Santa Cruz native Natalia Grossman, 21, wins third straight IFSC Boulder World Cup season title

The Newz Radar

Santa Cruz native Natalia Grossman, shown competing in Salt Lake City on May 20, won the overall IFSC Boulder World Cup title for a third straight season on Thursday. (Rick Bowmer – Associated Press file)

Santa Cruz native Natalia Grossman, 21, won the overall IFSC Boulder World Cup title for a third straight season with her silver medal finish at Innsbruck on Thursday.

Grossman battled illness and overcame a slow start this season to finish with two gold and one silver in the six events. She finished with 3,527 points, ahead of Japan’s Miho Nonaka (3,005), and American Brooke Raboutou (2,990), who won gold at Innsbruck.

“As for the season, it started off very rocky,” Grossman posted on Instagram. “There were many emotions that followed the Asian comps and lots of hard work that went into preparing myself mentally for the rest of the World Cups. It feels so good to have turned my season around and to have ended on a high note! Now it’s time to switch it up and get back on a rope.”

Grossman failed to make the finals in Hachioji and Seoul, the first two events of the season, but battle back for gold in Salt Lake City. She sat out of the comp in Prague but won gold again the following week in Brixen, and capped the season in Innsbruck.

Track and field

Nike Outdoor Nationals: Scotts Valley juniors Ashlyn Boothby and Mason Lantz, and Archbishop Mitty sophomore Evangeline Marheineke each posted top-10 finishes at the 2023 Nike Outdoor Nationals at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, which ran from Thursday through Sunday.

Boothby took fourth in the girls’ 800-meter Garmin Championship run in a personal record 2:09.03, and 20th in the girls 2-mile Garmin Championship run in 10:46.33. She also teamed with senior Rafaela Putnam, senior Amber Boothby, and freshman Ava Decleve for 16th in the girls’ 4×800 relay championship run in 9:51.01.

Marheineke, a Santa Cruz resident, took fifth in the girls 1-mile Garmin Emerging Elite run in 5:00.14, and 17th in the girls’ 2-mile Garmin Championship run in 10:38.25.

Decleve took 22nd in the girls’ 400 championship run in 57.38.

Lantz took seventh place in the boys’ 800 Garmin Emerging Elite run in 1:55.86. He also teamed with junior Ben George, senior Aiden Boothby, and junior Spencer George for the 11th in the boys’ 4×800 relay championship with a mark of 7:53.50.

Santa Cruz sophomore Eli Fitchen-Young took 23rd in the boys’ 2-mile Garmin Championship run in 9:26.01.

Aptos senior Trent Nosky took 24th in the boys’ one mile Garmin championship in 4:13.77.

Scotts Valley junior Nathaniel Guillory took 37th in the boys’ 200 championship prelims in 22.34 and 40th in the 100 Championship prelims in 11.10.

Boothby took 37th in the boys’ 5,000 Garmin championship run in 15:42.608.

Soquel junior Braylon Noble didn’t clear a height in the boys’ high jump championship.

Youth baseball

Tournament of Champions: Aptos will compete in the championship of the Tournament of Champions in both the Majors and Minors on Tuesday.

Aptos faces either Capitola-Soquel or Pajaro Valley in the Minors Championship at San Lorenzo Valley Little League at 5:30 p.m.

Aptos faces either Capitola-Soquel or Santa Cruz in the Majors Championship at Live Oak Little League at 5:30 p.m.

Both Aptos teams need to lose twice to be eliminated. If either Aptos team loses Tuesday, they’ll play again Wednesday at the same sites, respectively, at 5:30 p.m.

Reporting Scores

Coaches are encouraged to report scores and highlights to sports@santacruzsentinel.com following games. Please include your name and contact number in the email.