Facing a wide range of Bay Area teams featuring some of the top runners in Northern California, the Sonoma Valley High School cross-country squads competed in the annual and challenging Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto on Saturday, with the Sonoma girls making a major impression by finishing in the top 10.
The defending Sonoma County League champion Lady Dragons turned in what head coach John Litzenberg said was their best-ever effort at the prestigious event, running to an outstanding sixth-place finish in the 25-team Division-3 girls race which included 187 participants – last year they were 19th out of 26 teams.
Leading the Sonoma girls on the three-mile course were sophomore Amy Stanfield’s standout 12th-place finish in 19 minutes, 3 seconds; senior Maddy Libbey’s 37th place in 20:14; sophomore Quinn Jensen’s 41st in 20:20; junior Maddie Cashel’s 54th in 20:58; freshman Malia Cashel’s 65th in 21:13; and junior Helena Goodman’s 136th in 23:27.
Sonoma had only three runners compete in the 40-school Division-3 boys field of 223 participants and took an incomplete score, with the Dragons being paced by senior Travis Claeys’ 53rd-place finish in 17:06; frosh Justin Cox’s 76th place in 17:31; and junior Leonardo Macedonio’s 177th in 18:52.
The Sonoma cross-?country teams will compete in the annual Ragle Relays in Sebastopol tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 30.
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With a flu bug sidelining some of their key players, Sonoma’s water polo teams had trouble keeping up with the deep and talented Tamalpais squads last Thursday in Mill Valley and were swept in one-sided Marin County Athletic League decisions.
The Lady Dragons dropped a 19-2 decision to Tamalpais, with their two goals scored by senior Natalie Baker and freshman Alex MacIntosh.
Sonoma’s boys were topped 18-3 by Tamalpais, with one goal scored each by seniors Joey Dukes and Cian Lacy, and junior Jackson Mighell.
On Saturday in Napa, the Sonoma boys team, still thinned by illness, competed against a tough field of North and East Bay teams in the Vintage Tournament and turned in a series of gutsy efforts than earned them a spirited 2-3 record, including ending the tourney with an inspiring 8-7 victory over Napa.
With two ailing starters out of action, Dukes came off the bench and scored three goals for Sonoma in their Napa win.
The Dragons also beat American Canyon 8-4, with their losses including 11-4 to Ukiah, 13-2 to Encinal, and 10-2 to host Vintage.
Sonoma’s water-polo teams, directed by head coach Flynn O’Brien, host MCAL foe Redwood today at the Sonoma Aquatic Club pool, with the boys match starting at 5, and the girls game follows at 6 p.m.
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