Top Teams And Individuals In California Prepare For State Meet, Some With Post-Season Plans

By Albert Caruana for DyeStat

Ken Martinez Photos

It appears that California, despite being a progressive state, often seems to be the last state when it comes to cross country and track and field events. California was one of the last states to add girls competition to its state meet in 1974. It was one of the last states to administer a state championship cross country meet in 1987. It was one of the last states to add the 4x800 to its state meet lineup in 2023. And of course, California is the last state to hold its state cross country meet competition, which will take place Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno.

The following will be my best attempt to mention most of the podium contenders in each division for both teams (top 3) and individuals (top 10), as well as the NXN contenders. Here is an outlook that follows the schedule, race by race.

Division II Boys (8:30 a.m.)

The goal for the most competitive teams at the state meet is to win a team title on this day. For the upper elite teams, the next goal is to run fast enough to secure one of those two automatic spots for the following weekend’s Nike Cross Nationals in Portland. This year, the top NXN contender is in this division and will lead off the day. The Jesuit boys were the best team in California last year and finished 11th place at NXN. With the addition of transfer Connor Bilodeau, the Marauders have higher aspirations this season. They finished second behind Herriman UT at the Woodbridge XC Classic and reversed that order at the Clovis Invitational. Dos Pueblos, Hart, La Serna and Woodbridge finished in that order at the CIF-SS meet. Woodbridge will be without one of its top runners at the state meet. Vacaville finished second behind Jesuit at the Sac-Joaquin Section (SJS) final and has been highly ranked throughout the season. Mt. View, the CCS champion, was ranked nationally in the preseason and just posted its best race of the season. Matilda Torres won the CS final and has been ranked in the top 10 all season.

Individually, Woodbridge senior Aidan Antonio won a mass finish at the SS meet, with four runners crossing the finish line within a second of each other. Antonio, along with Lyle Mideiros of Claremont, Adrian Cantu of Saugus and Derek Luna of Rio Mesa, all rolled to a sub 14:08 time on the Mt. SAC rain course. Alijah Murillo of Branham has been the most impressive runner out of CCS and recorded his PR of 14:52.7 on the Crystal Springs course at his section final. At the SJS meet, Vacaville junior Cooper Stream was the individual winner, finishing ahead of the Jesuit pack, which has been consistently led by either Isaac Abbott or Bilodeau. 

Division III Boys (9 a.m.)

The second race of the day will feature another NXN contender in Campolindo. The Cougars haven’t raced at any of the premier California invitationals, but have been nearly as impressive as Jesuit. At its own Mid-Season Mania 3200, Campo averaged 9:20 for the 3200 and was declared the national champion for the HOKA Postal Nationals. They also broke the North Coast Section team-time record for the Woodward Park course at the Rough Rider Invitational. The main competition will be a strong West Torrance team, which handily won the CIF-SS meet last Saturday. Willow Glen defeated St. Ignatius at the CCS meet, and both teams could be a threat if their fifth runners can tighten up the gap behind their team’s respective fourth runners. Oak Park and West Ranch were tied through five runners at the CIF-SS meet and will both be aiming for a top 5 finish.

Individually, Andres Lomeli of Kimball finished second at the Clovis Small School championship race, running sub 15 minutes. Noel Huato of Del Oro in Bakersfield ran in the Large School championship race at Clovis and finished in 13th place with a 15:04.8 PR. Campolindo’s Clark Gregory had the overall fastest time at the NCS meet and is primed for a big race here. Sophomore teammate Caden Ehrhorn is one of the top younger runners in the state and should be a big factor in this race. Oliver Hunter of Dana Hills edged South Pasadena’s Michael Scarince by .1 seconds at the CIF-SS meet. Willow Glen teammates Aidan Dunosky and Hayden Kieslich were the top two finishers at the CCS meet.

Division II Girls (9:30 a.m.)

The Whitney girls from SJS finished third at the state meet last year and return the majority of their 2024 team. They defeated an impressive trio of teams (Davis, Oak Ridge, and St. Francis SJ) at their league final, won the SJS finals race, and ran the second fastest team time overall. The best team coming out of CCS is the St. Francis, MV girls. They finished in second at the state meet last year and just recorded the fourth fastest team time on the legendary Crystal Springs course. SF graduated two of its top five from last year but added talented transfer Lily Simon, a 2:10.24 800 runner last spring. Claremont edged Westlake at the CIF-SS final and comes into the meet as the best team out of that section. Tesoro, Ventura, Saugus, and Murrieta Valley were also within striking distance with scores in the low 100s. 

