2019 Palos Verdes Invitational Meet Preview

Friday, October 4th, will mark the 15th running of the modern Palos Verdes Invitational, with the original meet dating back to circa 1975. The PV Invite is known for a 2-mile course that tackles the fabled Agony Hill and features one-on-one races so that the #7 runners have their own race, the #6's, and so on, culminating with the #1 runners showcased on the big stage! The team champion is crowned by totaling a team's best 5 positions out of the 7 varsity races. So a 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 5 is a perfect score. The 2-mile course typically runs about one minute slower than a 3200m on the track for elite runners.

We can speculate at the lineups we might see on Friday for some highly anticipated showdowns.

The varsity boys' races look to feature a great battle for the team title, which will likely come down to a pair of D2 SS powerhouses. West Torrance (D2 SS #3) and Thousand Oaks (D2 SS #7) each feature three boys who ran under 15 minutes at the Woodbridge Invitational last month. Other highly ranked squads include Cathedral Catholic (D3 SD #2), Flintridge Prep (D5 SS #5), Palos Verdes (D3 SS #6), San Pedro (D1 LA #2), and always competitive Santa Monica and Trabuco Hills programs.

The fastest individual boys could come from any of the top 3 races this year! With The West Torrance trio of Murray (14:32), Mainville (14:50), Parker (14:50) and the Thousand Oaks trio of Mireles (14:17), Cooper (14:43), and Hall (14:52) all capable of challenging the course record of 9:48 set by Palos Verdes legend Jonah Diaz in 2011. Expect strong showings from other top-end talent like Levy of Cathedral Catholic, Ladinig of Palos Verdes, The Donaldson/Amell duo from Santa Monica, and Lee from Trabuco Hills.

The varsity girls' team battle figures to come down to a three-team challenge between the host Palos Verdes (D3 SS #1), Cathedral Catholic (D3 SD #1), and Trabuco Hills (D1 SS #10). Other ranked teams include a partial squad from Harvard-Westlake (D4 SS #1), Laguna Beach (D4 SS #5), and San Pedro (D1 LA #3).

Individually, 5 girls enter this meet having run under 18 minutes for 3 miles this season! The top performer coming in is Scriven of Palos Verdes who posted an eye-popping 16:28 at Woodbridge! PV teammate Steman (17:19), Molina of Costa Mesa (17:19), and the Trabuco Hills duo of Watts (17:53) and Munoz (17:54) add exceptional strength to the girls' fields.

Teams Competing:

Archer - (girls only, no varsity)
Bishop Montgomery
Cabrillo (Long Beach) - (no girls varsity)
Cathedral Catholic
Costa Mesa
Downey
Firebaugh - (no girls varsity)
Flintridge Prep - (no girls)
Harvard-Westlake
Hawthorne - (no varsity)
Laguna Beach - (girls only, no varsity)
Long Beach Poly - (no boys varsity)
Louisville - (no varsity)
Malibu
Mira Costa - (no varsity)
Palos Verdes
San Bernadino
San Pedro
Santa Monica
Silverado
St. Joseph (Lakewood) - (girls only)
St Pius - St Matthias
Thousand Oaks
Trabuco Hills
West Torrance - (no girls varsity)
Wildwood - (no varsity)
Wiseburn - Da Vinci

All-time records for boys and girls are listed on the next two pages.