Following successful spring and summer schedules setting records and winning titles on the track, Northern California talent impresses in first high school cross country race; Allen, Stubbert and Swinth also victorious

By August Howell for DyeStat

Fans at the 35th Ed Sias Invitational waited until the final varsity race of the day to get a glimpse of one of California’s most promising young distance talents.

They were not disappointed.

Harper McClain, a 16-year-old junior from St. Helena, burst onto the scene in the North Coast Section during the spring track season, setting multiple school records and placing seventh at the state meet in the 3,200 meters in her first season of organized competitive running.

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In her cross country debut Saturday, on a hot, 80-degree dusty day at Hidden Valley Park in Martinez, Calif., McClain handily took care of business, winning the girls varsity large school race in 11 minutes, 40.8 seconds, the ninth-fastest time in meet history on the hilly 2-mile course.

McClain, who embraced a step up in competition despite attending a Division 5 school with an enrollment of 483, looked like she’d been running cross county for years. She ran up front for the entire race, and smoothly separated herself from the pack after a 5:46 first mile. The runner-up finisher was Gianna Mendoza of San Jose Presentation at 12:24.

“A lot of my friends have been encouraging me to do cross country this year,” McClain said. “I’ve been putting in a lot of miles this summer, and starting off with a good race this season makes me excited for what’s to come.”

Aside from setting two school records in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters in the spring, McClain won national titles in the 15-16 division in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters at the USATF Junior Olympic National Championships in Sacramento in June. That was her first track season, and she believes she has much more to give as her first cross country season progresses.

Audrey Allen helped her Miramonte squad take home the girls varsity small school title with 44 points.

Allen, a junior who placed 12th at the meet last season, won in commanding fashion and finished in 12:07.9, well ahead of Anna Mokkapati from The King’s Academy, who clocked 12:38.4.

Miramonte’s other scorers finished sixth, ninth, 17th and 22nd. Maria Carrillo also had a strong showing and was not far behind with 66 points, led by Jasmin Hirth (12:48.9) and Nicole Morris (13:05.8) in third and fourth.

“Going into it, I felt a little fatigued and my legs were tired from this week,” Allen said. “I knew I had to push through it and use the downhill.”

On the boys side, Maria Carrillo’s Colton Swinth won the first varsity race of the day, and led his team to a commanding victory of 23 points, with all five scorers placing in the top 10 for the Pumas.

Swinth had the fastest overall time of the day, and finished with a personal best of 10:20.1, just ahead of his training partner Rory Smail at 10:22.9. Swinth said because of the talent and camaraderie, he believes this is the best team to come through Maria Carrillo, a leading contender for the Division 3 state title.

“We’re all best friends, and it’s the best team environment I believe that has ever come through our school,” Swinth said. “We all know how much hard work we need to put in.”

The final boys varsity race of the day was won by junior Simon Stubbert of Rodriguez in 10:31.3.

It was a close race toward the back half, with four runners all in the mix going into the last hill. Stubbert dug deep and kicked clear in the final straightaway, well ahead of Bellarmine College Prep’s Aiden Theocheung, who finished in 10:35.1.

Monte Vista, led by James Switzer placing fifth in 10:46.6, secured the team victory with 59 points.

Though Bellarmine did not field its top runners after eclipsing the 2.93-mile course record in the team’s last outing Sept. 7 at Golden Gate Park at the Lowell Invitational, it still managed enough depth to get second behind Monte Vista with 94 points.

“I knew certain people wouldn’t be here, so I had a better chance,” Stubbert said. “I really wanted it this time.”