Von Scherr returns to cross country following tibia injury last season to run second-fastest female time at Arcadia County Park; Castellano also rebounds from missing last year’s meet with injury to secure third career Fastback victory, along with Rios

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Akemi Von Scherr enjoyed a memorable return to cross country Saturday at the Fastback Invitational, with the La Quinta CA senior becoming only the second female athlete to run under 11 minutes on the 2-mile course at Arcadia County Park in Arcadia, Calif.

Upland CA senior Jeremiah Castellano and Colony CA junior Amber Rios also added to their impressive resumes at the annual season-opening meet, each securing their third career victories at the event.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

Castellano, who won the freshman race in 2016 and sophomore competition two seasons ago before missing last year’s event with an injury, held up three fingers as he crossed the finish line in 9 minutes, 25 seconds, a 24-second improvement from his 2017 triumph and the fastest time of the day.

Rios made it three in a row after prevailing in freshman and sophomores races the past two seasons. She produced the third-fastest time among female competitors at 11:37.3, trailing Von Scherr’s victory in 10:55.2 and sophomore winner Sofia Abrego of Granada Hills CA in 11:23.8.

Von Scherr, who was sidelined last year with a stress fracture in her left tibia after winning the sophomore race at the 2017 event in 11:09.3, joined Walnut CA graduate and course record-holder Chloe Arriaga (10:42.5) as the only girls competitors to eclipse the 11-minute mark.

Unlike many of her peers, Von Scherr doesn’t run track in the spring, instead choosing to focus on swimming, making Saturday’s race her first high school running competition since the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 finals in 2017.

West Ranch CA, led by a third-place finish in the senior race and the seventh-fastest overall effort from Abigail Welch (11:43.7), prevailed in the girls team competition with 145 points, ahead of Granada Hills CA (189) and Quartz Hill CA (195).

The overall team winner is determined by taking a school’s top five finishers, regardless of grade, and combining their performances.

Brianne Smith won the freshman race in 11:59.6, one of 14 female athletes to run under 12 minutes, producing the top performance for third-place Quartz Hill.

Highland CA edged Golden League rival Quartz Hill by a 114-148 margin in the overall boys team competition, with Rancho Cucamonga (160) placing third.

Daniel Rodriguez won the junior race for Highland in 9:27.5, the second-fastest time overall and one of 18 performances under 10 minutes, and Glenn Bell prevailed in the sophomore race in 10:10.4 for third-place Rancho Cucamonga.

Santiago Orozco of Cathedral CA secured victory in the freshman race in 10:15.6, as the Phantoms were sixth overall with 208 points.