Neipp Impressive in Cross-Country Win

After missing the last month of the track season because she was academically ineligible, Andrea Neipp of Highland High posted an impressive victory Saturday in the senior girls’ race of the Seaside Park Invitational cross-country meet at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

Neipp clocked 17 minutes 27 seconds over the three-mile course to turn back Breanne Schweitzer of Saugus and Julie Harris of Canyon, who timed 17:47 and 17:58.

Schweitzer, the defending Foothill League champion, led the field through the first mile in 5:40, but Neipp took charge in the second mile and came through the two-mile mark in 11:36, 13 seconds up on Schweitzer.

“It was important to run well after the way track season ended,” Neipp said. “But I didn’t come into this race thinking, ‘I have to win. I have to win.’ ”

Neipp was one of three winners from the Golden League.

The others were teammate Rachel Guerro, who won the freshman girls’ race in 18:01, and Jacob Geyer of Palmdale, the senior boys’ winner in 15:20.

Geyer, James Hipskind of Buena and Chris Ramirez of Royal shared the lead at two miles (10:11), but Geyer broke away shortly thereafter then held off Newbury Park’s Ross Wood (15:23) in the homestretch.

Yucaipa swept the boys’ and girls’ team titles.

The Huskies posted a team time--the cumulative total of a school’s top five runners--of 80:22 in the boys’ meet and 91:36 in the girls’.