Mt. SAC Women's Cross Country Looking To Get Back To State Winner's Circle

Manny Bautista Invitational Complete Results

If the Oct. 10 Manny Bautista Invitational was an indicator, the South Coast Conference's Mt. San Antonio College women's cross country team appears to be the class of the South Region and hopes to reclaim the 3C2A state title in 2025 after the Mounties had won three straight crowns from 2021-2023.

In the 5-kilometer race at Liberty Station's Naval Training Center in San Diego, Mt. SAC won the team title with 49 points, well ahead of second-place Orange Coast (102) and last year's state champ San Diego Mesa (115). The field featured 21 teams and 181 runners. 

The top SCC runner turned out to be El Camino's Jadeyn Skefich in third place overall in a time of 18 minutes, 35.91 seconds. Mt. SAC's Sophia Ebner was one of three Mounties in the top 10, placing fifth (19:01.27), followed by Casey McConn in eighth (19:10.96) and Kaitlyn Reyes in ninth (19:16.44).

LA Harbor was right behind with the #10 and #11 finishers in Keona Mataali (19:20.54) and Angie Morales (19:32.98).

Other SCC top finishers included Long Beach City's Itzel Aguilar in 13th (19:44.29), East Los Angeles' Jasmine Hernandez in 17th (19:54.94), Cerritos' Jayla Barnwell in 26th (20:15.60), and Pasadena City's Camila Gonzalez in 48th (20:47.59).

Team-wise, Cerritos took seventh, Long Beach eighth, LA Harbor 11th, and Pasadena 16th. 

Mt. SAC, winners of the last four SCC titles, host the South Coast Championships on Oct. 31. Reyes, fourth in the SCC finals as a freshman, the Mounties' Jasmine Brandyberry (sixth), Mataali (seventh), and Barnwell are all returning All-SCC racers.

Skefich, who won two early-season races, and Morales were each awarded as 5CTCA Runners of the Week going into last week's event.

El Camino's Jadeyn Skefich

Release by Robert Lewis, SCC SID