lindsay Flacks Harvard-Westlake Sr. The Times' runner of the year placed second in the West Region championships and 24th in the nationals. In addition, she won the Division III final of the Southern Section championships and placed third in the state meet.

When it comes to predicting the Division I boys' and girls' team winners in the state cross-country championships at Woodward Park in Fresno on Saturday, it would be prudent to say that a squad from the Southern Section will be victorious in each race. Southern Section teams have won 15 of 16 Division I titles on both the boys' and girls' sides since the state championships began in 1987, and that domination is expected to continue Saturday.