Merced High sends three cross country runners to state

Merced High advanced three runners to the CIF State Cross Country Championships on Friday at the Sac-Joaquin Section Championships at Willow Hills in Folsom.

Junior Quinn Hagerman finished second overall in the Division III girls race with a time of 19 minutes and 12.7 seconds to earn an individual berth to state. Hagerman will be joined by teammate Ciarra Colon, who crossed the finish line in 19:40 for ninth place.

The Merced girls finished sixth as a team.

Bears sophomore Richard Cole McKain also punched his ticket to state with a sixth-place finish in the Division III boys race with a time of 16:43.

The state meet will be held Nov. 27 at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Atwater High had two athletes just fall short of earning a trip to state with strong performances.

Senior Raul Flores finished ninth overall in the Division II boys race with a time of 16:37. Falcons junior Clara Harman placed 13th in the Division II girls race with a time of 19:58.

Golden Valley’s Thomas Rowan crossed the finish line in 17:21, which was good for 15th place in the Division III race.

Livingston’s Ashleigh Huerta placed 12th in the Division IV race with a time of 20:45.

This story was originally published November 11, 2017 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Merced High sends three cross country runners to state."