Posted on Sat, Nov. 28, 2009

Mission Prep’s Annie Mooney, and Morro Bay High’s James Shipe and Nipomo’s Andrew Garcia all earned top-10 finishes Saturday at the CIF State Cross Country Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Mooney finished third in a tight Division V girls individual race.

Marin Academy junior Lucy McCullough won the 5K race in 18 minutes, 17 seconds. Chadwick junior Jaye Buchbinder, Mooney, a junior, and San Francisco freshman Holland Reynolds all finished in 18:24. Buchbinder was second, Mooney third and Reynolds fourth.

Mooney was second in last year’s race behind only then-teammate Jordan Hasay. Mooney, however, ran 13 seconds faster Saturday than she did at state a year ago.

Mooney’s third-place finish led the Royals to a ninth-place team finish with 242 points, one behind eighth-place Crystal Springs.

San Francisco University topped Chadwick 71-79 for the team title.

Shipe, a senior, finished fourth in the Division IV boys race in leading the Pirates to a sixth-place team finish. Laguna Beach was the team champ with 69 points to 122 for runner-up McFarland. Don Bosco Tech was a distant third with 195 points, followed by Big Bear (202), Harvard-Westlake (211) and Morro Bay (216).

Tamalpais junior Daniel Milechman was the boys Division IV individual winner in 15:37 and was followed by Laguna Beach junior Matt Neev (15:44), St. Mary’s senior Dan Maxwell (15:47) and Shipe (15:53).

“James ran a smart race,” Morro Bay co-coach David Jackson said. “He put himself in contention to win for 2.6 miles but just got out run.”

A year ago, Shipe finished fifth in leading the Pirates to a third-place team finish.

Garcia, a senior, finished four seconds behind Shipe and was seventh in 15:57.

Bryan Carroll also had a strong showing for Morro Bay, placing 29th in 16:33.

In the Division IV girls team race, Savannah Camacho and Kaley Hook led Templeton to an eighth-place team finish. Camacho and Hook finished 21st and 22nd individually, respectively, and both were clocked in 19:14. Harvard-Westlake sophomore Camille Chapus was the individual winner in 17:59.

The Eagles scored 237 points for their eighth-place girls finish. Harvard-Westlake topped Serra 92-129 for the team title.

In the girls Division III race, San Luis Obispo junior Kathleen Uyttewaal finished 53rd in 19:06. She was the only local competitor in the race, won by Palos Verdes sophomore Rebecca Mehra in 17:34.

In the boys Division V race, Mission Prep finished 14th with 359 points, one behind 13th-place Central Valley Christian. Woodcrest Christian won the team title with 109 points.

Niels Smidth and Arturo Siqueiros led the Royals, placing 75th and 77th, respectively, in 17:46 and 17:47.