Mannion, Ingargiola enjoying summer together

Vista del Lago's Brenna Mannion and Oak Ridge's Adriana Ingargiola, two of the better distance runners in the Sacramento area, are preparing for their senior year. It's seems like yesterday the two burst onto the scene as freshmen but are now enjoying their last summer as high school student-athletes. This summer started soon after the school year ended, as the two who have gotten to know each other over the years have now become good friends. They competed in the Golden West Track Meet from June 6-8 at Cordova High School, running the 5-kilometer. Mannion placed first in the event in 17 minutes, 51.1 seconds. "It was a competitive field against a bunch of girls I raced against in the 3,200," Mannion said. "We're all fast and all have PRs close to each other. It's the first time I've ever run a 5K on a track, so my expectations weren't too big. I just wanted to race as hard as I can and see what I could do. "I was running with a girl and I felt pretty good so I took the lead with about five laps to go. It was an interesting experience, but I really did enjoy it. I was really happy with how I did and really proud after a solid end to the track season." Ingargiola finished eighth in 19:29.2. "Although it wasn't the race I hoped for, it was really fun," Ingargiola said. "It was a fun experience because I ran it with a group of girls that I knew. I love the long-distance events. I love the 3,200 in track and this race is even longer. The longer the race is the more I love it." From there, the girls headed north to compete in Nike Nationals at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon. Mannion competed the one-mile run, which is just a little bit longer than the 1,600 meters. She placed 32nd in 5:05.73, which converts to a 5:03.96 in the 1,600. "It was really good competition against people from other states that I've never raced against before," Mannion said. Of course, the race is nice, but getting the experience of racing at Hayward Field is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "It's such a famous track and a cool environment," Mannion said. "There's an underground track for athletes to warm up on. They have an athletes' village and a bunch of merch. To run on a track where the Olympic Trials were held is cool." Ingargiola ran in three events at Nike Nationals: the 4xmile relay with Oak Ridge teammates Giuliana Martino, Lauren Tiedeman and Elise Sale, and placed 14th in 22:07.96; the 3,000 meters, in which she placed 31st in 10:32.28; and the mile run with Mannion, in which she finished 52nd in 5:10.18. "Running with my teammates was a fun experience," Ingargiola said. "The 3K was really fun. Then I ran the mile with Brenna. After already running in two events, I just gave it all I had and I ran 5:10.18. "I had never been to Hayward Field. It's got to be one of the coolest tracks I've ever run on. The stadium is huge. It's hard to describe in words what it's like to run there. You're running on a track where the Olympic Trials were held. Everything felt so surreal. I'm so grateful to experience that; it's pretty special." Also pretty special is the relationship Mannion and Ingargiola have. They started as competitive rivals and now they're good friends who help each other along the way. "We do some training runs together when we don't have team practices," Mannion said. "It's cool to make friends through sports. You meet people and get to know athletes who you compete against. It's nice to have a friend like Adriana who you can be competitive with but also be friends with on the other side. Our class of 2026 is a really good competitive class and it is fun to get along with all of the girls. "I just feel like Adriana has helped me improve. We're going through the same thing at the same time." Added Ingargiola, "We've established a special friendship. She's definitely someone at my level who pushes me. We spend a lot of time together and we love sharing the sport together." Now the girls are back into training for the upcoming cross country season and hope to enjoy their senior year. "I'm doing a lot of runs and activities at night with my team," Mannion said. "We have a good young team and I'm excited to see how we do. "My goals for cross country are to just come close to or break my personal records. My goal is to really just relax and enjoy my senior year. "I'm just reaching out to schools. I'd love the opportunity to run in college. I'm just looking for any feedback from schools and we'll see where it leads to." Ingargiola is in the same boat. "I'm just getting ready for cross country season; I'm excited for it and for our team as well. We want to podium at state. "It's crazy that I'm a senior. I remember being a freshman and in a blink of an eye time has flown by and now I'm a senior. "I'm definitely interested in running in college. I'm exploring my options and going through the process of finding a school. It's pretty exciting."