Runner

GIRLS' CROSS COUNTRY Flintridge Prep in Brentwood Invitational: The Rebels nabbed a runner-up finish Saturday with 64 points, behind Thacher (59), the top-ranked squad in CIF Southern Section Division V. Kate Evans led Prep, which is ranked third in Division V, by taking sixth overall in 19 minutes 9 seconds. Sarah Yoho and Ashley Lara packed in behind Evans, as they finished in 19:30 and 19:38, respectively. It wasn't enough to edge the Toads, whose top-two runners placed third and fifth overall.

LOS ANGELES - While Goliath is said to have been slayed by the sling of a well-placed rock, on Thursday afternoon the Pacific League boys' cross-country giant, Arcadia High, instead succumbed to a well-timed stampede courtesy of Crescenta Valley. The Falcons, who entered the opening league race at Griffith Park ranked eighth in Division I of the CIF Southern Section, used a pack strategy in ganging up and ultimately upsetting the state top-ranked Apaches, 26-29, on a day filled with strong efforts.

Glendale Community College freshman golfer Jasmine Daniel left the Canyon North Golf Course in Palm Springs after completing the first round of the two-day Desert Classic on Friday afternoon and made the long trek back to Burbank to participate in a dance recital. She doubled back on Saturday morning to compete in the second round of the classic, in what amounted to an arduous two days of travel, but it was well worth the effort. The Burroughs High graduate cut a remarkable nine strokes off her previous day's score to fire an 81 on Saturday and help the Vaqueros capture second place in the 10-team tournament.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE - The Burbank Angels had a modest goal heading into the season - to qualify for the postseason - and they delivered on that front, defeating some high-power teams along the way. After losing Wednesday, however, Burbank dropped down to the loser's bracket of the Major Baseball Tri-Cities Tournament of Champions, one defeat away from seeing its season end. The Angels kept afloat with a pair of wins Thursday and Friday, including...

Nearly 600 people battled a 1,735-foot rise in elevation on Sunday above Brand Park during the second annual Verdugo Mountains 10K. Marc Stirdivant, an analyst for the city of Glendale and an organizer for the run, said people came from as far south as San Diego and north as Modesto to participate. Carl Kloos, a Pasadena resident who placed third in the 18 to 34 age category for men, said the steep incline can be just as grueling both ways. “The downhill is a lot harder than the uphill,” said Kloos , 31. “It's tough on your legs and quads and knees coming down.” The first male runner to cross the finish line was 23-year-old Kwin Keuter of Eagle Rock, who secured the fastest overall time of 42:44.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE - They admitted that they thought about it. They said that they thought about the fact that they were essentially in a tie for first place in the Pacific League. They noted that they thought about the final game of the regular season in which they might play in a winner-take-all championship game against their rival. But they also knew that in order to play for the title, they had to take it "one game at a time. " The members of the Crescenta Valley High baseball team knew the news that previously league-unbeaten Arcadia was upset on Wednesday, giving the Falcons and Apaches each one loss in league.

ARCADIA — One of the quirks or charms of the 45th annual Arcadia Invitational track and field meet centers around the different types of relays in Friday's first day at Arcadia High. Even though many of Friday's novelty events will not be seen at league finals or beyond, the competition was still fierce. The Crescenta Valley High boys' 4x1,600-meter relay team, for instance, debuted at Arcadia and finished sixth in 18 minutes, 10.35 seconds in the seeded event. The squad featured a first leg in sophomore Nick Beatty, followed by junior Aaron Esparza, sophomore Gabe Collison and senior Mike Duncan.

More than 1,400 runners raced through downtown Glendale during Sunday's fifth annual Downtown Dash, an event that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for treatment services at Glendale Adventist Medical Center. For longtime Glendale resident Christa Miller, who is 80, it was her forth time participating. Miller regularly exercises and said that having a routine to keep fit, “is very important to me.” “I play tennis, I surf and ski and I walk my dog every day,” she said.

SOUTH PASADENA - It didn't take long for South Pasadena High girls' cross-country Coach Patrick McGrail to realize what type of season he would receive from sophomore Helena Van Loan. The youngster was a relative unknown last season who came on strong in finishing second (19 minutes and 35 seconds) at the Rio Hondo League finals and eventually leading the Tigers at the CIF Southern Section Division III finals at Mt. San Antonio College. "There was an expectation that she would have a strong season, but again, she's only a sophomore and the progress she made this season was really impressive," McGrail said.

The following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level. Eric Kleinsasser (Crescenta Valley High, 2007) senior, Occidental College men's cross-country: Kleinsasser closed out his career Saturday at the NCAA Division III National Championship. Kleinsasser, who won four consecutive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference individual championships, clocked 25 minutes 26.97 seconds to place 92nd overall and second for the Tigers on the 8K course at Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winnecone, Wis. Occidental finished 27th in the event.