Pirates kick off season with solid performance in opening meet
FULLERTON -- The defending state-champion Orange Coast College women's cross country team opened 2013 with a strong performance at the Mark Covert Classic, held at Carbon Canyon Park.
In the open team scores, the Pirates posted the lowest team score of the day with a 25. Concordia University finished second with 60 points, while Glendale College took third with 67 points.
All five scoring runners for Coast cracked the top-10 among school-affiliated runners. Returners from last year's state championship team -- Leanne Allen, Karen Silvas and Raeanna Cortez -- picked up right where they left off in 2012. Allen led the way with a time of 19 minutes, 22.3 seconds on the 5k course, while Silvas was right behind Allen with a time of 19:23.9 and Cortez placed ninth among school runners with a 20:19.5.
Newcomers Kristie Son (sixth, 20:05) and Guadalupe Cantoran (seventh, 20:09.2) showed the rest of the field that the Pirates will once again, be a force to reckon with in 2013.
Other top times for the Pirates include Allison Nagel (21:19.5), Bianca Moreno (21:56.7), Aini Morales (22:01.1) and Norma Ladesma (22:18).
The Pirates will return to action on Saturday at the Fresno Invitational, held at Woodward Park, beginning at 8 a.m.
