Auburn cross country roundup: Schools shine in first league meets

The Placer High School girls cross country team made a strong statement in the opening Foothill Valley League meet at Nevada Union High School on Wednesday, placing five runners inside the top 10 and cruising to the team victory. Senior Elise Bergqvist led the Hillmen, finishing second overall with a time of 20:31, just seven seconds behind Roseville's Melissa Peterson, who won the race in 20:24. Close behind was junior Luca Bourgault, who crossed in 20:57 to take third. Placer had three additional runners place in the top 10, as senior Riley Anderson secured fifth place in 21:18, while sophomore Farrah Rudy added a seventh-place finish at 22:10. Freshman Lisette Quintana rounded out the scoring group with a ninth-place run in 23:04, an encouraging debut at the league level. The Hillmen finished with a team score of 26, well ahead of second place Roseville at 47. Nevada Union (90), Yuba City (105), Twelve Bridges (109), and Del Campo (150) rounded out the standings. Placer's boys placed sixth of seven teams in action, amassing 120 points. Senior Cooper Barr led the way for the Hillmen, finishing third overall in 17:28 behind race winner Peter Kendall of Twelve Bridges (16:38) and Nevada Union's Rowan Henry (17:08). Sophomore Gabe Dressen backed him up with a strong performance, placing seventh in 18:26. Pioneer Valley League: The Bear River boys and Colfax girls had a strong showing at the first PVL meet on Wednesday at Sierra College, with the Bruins netting a third place finish and the Falcons claiming first. Bear River's Liam Coley took home first in the varsity boys race, breaking away late to win the race in 16:49, edging Oakmont's Neil Ponseti by six seconds. Coley's victory set the tone for the Bruins, who also placed senior Robbie Davidson in seventh with a personal-best 17:26 to give them two top-10 finishers. Colfax was represented in the top 10 by junior Keaton Hacker, who turned in a steady effort to finish ninth in 17:36, holding off Wheatland's Noah Foulk by just one second. Oakmont won the team title with 40 points, followed by Lincoln (62), Bear River (65), Mira Loma (85), Colfax (89), and Center (182). The Colfax girls dominated the meet, finishing in first place with 21 points and placing three runners in the top five. Colfax junior Lena Holloway captured the individual win, clocking 21:41 to hold off Center's Emely Fuentes-Galvez by three seconds. The Falcons kept rolling with senior Miakota Toy finishing fourth at 22:58 and junior Olivia Bright close behind in fifth at 23:27. Bear River was also represented in the top 10, as sophomore Liliana Mudd turned in a steady race to take sixth in 24:01.