CROSS-COUNTRY WOODBRIDGE INVITATIONAL : Wilson’s Mark Stands Test of Time

Ryan Wilson of Agoura High had not had time to savor his junior-class record in the Woodbridge cross-country invitational before discovering his time was being challenged in another race Saturday morning.

Wilson timed 14 minutes 45 seconds over the three-mile course at Woodbridge High in Irvine to win the medium-schools junior race and better former Agoura teammate Bryan Dameworth’s class record of 15:03, set in 1988.

But in the succeeding race, the boys’ large-schools junior competition, Hoover’s Margarito Casillas was making big strides toward Wilson’s mark before finishing in 14:48.

“I was worried,” Wilson said.

Wilson took advantage of an early starting time, when the weather was slightly cooler. He ran negative splits--each mile faster than the previous one--whereas Casillas timed positive splits.

“After the two-mile mark the heat and running by myself got me fatigued,” said Casillas, who clocked 4:48, 4:57 and 5:03 for each mile. Wilson ran 5:00, 4:55 and 4:50 splits en route to the day’s fastest time.

Paced by Mike Mahar who finished 10th in 16:22, Saugus won the boys’ medium-schools junior title with 99 points. Agoura (185) was fourth.

Fast times are also what the Agoura girls’ team produced in the medium-schools varsity race.

The Chargers’ top three runners came in under 18 minutes and their fourth clocked 18:00 as Agoura defeated Escondido San Pasqual, 34-57, for the team title.

Agoura’s cumulative team time was more than two minutes faster at Woodbridge than that of last year’s Agoura squad, the eventual state Division I champion.

Kay Nekota, a sophomore transfer from Woodbridge, finished second in 17:31 to lead the Chargers.

Carrie Garritson of Fullerton Sunny Hills led wire to wire to win in 17:21.

Newbury Park’s Jeff Wilson timed 14:48 to match the second-fastest time of the day and win the boys’ small-schools senior race.