Runners Dominate League Meets

Coaches Have PaliHi Cross Country Teams on Course for Western Crown

Football has not been the only sport without a home at Palisades High this season. Without a track to run on during the Stadium by the Sea renovation, the Dolphins’ cross country team has had to find other places to train this fall, although that is nothing out of the ordinary for Ron Brumel, who has always preferred taking his team off campus for workouts. This year, the Dolphins are utilizing the polo fields at Will Rogers State Park and the results have been positive so far. Mike Voelkel was hired as Palisades’ baseball coach in August but volunteered to do cross country too when two other coaches backed out unexpectedly. “We usually run in Rustic Canyon for hill training or down to the beach for speedwork anyway,” said Brumel, who returned shortly after the season began to assist Voelkel. “For most of what I like to do we don’t need the track, but it’s nice going up to Will Rogers. I think the kids enjoy it.” Palisades’ boys varsity is undefeated in Western League dual meets and the girls varsity has lost only once, to Hamilton, when the Dolphins were short one runner. Leading the way for the boys is a formidable trio consisting of sophomore Carlos Bustamante, senior Mohaned Elias and junior Mike Fujimoto. Brumel sees unlimited potential in Bustamante, a frosh/soph medalist in cross country and track last year, but stressed that the Dolphins success has been a team effort. “The entire team has done well despite not having much off-season training,” he said. “We’re short on races but we’re a late-blooming team and times have been dropping.” Bustamante has already obliterated his best time from last year (17:46), running 17:16 in his very first meet, while Fujimoto shaved 20 seconds off of his best time with a 17:20 finish against Venice and Elias clocked a 16:55 versus Hamilton. Senior Marco Tringali and juniors Oliver Gard-Murray and Tom Sullivan are also poised for breakout performances. Despite the absence of two of its top runners from last year, the varsity girls squad is also winning league thanks to the efforts of, among others, Kaitlin Kim, Melina Vanos, Sarah Shore and Nicole Mahanian. Shore has run 20:58 this year and Brumel said he might have Kim, who has run varsity all season, compete in the frosh/soph race in the City meets so the Dolphins can score low. Kim’s best time this year is 24:19. “It’s been a lot of fun and the team has had a great attitude from the start,” Voelkel said. “I’ve also enjoyed working with Ron [Brumel]. He’s put together a great program and knows how to get the best out of the kids.” Although the Western League is not particularly deep this year, the City Section has speed to burn. On the boys’ side, Lake Balboa Birmingham and Woodland Hills Taft have supplanted perennial power San Pedro as the early favorites while Reseda appears to be the surprise frontrunner for the girls, although Birmingham and San Pedro are always in the mix. Palisades has gone unchallenged so far in league, but how does Brumel think his Dolphins will fare against the rest of the City? “Our boys varsity and frosh/soph teams are on the cusp of making the finals,” Brumel said. “They’ll have to come down in their times but I could see them scratching and clawing their way all the way to the finals. The frosh/soph girls might be able to squeak in too.” The Dolphins next compete in the League Finals Meet today at the three-mile Pierce College course in Woodland Hills. The girls varsity race starts at 4:10 p.m., followed by the boys varsity at 4:50 p.m.