Gehrich, Brandt take different paths to repeat wins at Mt. Carmel Invitational; Fuller overcomes injury to prevail, with Arroyo Grande and Roosevelt producing grade-level sweeps

By Erik Boal, DyeStatCAL Editor

Amanda Gehrich was stopped in her tracks Saturday, but the Tesoro junior standout still managed to start her season in impressive fashion at the Mt. Carmel Invitational in San Diego.

Bryanna Fuller competed despite being bit by a dog less than a week ago, but the Rancho Bernardo senior showed dogged determination in rallying to win the Division I senior race at Balboa Park's Morley Field.

And Loyola's Robert Brandt demonstrated that he's just as impressive running hilly courses as he is competing on flat layouts, winning his third invitational race in as many weeks by  capturing the Division I senior title.

Brandt and Gehrich posted the fastest times of the day in their respective genders, joining Arroyo Grande sophomores Talley Hill and Christian Ricketts as repeat Division I grade race winners at Mt. Carmel.

Gehrich encountered an unexpected obstacle in her first race of the season when she was forced to run under flags that were used to line the course instead of around them just to stay on the right path. Gehrich's momentum was halted when she had to come to a complete stop before preparing to ascend the primary hill after being pointed in the wrong direction, then realizing she needed to turn around, resulting in her making a U-turn to get back on course.

Despite the confusion and her rhythm being affected, Gehrich recovered in impressive fashion to complete the 2.75-mile course in 15 minutes, 37 seconds after winning the Division I sophomore title in 15:43 last year.

Brandt had a much less stressful race, following his recent victories at Great Cow Run and the Rosemead Invitational by covering the 2.95-mile layout in 15 minutes to produce a 30-second improvement from his junior victory last season.

Fuller, who didn't race at Mt. Carmel last season and was nearly sidelined for Saturday's meet after suffering a dog bite on the inside of her right leg just above the knee Sept. 14, demonstrated remarkable toughness by winning in 15:38.

San Pasqual's Angela Ortlieb and Torrey Pines' Jacqueline Garner made timely moves near the 2-mile mark to surge in front of Fuller, the early leader. But Fuller wouldn't be deterred, responding with an impressive final 800 meters to hold off Ortlieb (15:42) and Garner (15:46).

Hill and Ricketts both repeated as champions for Arroyo Grande, joining Eleanor Roosevelt in producing a Division I grade-level sweep.

Hill momentarily relinquished the lead to La Costa Canyon's Michaela Fromme near the midway point of her sophomore race, but regrouped in plenty of time to prevail in 16:10 and not only produce a 25-second victory, but improve on last year's freshman championship effort of 16:15.

Ricketts also improved on last year's freshman performance of 15:55, holding off a late charge from Loyola's Charlie Sherman (15:54) to secure back-to-back titles in 15:52.

Roosevelt freshman Tahlia Adams led from start to finish to prevail in 15:53, with fellow ninth-grader Raymon Ornelas capturing the title for the Mustangs in 16:01.

Cade Burks of Perry High in Arizona, ninth in last year's sophomore race in 16:29, captured the Division I junior title in 15:47.

Chaparral of Arizona also produced repeat champions in the Division II races, with Emily Crall capturing the sophomore title in 16:18 -- she won the freshman crown in 16:37 last season -- and Ali Kallner securing the senior race victory in 16:10, a 10-second improvement from last year's junior triumph.

Despite running 18 seconds slower than last season, Canyon Crest Academy junior Kelly Bernd also secured back-to-back titles in 16:27. Eastlake freshman Leyla McFarland won the championship in 16:48.

Valhalla's Trent Rule won the Division II senior boys title in 15:50, Monte Vista's  Tyler Lopez captured the junior crown in 16:08, Hoover of San Diego's Samael Teklay prevailed in the sophomore race in 16:25 and Cathedral Catholic's Joaquin Martinez emerged victorious in the freshman competition in 16:21.