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CROSS COUNTRY: Ripon paces past Ripon Christian, Weston Ranch
Bulletin sports 2020-21
The start of the Valley Oak League cross country meet Wednesday between Ripon and Ripon Christian/Weston Ranch at Mavis Weston Park in Ripon. - photo by DAVE CAMPBELL

Bulletin sports 2020-21
Ripon Christian's Hakyeom Park leads Ripon's Omar Alsaidi in the Valley Oak League cross country meet Wednesday between Ripon and Ripon Christian/Weston Ranch at Mavis Weston Park in Ripon. - photo by DAVE CAMPBELL
RIPON — Ripon Christian’s Hakyeom Park won the VOL cross country meet Wednesday between Ripon and Ripon Christian/Weston Ranch on the 5,000-meter course at Mavis Weston Park, but the Indians took the next five spots to win 20-43.

“Our team has been practicing really hard,” Park said. “We are happy to have this opportunity to run, even if it’s a small race.

“We are full of hard workers.”

Park’s first-place time was 17 minutes, 29 seconds. Ripon’s Omar Alsaidi finished second (17:45) and led the Indians five-place blitz of Julio Palaez (18:46), Valente Hernandez (19:48), Carlos Tarango (19:54) and Tristen Anderson (20:42)

“I felt a lot better in this race than I did my last,” Alsaidi said. “Last week I hadn’t run in three months, and this week made a big difference, improving my time by a minute.”

“This felt really good,” Wild said. “The course really helped push me because of all the hills because when I went down I could really open up more and let myself go.

Ripon’s Annie Wild won the girls race (20:43) with the lone Ripon Christian runner Maya DeJong finishing second (22:05).

“The hill at the end is really tiring but you just have to push through it knowing that you are almost done,” Wild said.

Jenna Skavdahl (third, 22:32), Jocelin Figueroa (fourth, 23:21), Alyson Harvey (fifth, 24:11) and Lauren Martini (sixth, 27:57) rounded out the top five finishers for the Indians.