After finishing first place in the CIF San Diego Section Championships, Poway girls’ cross country moved on to the CIF State Cross Country Championships where they finished fifth place among the state’s top running teams Nov. 27. 

     In the women’s 5,000-meter division II race, senior Mackenzie Rogers was the first to cross the finish line for Poway, and 11th among the 23 teams and 190 runners. She ran the 3.1-mile race in 18 minutes and 9.4 seconds, a personal record in the 5,000-meter run. 

     Sophomore Tessa Buswell finished right behind her, clocking in at 18 minutes and 19 seconds, beating her personal record by 18 seconds.

     Sophomores Avalon Nash and Kaitlin Surber finished 48th and 53rd, respectively, with a difference of four seconds. They each capped off their first season of varsity cross country with personal records in the 3.1-mile run. 

     In the CIF San Diego Section Championships, Poway had four runners represent the school, with each of them finishing in the top 25 out of 108 runners. The Titans won the competition with a score of 34 with Mt. Carmel’s score of 73 coming in second. 

     Rogers and Buswell took first and second place while Nash and Surber finished fourth and 11th. Freshmen Tori McIntosh, Mackenzie Juza and senior Alina Ruvalcaba each finished in under 21 minutes.. 

     McIntosh and Juza, finishing 16th and 18th among the runners, were the top two freshmen in their first 2.96-mile race.