Lake Casitas’three-mile course resembled a Camp Pendleton obstacle gantlet during the Ventura County Cross Country Championships last weekend in Ojai.

Crossing the finish line was an achievement. Not every runner caught a glimpse of the Royal Results timer at the end of the race.

“There were a lot of accidents, more than usual,” said Lauryn Pinsak, a junior on the Rio Mesa High girls’ team. “One girl fell right in front of me. You had to be careful out there.”

It was a no pain, no gain type of race. Only the strong survived.

Student-athletes from Agoura, Calabasas, Oak Park, Westlake, Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, La Reina, Simi Valley, Royal, Grace Brethren, Moorpark, Camarillo and Rio Mesa competed at the meet.

Simi Valley senior Sarah Baxter continued her dominating run for the Pioneers. Baxter shattered the girls’ course record with a time of 16 minutes, 37.10 seconds.

Baxter, who also holds the fourth-fastest time, broke Mission Prep’s Jordan Hasay’s mark of 17:04 set in 2005.

When the Simi Valley superstar hit the final straightaway, the crowd near the finish line looked up at the clock and followed with “Oh my gosh” gasps.

“That’s Sarah. She’s always looking to break course records,” Simi Valley junior teammate Sarah Riggs said. “She always sets the bar high and makes sure to top it.”

The Simi Valley girls won the varsity team competition with a course record time of 1:31:11.81.Newbury Park’s and Oak Park’s girls’ teams took third and fourth, respectively.

Baxter captured her fourth straight individual Ventura County title.

Oak Park’s Sahm Bazargan made it back-to-back titles in the boys’ circuit.

 LIFE IN THE FAST LANE—Westlake High’s Luis Mex, left, and Graham Peeples compete in the sophomore race of theVentura County Cross Country Championships at Lake Casitas last weekend. Photos by MICHAEL COONS/Acorn NewspapersBazargan, a senior, clocked in at 15:23.01, two seconds faster than last year’s winning time.

Ventura’s boys’ squad took first, followed by local outfits Thousand Oaks,Oak Park, Westlake, Simi Valley and Moorpark, in that order.

“The (varsity) race was a lot faster this year,” said Michael Gutierrez, a senior on the Camarillo boy’s team. “The competition has improved. The first mile was faster than usual. This county is full of talented runners. I had to give my best effort to stay with the top pack.”

The paramedics were moving just as fast as the runners.

Not only were runners sustaining bumps and bruises from falls, but many struggled with dehydration in stifling 85-degree weather. A handful of competitors collapsed.

Auburn Griffith, a sophomore for the Rio Mesa girls’ squad, made sure to drink plenty of water the night before and the day of the meet. She knows what it’s like to collapse during a race.

Griffith fell during a race at Mission Oaks in Camarillo due to dehydration and was sidelined for three weeks. She later found out she was anemic.

“That was a very scary experience,” Griffith said. “I’m real cautious now. I know what some of the runners are going through. It’s not a fun experience. I feel a lot better. I’m drinking lots of water and I’m taking iron pills.”

Westlake’s Luis Mex didn’t need any medical attention after sliding across the asphalt in the first 100 meters of the boys’ sophomore race.

The race was stopped and the Warrior got right back up to join the restart.

Mex had multiple cuts and scrapes on the left side of his body and walked around on a gimpy ankle. That didn’t stop him from sporting his medal during team photos.

“I was in so much pain, but I knew it was mostly mental,” said Mex, who finished in 43rd place. “My team needed me. I had to tough it out. I was fine, but the pain hit me big time during the second mile. It was all worth it when I got my medal.”

Not too many runners look forward to competing at the hot and dry Lake Casitas meet. But Riggs is a fan of the hilly course.

“Lake Casitas is my favorite meet,” said Riggs, who finished ninth in the girls’ varsity race with a time of 18:54.93. “I know a lot of runners won’t agree. There’s just one big hill and the rest is on a nice trail.

“Mt. SAC is a big event, but this one is closer to home. You get to face all the local runners.”

While most cross country squads are gearing up for their respective league finals, the Pioneer girls are a virtual lock to win the Marmonte League, get past the CIF-Southern Section meets and advance to the Division 2 state meet.

“We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” Riggs said of the Pioneers, currently the top ranked team in the Division 2 section poll. “We’re having a big year so far, but we haven’t reached our goals yet. We can’t let up during any race.”

The Marmonte boys’ title will be up for grabs at 3 p.m. today during league finals at Agoura.

Every week there’s a different hot team in the Marmonte. This week, it’s Thousand Oaks, which moved up to the No. 6 spot in the section’s Division 2 boys’ poll ahead of No. 7 Westlake and No. 10 Simi Valley.

Rio Mesa’s girls’ and boys’ squads look to dethrone Camarillo during the Pacific View League finals at 2:30 p.m. today at Oxnard College.

The Scorpion boys have won six straight league titles and the girls have captured the past four.

Camarillo athletic director and girls’ cross country head coach Mary Perez saw her son Noah Perez place 10th in the boys’ sophomore race.

Noah Perez, however, isn’t a Scorpion.

The Moorpark sophomore clocked in at 17:32.69, which is two minutes faster than his time at the county meet last season.

Perez, who is also on the Musketeers’ wrestling and track and field teams, hopes to run for the varsity team next fall.

“My mom has helped a lot with my training,” Perez said. “I thought about going to Camarillo, but all my friends were atMoorpark. It’s fun to see her at meets. I make sure to beat Camarillo guys if they’re near me.”

Agoura dominated the boys’ sophomore race by taking the top four places. Charger Logan Grove won the race with a time of 16:41.67.

The Charger girls took fourth in the frosh-soph event with freshman Greta Jursch and sophomore Erin Shipstead placing second and third, respectively.

“Our whole team did great,” Shipstead said. “We have been working hard all season and during the summer. We’re getting better every week. The boys’ team is having a great year. We hope to be at that level next season.”

The Royal girls’ squad is headed in the right direction.

Junior Brianne Holland was fifth in the varsity race, and the Highlanders finished sixth as a team. The Moorpark varsity girls finished fifth, and the Camarillo girls took seventh.

Holland and sophomore Natalie Acosta, who took 24th place, give the Highlanders a bright future.

“We’re having a much-improved season,” Royal senior captain Emely Amaya said. “It’s good to see all the younger girls take my advice and see results. They’re going to be really good next season.”

Rio Mesa’s sophomore Emma Wolfgram was a first-time competitor on the grueling Lake Casitas course.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Wolfgram, who moved up to varsity before the race. “I was very nervous. That was for sure the hardest race of the season. I hope to do it again next season.”