*MileSplit's Olivia Ekpone talks with Karrie Baloga after winning the Champs Sports XC Championships.
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SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- In the final race of her high school cross country career, Karrie Baloga had her shining moment.
The star senior from Cornwall (NY) High School and the New York Class B state champion took home the first national cross country title of her career at the Champs Sports National Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Balboa Park.
And she did so in all-time fashion, clocking 16:49.2 to become the eighth-fastest girl in meet history.
It was certainly the best upgrade possible for Baloga, who placed fourth at the meet in San Diego last year.
From the gun, it was clear that Baloga would go after the winner's plaque and make an honest race of it, leading a tight pack through a fast first mile that included Northeast region champion Ellie Shea, South regional winner Ciara O'Shea and Iowa state champion Paityn Noe.
But it was Baloga who began to pull away over the last half mile and up through the final hill, surging toward the finish in a new personal best time for 5k.
Shea, who ran off the shoulder of Baloga and led for parts of the race, took second in 16:55.1, followed by Noe for third in 17:01.5.
The Webb School's (TN) Abby Faith Cheeseman moved up well over the last half of the race to finish fourth in 17:13.4, ahead of the five-time Kentucky state champion O'Shea, who was fifth with a time of 17:21.5.
The top four runners all ran faster than last year's national champion Natalie Cook.
With champion Baloga and runner-up Shea leading the helm, the Northeast also came out victorious as a team as both Zariel Macchia and Leah Stephens joined the region among the top 10 overall finishers. The Northeast squad easily secured the team competition among the four regions with a tally of 31 points.
The South team also had an impressive showing with 38 points behind front-running from Cheeseman and O'Shea, along with eighth and ninth-place finishes from Allie Zealand and Alyssa Sauro.
CHAMPIONSHIP GIRLS 5000 METER RUN FINALS PLACE ATHLETE TEAM RESULT POINTS 1 Karrie Baloga 12 Cornwall 16:49.20 0 2 Ellie Shea 11 Wellesley High School 16:55.10 0 3 Paityn Noe 12 Ballard High School 17:01.50 0 4 Abby Faith Cheeseman 10 The Webb School 17:13.40 0 5 Ciara O'Shea 12 Madison Central 17:21.50 0 6 Zariel Macchia 10 William Floyd 17:33.90 0 7 Leah Stephens 12 Our Lady Of Good Counsel 17:37.00 0 8 Allie Zealand 11 Pacers Homeschool 17:38.80 0 9 Alyssa Sauro 10 Williamstown 17:39.20 0 10 Sadie Engelhardt 10 Ventura (SS) 17:41.40 0
It's of note, too, that the University of Colorado had quite the day in San Diego.
Future Buffaloes swept the individual titles, with Baloga and boys champion Kole Mathison both posing with alums of the program afterward.
Overall, it was a strong day in the girls race, as 19 competitors dipped under 18 minutes on the always-challenging Balboa Park course, including three sub-17-minute performances.
The top five finishers all crossed the finish under 17:30.
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