Former Dana Hills star embracing the opportunity to help Mavericks contend for California Division 2 state title, with big challenge upcoming in seeded race at Stanford Invitational 

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

The phone call came as a surprise. So much so that Simon Fuller found himself stopping on the side of the road.

“I was actually driving up to my grandma’s house and I got the text and I pulled over and called him right after,” Fuller said. “It was a real hit to me. Caleb and me were really good teammates.”

The news was tough.

Perennial California power Dana Hills was losing junior ace Caleb Niednagel – the 10th-place finisher in Division 1 at last year’s state meet – to La Costa Canyon, a program nearly the Dolphins’ equal but 45 miles down the coast in the San Diego Section.

Fuller was the Dolphins’ No. 2 runner last year, placing 13th in the state in Division 1, and was among Niednagel’s closest teammates.

“We went to the beach almost every day during the summer. Pretty good friends,” he said.

The reason for the transfer was a change of residence to Carlsbad due to the job Caleb’s father, Daniel Niednagel, has near San Diego.

Everyone seemed to find out in a different way.

While Fuller was driving, Caleb was told of the move by his parents just before embarking on a church mission trip to Africa in late June. Daniel Niednagel was the one to break the news to Dana Hills coach Craig Dunn in a phone call, as the two were high school teammates in the early 1990s, also at Dana Hills.

The Dolphins were just two seasons removed from qualifying for back-to-back Nike Cross Nationals meets – including a third-place showing in 2015 – and were third in the state last year in Division 1, behind NXN qualifiers Great Oak and Roosevelt.

Conversely, the move was a gift for La Costa Canyon. Returning the heart of their lineup, the Mavericks placed second in Division 3 and have been in the top five in state three times, but never have won it all.

They are two high-profile programs and teams that are successful, year in and year out.

Yet no hurt feelings.

“He didn’t owe me an explanation at all,” Dunn said. “He was doing what was best for his family.

“With Caleb, it’s unfortunate, but we still love him.”

Said Fuller: “We all love Caleb and seeing him out there again is awesome.”

At La Costa Canyon, Niednagel joins a standout lineup that includes seniors Jacob Stanford and Garrett Stanford, who placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the state in Division 3 last year, along with junior Andy Pueschel.

The transition was strikingly smooth, Niednagel said, as Dunn and La Costa Canyon coach Bill Vice employ similar philosophies.

“Neither (program) does a ton of miles, which I think is great,” Niednagel said. “And both focus on hills and speed.

“At Dana Hills, we did a little more on hills, while La Costa Canyon is a little more speed – 800s and 1,000s.”

His addition could make for a banner year for the Mavericks, who move to Division 2 this season. Already, La Costa Canyon easily won the Bronco Roundup at Kit Carson Park in Escondido on Sept. 8. NIEDNAGEL INTERVIEW

Two weeks ago, the Mavericks were second at the ASICS Mt. Carmel Invitational behind Loyola, a team they’ll see in the postseason, while Garrett Stanford ran his first race back from injury.

Niednagel was the No. 3 overall individual at the Bronco Roundup and second at Mt. Carmel (15:33.8), run at Balboa Park’s Morley Field in San Diego. NIEDNAGEL INTERVIEW

The Mavericks run in the seeded race Saturday at the 44th Stanford Invitational, facing the past two Division 2 state champions in St. Francis Mountain View and 2016 winner Claremont, which finished fourth last season.

Niednagel’s presence makes La Costa Canyon again a state-title contender.

“That would be great if I can help these guys and help them get to a higher level,” he said, “but that’s not me; it’s just all of us together and really working together.”

The Dolphins aren’t going anywhere, either, as they are ranked No. 3 in Southern Section Division 1. Mt. Carmel offered Dana Hills its first chance to race against a former teammate.

And, as fate would have it, Dana Hills set its EZ-Up right across a path from La Costa Canyon.

“I didn't recognize him at first, actually,” joked Fuller, who finished fourth in the boys senior invitational race – behind Jacob Stanford, Niednagel and Michael Sahagun of Roosevelt – before winning the Dana Hills Nike Invitational title Sept. 22.

“Obviously, I wanted to race with him,” Fuller added, “but I was a little off, but that’s all right. There’s plenty of races.”

Niednagel still keeps in contact with his former Dolphins runners. He’s also felt comfortable in his new environment.

Maybe, at the end of the day, he has two homes.

“They’ve been very welcoming, which is amazing,” he said of his Mavericks’ teammates. “I love every guy on the team.”