Individually, the fastest time of the day should come out of this division. Ventura’s Aelo Curtis rolled to a 16:44.5 winning time at the Clovis Invitational, making her the sixth-fastest all-time performer on the Woodward Park course. At last Saturday’s meet, Summer Wilson of Irvine absolutely crushed the field, including Curtis, running 15:14.5 on the Mt. SAC rain course. That time broke the national 3-mile record that was previously held by Rylee Blade. Palo Alto’s Amaya Bharadwaj has also been impressive this season, winning all seven of her races. Brenna Mannion of Vista del Lago recorded the fastest time overall at the SJS meet. Monte Vista’s Kaylie O’Connell won the NCS meet, running the third fastest time overall. 

Division III Girls (10 a.m.)

This division has become increasingly competitive, and this may have the deepest group of good D3 teams in meet history. The team that has garnered the most attention is St. Francis SJ. They won the small school championship race at the Clovis Invitational and have raced some of the best teams (Davis, Whitney, and Oak Ridge) in the state at their league meet. Santa Margarita finished behind St. Francis at Clovis but was just edged by El Toro by three points at the CIF-SS final. Northgate and Campolindo have battled all season, with Northgate coming out ahead at last Saturday’s NCS final. Central Catholic and La Costa Canyon were the two best teams out of the SDS.

Individually, St. Francis, SJ freshman Alyssa Gutierrez has led the way for her team all season and will certainly be at the front of the pack. Carol Dye of Santa Margarita edged teammate Taryn Coulston and Kamilah Salim of West Torrance at the CIF-SS final. Carondelet senior Gretchen Yukaitis won the NCS by a comfortable margin over Northgate lead runner, Olivia Joseph. Stella Newman of Burlingame was the CCS champion over teammate Elizabeth Carroll. Harper Diaz was the comfortable individual winner at SDS.

Division IV Boys (10:30 a.m.)

This season, the two best teams in this division have been Foothill Technology and JSerra. They have battled back and forth throughout the fall, with JSerra just edging Foothill Tech 47-50 at the CIF-SS final. It is now literally a toss-up at the state meet between those two teams. The next best teams in this division were all section champions in the past two weeks. Sage Creek secured the SDS championship with a low score of 37. St. Mary’s College has been ranked highly in this division all season and won the NCS meet last Saturday, also scoring 37 points. Three section second place teams will be contenders for top 10 finishes with SDS’s Crawford, NCS’s Bishop O’Dowd, and SS’s Harvard Westlake.

Individually, Sage Creek senior Josiah Bowman has a 1:50.39 800 speed and finished behind only Viewpoint’s stellar senior, Olly O’Connor, at the Mt. SAC Invitational. Gunner Silva of Classical Academy finished second behind Bowman at the section final, also breaking 15 minutes. Oaks Christian senior Vin Krueger won a tight battle over Harvard Westlake senior Charles Abemayor at the CIF-SS final. Bishop O’Dowd senior Sebastian Taylor was the NCS champion over St. Mary’s College’s top two runners, Djali de Chalus and Tucker Presnell. 

Division V Girls (11 a.m.)

The Immanuel girls have finished second at the last two state meets on what is practically a home course. They raced on the Woodward Park course at their league final as well as the Central Section championship meet. They returned all their runners from 2024 and will be led once again by senior Clara Riddle. Their main competition will come from the 2022 and 2023 state team champions, Crystal Springs Uplands School girls. The Gryphons also returned their top five from last year and should be favored here based on their performance at the CCS final. Senior Anna Salter has been the lead runner for the Crystal as she powered her way to the league and section individual victories. The University girls just edged league rival Lick-Wilmerding on the sixth runner tie-breaker at last Saturday’s NCS final, but should have a bit more of an edge at the state meet. Two more NCS schools, Branson and Sonoma Academy, should battle for additional places in the top 10.

Individually, Ella Mogannam of Lick-Wilmerding has finished second at the last two state championships. She recorded the fastest time at the NCS meet in all divisions, finishing just ahead of impressive Branson junior, Farah Allen. Elliana Patterson of Christian was the big winner at the SDS final, recording an impressive 16:46.1 on the Morley Field course in Balboa Park. Crystal’s Salter has been on a roll since recording a 3200 PR of 10:22.2 at the Campo Mid-Season Mania 3200. Immanuel’s Riddle finished seventh at the state meet last year and will be looking for a similar finish here.

Division I Boys (11:30 a.m.)

Most years, the Division I boys race is the heavyweight fight and main event. While other teams could potentially run faster than the podium placers from this division, this race will feature as many as 10 teams that come into this Saturday’s final with a dead aim on a top-3 finish. The Beckman boys won last year’s state championship and just secured a second consecutive CIF-SS title last Saturday. They finished a mere four points in front of a hard-charging San Clemente team. The other SS teams who will definitely be in the hunt are Crescenta Valley, Mira Costa and Redondo Union. At the CCS meet, a strong Menlo Atherton boys team edged Bellarmine by four points. Last season, the Bells also finished second at the CCS meet before finishing second at the state meet. Oak Ridge won the SJS meet, finishing ahead of league rival Davis. Clovis North, the CS winner, has been ranked in the top 10 all season and will definitely have a home-court advantage on the Woodward Park course.

