A Mid-Season Dive Into California Cross Country: Jesuit Boys Turn Tables On Herriman UT And Woodbridge Steps Up As NXN Contender; JSerra Girls Defeat Buchanan Again

By Albert Caruana for DyeStat

Ken Martinez Photos

Now that the Clovis Invitational is in the rear-view mirror, we have a much better idea of the top contenders for each division at next month's California state meet, as well as the Nike Cross Nationals contenders for those coveted two auto qualifiers from the Golden State.

Along with those favorites, there are also contending teams and individuals that should not be overlooked. The upcoming Rough Rider Invitational this Friday, also on the state meet course, will include some more of those contenders, like the Campolindo boys and Whitney girls. 

Looking at the two auto qualifiers for NXN, the Jesuit boys and JSerra girls are solid favorites at this point in the season.

The Jesuit boys were the top California team in 2024, finished 11th at NXN, returned six of their top seven varsity runners from last year, and added a formidable transfer in Connor Bilodeau from Granite Bay. Jesuit finished second behind DyeStat No. 2 Herriman at the Woodbridge Invitational and reversed that result at Clovis as it held on to an early lead in the race.

At the Woodbridge in the boys sweepstakes race, the host school team was the fourth best California team and closed the gap on Jesuit at the Clovis Invitational. At this point, Woodbridge appears to have a strong case for being the second best California team. Other boys teams that will also contend for those two auto spots and/or at-large berths are Beckman, San Clemente, and Campolindo. 

The JSerra girls won the Woodbridge XC Classic handily and repeated their top finish in the girls championship race at the Clovis Invitational. The Buchanan girls were much closer on the Woodward Park course, which is more of a true cross country course compared to the Woodbridge race track.

Three other teams that may also be in play will be Santiago (Corona), St. Francis (SJ) and Whitney.

Individually, the fastest five individuals not on an NXN qualifying team will have the opportunity to run in Portland. With Brooks taking over the Foot Locker meet, individuals from California might have an opportunity to run at both meets this year (and extra 10 runners will be awarded Golden Tickets at the discretion of meet organizers). For the boys, some of the top contenders will be Maximo Zavaleta of ML King, Olly O’Connor of Viewpoint, Blake Bay of Fresno Christian, Elias Thronson of Davis and Connor Lott of Clovis North.

For the girls, the leading individuals will be Aelo Curtis of Ventura, the winner on Saturday at Clovis, Chiara Dailey of La Jolla, Summer Wilson of Irvine, Jaelyn Williams of Eastlake, Amaya Bharadwaj of Palo Alto and Braelyn Combe of Santiago (Corona). 

In order to automatically qualify for NXN or potentially get an at-large spot, it's imperative to run well at the California state meet. Here is a peek at the top teams and individual favorites in each division.

Boys Outook

In boys Division I, the Beckman boys are the defending champions and just finished fouth in the large school championship race at Clovis. They will have plenty of competition from San Clemente, who tied Beckman at Clovis but finished behind them with a slower sixth man.

The defending individual champion is Connor Lott of Clovis North. He was also the state champion in the 1,600 this past spring, but is certainly no lock to repeat. M.L. King senior Maximo Zavaleta chased new Woodward Park course record holder Jackson Spencer to a 14:44.8 personal best. Impressive Davis sophomore Elias Thronson finished just ahead of Lott, also at Clovis, and is a threat as well. 

In Division II, Jesuit is the clear team favorite with Woodbridge chasing the Marauders, attempting to lock up the second spot to NXN. Other teams within striking distance are Matilda Torres out of the Central Section, Hart, Mountain View and La Serna.

It’s a toss-up for the individual favorite in this division. Woodbridge junior Aidan Antonio was the fastest Division II runner at Clovis with his 14:56.1 personal best. Also contending will be Branham senior Alijah Murillo as well as a trio of Jesuit runners, Connor Bilodeau, Isaac Abbott and Kyle Jakary. Matilda Torres senior Benjamin Fernandez is the fastest returning runner from last year’s state meet.

The favorite to win the Division III team title is defending champion Campolindo out of the North Coast Section (NCS). In September, the Cougars broke the course record at Hidden Valley Park and had nine runners between 4:17.89 and 4:29.82 at their recent Mid-Season Mania 1,600 on the track. Their main competition should come from West Torrance, which is one of the most improved teams in the state.

