Twenty-seven teams and four individuals from the area will compete Saturday in the CIF-Southern Section cross country prelims at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut.
The first heat starts at 7:45 a.m. and the event wraps up with the final race starting at 4:13 p.m.
Each team and individual will have advancing to the CIF-SS finals at Mount SAC on Nov. 17 as a goal, as well as the state championships Nov. 24 at Fresno.
Westlake's boys, the No. 2-ranked team in Division 2 led by Marmonte League champion Mikey Giguere, race at 8:14 a.m. Oak Park, fourth-ranked in Division 3 and led by Ventura County and Tri-Valley League champion Sahm Bazargan, race at 2:17 p.m. Fillmore's boys, the top-ranked team in Division 4, compete at 9:37 a.m., while Nordhoff, ranked 12th in Division 4, has its race at 10:07 a.m., the same time as Oaks Christian.
The Simi Valley girls, led by Sarah Baxter, who set the all-time girls cross country national record Oct. 20 at Mount SAC in 16 minutes flat, have their prelim race at 1:37 p.m. The Pioneers are ranked second in Division 1.
Newbury Park and Moorpark, ranked 11th and 12th in girls Division 2, respectively, race at 9:21 and 9:51 a.m. Oak Park, No. 6 in Division 3, race at 3:13 p.m., the same time as Hueneme. La Reina, fourth-ranked in Division 4, goes at 10:48 a.m., the same time as Fillmore and Oaks Christian. Thacher, ranked No. 1 in Division 5, races at 7:54 a.m.
The two area girls who qualified for the prelims as individuals are Westlake's Jenny Giguere (9:21 a.m.) and Danielle Purdy of Oxnard (1:10 p.m.) The two area boys running as individuals are Luis Cruz of Pacifica (3:01 p.m.) and Martin Montes of Buena (4:01 p.m.).