Individually, Conor Lott is the defending state champion in cross country and the 1,600 on the track. He also received a golden ticket for the Brooks National Meet and will have plenty of competition here. Maximo Zavaleta of Martin Luther King recorded the fastest time at the CIF-SS final, running 13:59.9. He also finished second behind Jackson Spencer’s record-setting run at the Clovis Invitational. Stephen Sziebert of Bellarmine has been very impressive this season and won at the CCS meet. Davis’ impressive sophomore Elias Thronson won the SJS final. In the SDS, Dean Odom of San Marcus edged Poway’s lead runner, Blake Littrell.

Division IV Girls (12 noon)

The JSerra girls have been the top-ranked California team with winning efforts throughout the season. They have also been ranked among the top teams in the nation, and in the latest national rankings the Lions were ranked third nationally behind Wayzata MN and Lone Peak. They should pack their team up near the front and secure one of the two auto-bids to NXN in this race. The next best team in this division is Archie Williams (AW), which is back at full strength with the healthy return of Ani Stieg; top runner Brooke Lee has been on a roll. At the NCS meet on Saturday, AW posted the fastest team time and finished first overall in a merge of all divisions. The next best team is Sage Creek, which won the San Diego Section. Sage Creek coach Jason Jacobson won a state championship when his 2010 San Rafael boys team won the Division IV title. 

The top individual and two-time defending state champion is La Jolla senior Chiara Dailey. She already received her golden ticket to the Brooks XC championship meet and will be aiming for an NXN spot before racing in San Diego the following week. Monserrat Santillan Silva was the CIF-SS champion after finishing 43rd last season at the same meet. She finished ahead of the JSerra leading duo of Maya Pawlowicz and Brooklyn Tennant. Lee of AW was the clear NCS champion, while Gizelle Fernandez won the SJS meet. At the CCS meet, Scotts Valley junior Hanna Shehorn ran the second fastest time of the day in winning the Div IV race over teammate, and UCLA commit, Ava Decleve. 

Division V Boys (12:30 p.m.)

The podium teams last year were Menlo, Viewpoint, and Crystal Springs Uplands School. This year, Menlo and Viewpoint will contend once again for a podium finish, but there will be a new favorite this year. The University boys have been the most consistent team in this division and will start this race as the favorite. Menlo has a solid pack with a great front-runner in junior Henry Hauser. Viewpoint finished second last year and returned every runner from last year’s state meet roster. They have one of the fastest runners in the state in Olly O’Connor, but have been less than 100 percent all season. Senior Andrew Neville and sophomore Michael Majors have missed significant time and will not be racing this coming Saturday. Ontario Christian, Monte Vista Christian, and Convent & Stuart Hall are the next group of teams that could potentially finish in the top five.

Individually, O’Connor is the slight favorite. He has been nearly undefeated, with one of his lone losses at the Woodbridge XC Classic, where he finished eighth. He recorded his best time on the Woodward Park course at the Clovis Invitational with his 14:47.5 victory. Blake Bay, a Fresno Christian junior, ran a 14:51.6 PR at the Clovis Invitational and finished ahead of O’Connor at Woodbridge. Nueva senior Ryan Fitzpatrick has been flying under the radar this season and was the CCS champion over Hauser of Menlo. Both runners finished in the top 10 at the state meet last year. University junior Ben Friedland rolled to the sixth fastest time at the NCS meet in his dominant victory on Saturday. At the SS meet, Desert Christian Lancaster senior Mehari Winheim finished second behind O’Connor and in front of Viewpoint’s much-improved junior, Jack Richter. 

Division I Girls (1 p.m.)

The Central Section champion, the Buchanan girls, have won four championships and will be after the fifth this weekend. The Bears were ranked fifth in the nation in the latest DyeStat rankings and easily won their section race. Mira Costa won the CIF-SS final with the fastest team time overall, finishing ahead of defending state team champion Trabuco Hills. The Davis girls ran their best race of the season at the SJS final, defeating league rival Oak Ridge. Davis was the best team in the section regardless of division and could be a podium threat here. Oak Ridge was fifth at last year’s state meet and is definitely battle-tested to contend for another top 10 finish here. The Los Altos girls won the CCS Division I race and had the second fastest team time overall.

Individually, this division will feature some of the best individual runners in California. Santiago (Corona) senior Braelyn Combe won the CIF-SS final, edging Trabuco Hills senior Millie Bayles. Eastlake senior Jaelyn Williams has been on a roll all season. She is a former state track champion in the 3,200 and ran 15:52.2 at the Woodbridge Classic, trailing only two runners, including fellow Californian Dailey, who was second. Brown University commit and Davis senior Avery Wolk won the SJS meet, running the second fastest time overall on the rugged course. Daniela Quadros of Carlmont was the section champion on a course she has raced on for the past six years.