Unbeaten Dameworth Wins Kinney Regional

Bryan Dameworth of Agoura High kept his season-long unbeaten streak alive Saturday, winning the Kinney West cross-country regional at Woodward Park in Fresno.

It was the first West regional title for Dameworth, a senior who won his third consecutive state Division I championship last week on the same course.

Dameworth covered the 5,000 meters in 14 minutes, 39 seconds to lead eight qualifiers from the West region into next week’s national championships at Balboa Park in San Diego.

Louie Quintana of Arroyo Grande was second in 14:59 and Eliazar Herrera of Hoover was fifth in 15:05.

The top eight finishers from each of four regional boys’ and girls’ championships held throughout the United States qualify for the national meet.

Sarah Schwald of Mead High in Spokane, Wash., won the girls’ title, outdistancing Deena Drossin of Agoura. Schwald timed 17:14 for 5,000 meters, 26 seconds faster than Drossin.

Jeannie Rothman of Westlake was eighth in 18:05, grabbing the final West berth for next week’s race. Jean Harvey of Paraclete was a non-qualifying 21st in 18:46.

Dameworth and Herrera were the only Valley-area runners to qualify for the boys’ national meet, but Abe Valdez of Camarillo was named to the second-team All-West regional team after finishing 12th in 15:25. San Fernando’s Obed Aguirre, the City Section champion, was 14th in 15:27.

Dave Hartman of Canyon placed 21st in 15:33 and was named to the All-West third team.