Taylor Snaer and Chloe Silva ran the closest race at Thursday’s Manteca Unified Acorn League Cross Country Championship meet at Woodward Park.

“She’s a real good runner,” said Snaer, who is an eighth-grade student at McParland Elementary School of seventh grader Silva of Neil Hafley Elementary School.

A repeat champion in the Girls 7-8 grade Division, Snaer finished the 1.6-mile course in 8 minutes, 59 seconds – Silva’s time was 9:02, edging third-place finisher Taiman Lowery (9:05) of Joseph Widmer Elementary School in the field of 40 runners.

Neil Hafley Elementary School was the first-place team.

McParland captured the team title in the Boys 7-8 Division.

A year ago, Alex Cuevas of Great Valley Elementary School took second place in that division. He wasn’t leaving anything to chance, finishing strong to take first place with a time of 7:46 in the 1.75-mile course.

Cuevas, who, like Snaer, also plays AAU basketball. He finished ahead of Oriann Germann of Neil Hafley (7:52) and McParland’s Anthony Sy (8:05), with 85 runners from schools throughout MUSD competing.

The largest field at the meet took place in the Boys 4-6 Division with 150 runners.

Jayden Scarver of August Knodt Elementary School led wire-to-wire in the 1.3-mile course, finishing first with a time of 7:13. Tyler Watkins (7:25) and Carson Sablan (7:28), from Stella Brockman and Woodward, respectively, took second and third.

Woodward took team competition in the Boys 4-6 Division.

McParland finished first in the Girls 4-6 Division.

Fourth-grade student Marilyn Reyes of Stella Brockman took first place in the field of 132 runners with a time of 7:56, squeaking past Jarely Ortiz (7:58) of McParland.

Vikki Vanderwerff (8:14) of Neil Hafley placed third in the 1.2-mile course.

MUSD school board member Kathy Howe was the official starter while Acorn Director Tevani Liotard coordinated this third annual event.

To contact reporter Vince Rembulat, e-mail vrembulat@mantecabulletin.com.