Mt. SAC Invitational - 1989

It was "Agoura-Time" at the Invite 15 years ago!

Olympic medalist Deena Drossin starred as Southern Section prep!!

1989 Mt. SAC Invitational

Some great action at the 1989 Mt. SAC Invitational 15 years ago! Some local all-time greats took part at the head of the pack. The Meet was divided as it currently is, with small schools on Friday and larger on Saturday.

Friday’s smaller school Sweeps action on the Girls’ side had Monument Valley from Arizona roll in and tear away from the pack, scoring an impressive 66 points (101:53) over defending State Small Schools Champ Bret Harte (Altaville) 142 (107:22). Karen Hecox (South Hills, West Covina), back from some knee problems, purred to an 18:41 win that had her win by 220 yards! Boys’ action on Friday had Whittier Christian, led by individual winner Tony Bergman (16:00) over small-schools power McFarland 87 (84:36) – 102 (85:08). With a three division state meet, McFarland was ranked #1 Smaller Division, with WC a Division II School.

The Boys Team Sweeps on Saturday featured eventual National Prep Cross Country Champs, with Bryan Dameworth (Agoura) and Louie Quintana (Arroyo Grande), a junior (but who had run a 4:12 1600 at Arcadia the previous spring!). The duo battled magnificently, with the Agoura star eventually emerging the winner 14:41 (#4 AT on old course) to 14:45 (a new soph CR for Quintana). Camarillo emerged the Team sweeps winner at a fine 78:27 (65 points with #4 Team time ever on old course). Fifth in the Sweeps event was 15:15 by soph Dave Hartman (Canyon, CC), some super running on the older layout at Mt. SAC. On the Girls’ side, undefeated Shelley Taylor (Edison, Huntington Beach) and Miesha Marzell (Reed, Sparks, Nv an eventual transfer to Bishop O’Dowd in Oakland) would battle. Marzell was out in a quick 5:15, with Taylor holding on and taking the lead behind the final Reservoir Hill before winning in a fine 17:50 (#19 time ever here). Deena Drossin (Agoura), this year’s Olympic Marathon Medalist, led her Agoura squad to a 72 point win (96:17 team time #19 ever), with Mt. Carmel (SD) next at 116 (99:22).

Dameworth took the Kinney (again, not Foot Locker quite yet) National Championship that year, with Quintana third on the Boys’ side, setting up his win the next go-round (1990). Drossin was 13 th in that race as an eleventh grader for Agoura. Div I State Team titles went to Camarillo (Boys) and Palos Verdes (Girls), with Dameworth and Drossin taking individual titles for Coach Bill Duley and Agoura. Jesuit (Boys) and La Jolla (Girls) took Div II team titles, with Kevin Berkowitz ( Hayward) and Sarah Riley (Campolindo) the Girls DII wins. Laguna Beach surprised with a Div III Boys win, with Oscar Perez of now closed Pater Noster (LA) the individual winner. Bret Harte (Altaville) repeated as Girls DIII titilests, with Laura Hamaday (The Urban School, a frosh from San Francisco), with individual Girls winner DIII.