Flores flourishes for Mustangs

Junior Kyla Flores placed first overall to help power the Costa Mesa

High girls cross country team to victories over Saddleback and Orange

in a Golden West League double-dual meet Thursday at Irvine’s Mason

Park.

Flores ran the three miles in 18:54 while junior teammate Jasmin

Day took fourth in 19:15. Mesa defeated Saddleback, 19-41, and

Orange, 19-43, to improve to 2-0 this season.

Sophomore Luis Denis took seventh in 16:43 followed in eighth by

Mitch Friedmann (17:32) for the Mustang boys, who lost to Saddleback,

15-46, and to Orange, 25-31.

Mesa junior Jenny Sparks, running her first varsity cross country

race, placed fifth (19:46) while sophomore Emily Cotton took sixth in

19:47. Nilani Duarte, also running her first varsity race, placed

seventh in 19:48. Senior Anna Rodriguez finished 12th in 20:59 while

junior Araceli Mendoza took 15th in 21:26 for the Mustangs.

Mesa’s John Capata placed ninth in the boys race (17:57) followed

by teammates Aerek Ramirez (10th, 18:49) and Jaci Cheskes-Harris

(11th, 19:19). Sergio Trejo (19:43) and Alex Pisarski (20:47)

finished for Mesa (0-2).