Posted: Nov 02, 2021

Record Team Performance As Mt. SAC Wins 2021 SCC Women's Cross Country Title

The 2021 All-SCC Women's Country Team (photo by Michael Watkins).

South Coast Conference 2021 Championship Results

Between the COVID-19 pandemic that cost all sports a full year of competition and the mini streak put together by Los Angeles Harbor College from 2017-2019, it had been five years* since the Mt. San Antonio College women's cross country program experienced its own success.

On October 29 at the 2021 South Coast Conference Championships held at Compton Wilson Park, the state No. 1-ranked Mounties returned to the winner's circle by setting two conference records in achieving their first solo team title since 2016. Seven runners occupied places second through seventh place as part of a conference-record nine Mt. SAC runners who made it to the All-SCC First and Second Teams.

Led by second-place finisher Hannah Brown at 19:33, Mt. SAC's 20 points score is a SCC record low and the best score recorded since Mt. SAC totaled 23 points in winning the 2009 crown. In order the next best Mounties were All-SCC First Teamers in Amanda Crowell (third, 19:49.6), Kaitlyn Atkinson (fourth, 19:56.8), Claudia Vera (fifth, 20:04.4), Jessica Mojarro-Salinas (sixth, 20:20.3), Gaby Cerrillos (seventh, 20:33.2) and Second Team finisher Allison Gutierrez (eighth, 20:34.3). Atkinson was the only second-time All-SCC racer as she placed eighth at the 2019 championship.

Cerritos College harrier Lauren Berg prevented a complete First Team by the Mounties as she easily won the 2021 race with a time of 19 minutes, 5.2 seconds over the 5-kilometer course. Berg captured first place in a meet for the third time this season and helped the state #5-ranked Falcons earn second place with 48 points. Berg is the first Cerritos individual champion since Marylu Pulido won the 2015 race.

Rounding out the All-SCC Second Team were Tracy Acevedo (Cerritos, ninth, 20:34.6), Karla Galvan (Mt. SAC, 10th, 20:45.3), Marbella Flores (LA Harbor, 11th, 20:47.2), Isabel Orosco (Cerritos, 12th, 20:48.9), Trista Michael (Mt. SAC, 13th, 20:52.9), and Charlotte Barrera-Montero (Cerritos, 14th, 20:53.4).

Only five conference teams had enough runners to score as a team with LA Harbor in third (93), Long Beach City placing fourth (98) and El Camino in fifth (115). In the field of 51 runners, Mt. SAC's depth was evident as 13 racers from the Walnut college participated.

The Southern California Regional Championships take place Friday, Nov. 5 at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley.

*--Mt. SAC shared the SCC title with Harbor in 2017

Release by Robert Lewis, SCC SID