NOVEMBER 29, 2018 (Solana Beach, Calif.) — Last Saturday, Nov. 24, Santa Fe Christian’s (SFC) boys’ and girls’ cross country teams participated in the 2018 CIF State Cross Country Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno, CA. In the thirty-two-year history of the CIF State Cross Country Championships, SFC has qualified five girls’ teams to the meet, with the highest placing in 12th, back in 2003. A boys’ team from SFC has never qualified… until this year.
SFC’s Boys’ XC Results
SFC’s boys’ team had their best season ever, finishing 2nd at the San Diego Divisional CIF Championships on Nov. 17, and 16th at the CIF State Championships last Saturday. The boys’ varsity team is made up of three freshmen, three sophomores, and just one senior — so the future looks bright! Sophomore Ryan Todd was SFC’s first finisher at state, placing 39th overall with a 5k time of 17:05. Following Todd, the other SFC varsity finishers were Ryan King, Keegan DeBever, Alex Bobowski, Matthew Lubke, Jonathan Stafslien and Matthew Chan.
SFC Girls’ XC Results
SFC’s girls’ team had an overwhelmingly strong season, winning nearly every competition, including victories at the Coach Downey Classic, the Mt. Sac Invitational, a sweep of all Coastal League meets, and the Conference Championships. On Nov. 17, the girls’ team won the San Diego CIF Divisional title, with the biggest margin of victory on the day, in any division.
Last Saturday, the girls’ team finished off with a dramatic fourth place finish at the state meet. The team was led by freshman Eloise Martenson, who placed 13th overall, with a school-record time of 19:17 over the rolling 5k cross country course. The other outstanding varsity runners were Camille Needham, Chloe Krome, Kennedy Necoechea, Audrey Smith, Nadia Forougi and Summer Kloer. Together, they achieved the fastest combined “Team Time” in school history — by over four minutes! And with six of the top seven returning, and the first three being underclassmen, this team is just getting started!
Coach Demian Kloer, who is in his fourth year of leading SFC’s cross country and track programs, says the team’s championship culture is the reason for the program’s transformation. Kloer says, “The athletes have completely bought into the process of what it takes to be successful in this sport. This, and SFC’s championship culture, has transformed our program. The team loves each other and brings an infectious, positive attitude every day. It is such a joy and an honor to watch this team sacrifice for their teammates, achieve their goals, and honor God with their actions!”
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