Pino and Cousineau to Compete in Cross Country Jr. Olympics

Alaina Cousineau, an 8th grader at Shorecliffs Middle School, qualifies for her 7th consecutive Cross Country national championship.

Alaina, who began running at the age of 8, has been nursing a hip injury all season, but  ran a PR in Escondido last weekend at the regional qualifier.

Also a elite water polo player, she was chosen to be part of USA Water Polo's Olympic Development team this year. Alaina will be a freshman at SCHS in the fall and hopes to participate on both the cross country and water polo teams.

SC resident Sean Pino, a freshman at  Crean Lutheran  High School,  had an  outstanding cross country season  earning a spot on the varsity and competing at a high level all season for the Saints.

Pino earned All County honors at the OC Champs meet competing against all the major schools in Orange  County ( D1 thru D6). He ran the course in 15:58 and had the second-fastest time out of all Freshman  runners on the day.

Pino also led his team to the CIF prelims and Finals. Crean had never previously qualified for this meet and finished third in the preliminaries and tenth the following week for the  finals. 

Pino had the fastest time for a Freshman on the Mount San Antonio course, recording a 16:02 and placing 14th in the CIF finals.

Cousineau and Pino will be competing as members of the South Orange County Wildcats Junior Olympics Cross Country team, coached by Darren Phelps, December 10 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.