Individually, the top returning runner from last year is Oliver Hunter from Dana Hills. He ran 15:05.0 at Clovis, finishing just a tick behind Noel Huato of Del Oro at 15:04.8. The fastest DIII runner at Clovis was Andres Lomeli of Kimball, who finished in 14:59.6 on Friday in the Small School Championship race on Friday.

In Division IV, the JSerra boys will be favored slightly over Foothill Technology. Both teams scored five runners under 16 minutes at Clovis, and it will be much closer at the state meet with only D IV competitors. Individually, the top returning from last year’s state meet is Miramonte senior Logan Letulle. He has been lightly raced so far this season due to injuries. The top D IV runner at Clovis was Oak’s Christian Nwosu Arizechukwu with a time of 15:22.3.

Last year, Menlo School qualified for NXN out of the Division V race, with Viewpoint finishing second. This year, Viewpoint is favored to win, with Menlo battling for a podium finish along with a strong University team out of the NCS. Individually, this could be another barn burner with Olly O’Connor of Viewpoint and Blake Bay of Fresno Christian, who posted impressive 14:47.5 and 14:51.6 times, respectively, this past weekend.

Girls Outlook

The Buchanan girls are favored to capture their fifth Division I team title. A familiar trio of teams will be chasing the Bears with Santiago (Corona), defending champion Trabuco Hills, and Mira Costa as their closest pursuers. Individually, Santiago (Corona) senior Braelyn Combe is the fastest returner from last year’s DI race and was the 2025 California state champion in the 1,600 meters with an impressive 4:35.64. Her main challengers include Millie Bayles of Trabuco Hills and Isabella Ramirez of Bullard.

In Division II, the two teams potentially vying for the state titles did not compete at Clovis this past weekend. Mt. Carmel, out of the SDS, will test its strength at the Mt. SAC Invite next week, while Whitney will travel to Woodward Park and compete there this Friday. St. Francis (Mountain View) will also be a podium contender as it returns a strong group and adds 2:10.24 800 runner Lily Symon to its lineup.

Individually, Ventura may have graduated Sadie Englehart, but Aelo Curtis just won the large school championship race at Clovis with an eye-popping 16:44.5. Behind her at 16:57.2 was Irvine senior Summer Wilson. Palo Alto senior Amaya Bharadwaj ran a near the CCS record for the Woodward Park course as she won the Small School Championship race in 17:03.8. 

In Division III, the favorite now appears to be the St. Francis (SJ) girls out of the Sac-Joaquin Section (SJS). The Troubadors finished a very strong fourth overall at Clovis and have skyrocketed to the top of this division. Santa Margarita appears to be their closest competitor with a seventh overall finish at Clovis.

Individually, the most impressive runner this season has been Kamilah Salim of West Torrance. She ran 17:25.6 at Clovis and has had two Invitational victories, along with a 16:29.6 at Woodbridge. St. Francis (SJ) freshman Alyssa Gutierrez ran 17:30.1 at Clovis and will attempt to capture a very low stick for her team. Becky Osorio of West Covina is the top returner this year with a seventh place finish at last year’s state meet.

JSerra should win the Division IV girls race handily, but will have to make sure to run fast enough to lock up one of the two auto qualifiers for NXN. The next two best teams are Sage Creek out of the San Diego Section (SDS) and Archie Williams from the NCS. Archie Williams finished eighth overall at the Clovis Invitational without top runner Ani Stieg, who will be back racing at full strength by the postseason.

Individually, Chiara Dailey will be the favorite to win and defend her title. Behind her should be the two Archie Williams girls (Stieg and Brooke Lee) as well as Giselle Fernandez of Riverbank.

In Division V, familiar foes will face one another in pursuit of the team title. Crystal Springs Uplands won the 2022 and 2023 state team titles before finishing fourth last year. Immanuel has finished second the last two years. The third contending team is University, which will be after its 12th team title, a California state meet record. Individually, defending state champ Amelia Sarkisian of Brentwood will have to fend off a trio of NCS athletes, Ella Mogannam of Lick-Wilmerding, Branson’s Farah Allen, and Sonoma Academy’s Josie Hill.