Capitola resident Aracelly Clouse broke into the top 20 of the Wildcat Half Marathon, placing 16th overall and third among women at Wildcat Canyon Regional Park in El Sobrante on Saturday.
Clouse finished in 1 hour, 58 minutes, 57 seconds, just under six minutes behind female winner Julie Neumann [1:53:13], according to results posted on the Buzzworld Productions website.
Kensington’s Lon Freeman won the overall in 1:36:42.
– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets
Marin Catholic’s Taylor Smith held off defending champion Tobin Ortenblad, a Santa Cruz resident and Pacific Collegiate School student, by one second in the boys varsity race at the state high school mountain bike championships in Los Olivos on Sunday.
Smith, who placed third in the NorCal High School Mountain Bike League this season, crossed the finish line of the 24-mile race in 1 hour, 6 minutes, 54 seconds, according to preliminary results posted on the NCHSMBL website. Ortenblad, who was fourth in NorCal, followed in second [1:06:55] and the Drake Pirates’ Lucas Newcomb was third [1:06:56].
Also from Santa Cruz County, Jacob Albrecht [Santa Cruz Composite] — the NorCal season champ — was fourth in 1:07:29.
I’d say #norcal brought the pain to the state champs this weekend! #sufferfest
— Tobin Ortenblad (@McTubbin) May 21, 2012
Redwood High School’s Josie Nordrum won the girls varsity race with close to a three-minute lead over the next closest finisher.
In the team standings, Sir Francis Drake High School won Division 1 and Spartans High School Mountain Bike Composite won Division 2.
– Christina Gullickson, on Twitter @CGullTweets
