Three Lady Raiders placed in the top twenty-five at Thursdays’ Western State Conference Cross Country Championship held at Oxnard College.

The Lady Raiders team took second place overall, edging out College of the Canyons by five points.

Moorpark Raider Rachel Naumann took first place, leading the way with a final time of 18 minutes 43 seconds, finishing 11 seconds ahead of Elizabeth Nelson from Glendale.

She motivated herself throughout the race to pick up speed and momentum. In doing so, she would push herself to speed past her competitors, and move closer to first. She sprinted her way into an ideal position to win. Naumann explained her mindset and eventual strategy in her race.
“I kept saying, I was almost there, ” Naumann said. “It’s like that slow motion movie scene in Chariots of Fire.”

Karla Vernola took second place for Moorpark with a final time of 19 minutes 14 seconds. Moorpark Raider Aleesha Flugum settled into third place with a time of 20 minutes 19 seconds.

Additional Moorpark runners; Sierra Kapin, Michelle Mars, Charmaine Mars, Emily Besch, and Leah Paffrath closed the gap with a final time of 21 minutes 27 seconds in the final top eight.

Moorpark Cross  Country Coach Taycie Kephart provided her insight on the Lady Raiders performance.

“For me, it was was an emotional race. There was a lot going on for our team,” Kephart said. “They did good. We always have to keep a positive attitude.”

The Lady Raiders agreed that although the course was set to be on level ground, it was not an easy race.

“Regardless if the course was fast or not, it was still hard,” Vernola said. “I didn’t mind the way that it went overall.”

The swarming crowds cheered and clapped as Naumann crossed the finish line. Moorpark placed second with a grand total of 105 points. College of the Canyons scored close behind with a final count of 110 points.

The Raiders qualified for the Southern California Regionals. The race will be held Nov. 9 at Bouqet Canyon Park in Santa Clarita.