FRESNO, Calif. – The depth of elite athletes in California Division 5 has the potential to be the most significant in state history and several small school competitors took advantage of their opportunities to compete in the spotlight Friday at the 45th ASICS Clovis Invitational.
A new challenger for the Division 5 girls state championship also emerged at Woodward Park, with Brentwood sophomore Amelia Sarkisian remaining unbeaten this season with another exceptional effort.
Larkspur Redwood’s Sydney Middleton, left, Archie Williams’ Ani Stieg and Brentwood’s Amelia Sarkisian | Emily Sugay photo
Sarkisian contributed to 15 female competitors eclipsing the 19-minute barrier on the 5-kilometer course, with fellow Gold Coast League champion Olly O’Connor of Viewpoint leading 19 male athletes to sub-16 performances as the event expanded to a two-day scheduled for the first time in meet history.
O’Connor, a junior, ran 15:14.9 to achieve one of the top 15 performances in Division 5 history, prevailing in the boys varsity small school blue division race.
O’Connor improved from running 16:08.3 and placing 22nd at last year’s Division 5 state final.
Kiefer Wilcox, a junior at Tahoe-Truckee, clocked 15:30.5 to place second, with Albany junior Callum McBride taking third in 15:31.5, followed by St. Francis senior Auge Martin capturing fourth in 15:32.0 and Thousand Oaks senior Oliver Clippinger-Zimmeman finishing fifth in 15:35.2, as 15 competitors in the field produced sub-16 performances.
Foothill Technology from Ventura was victorious with 123 points and St. Mary’s Berkeley placed second at 144 points.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, a junior at The Nueva School, showcased a strong final 400 meters in the boys varsity medium school blue division race to triumph in 15:26.8, with Wildwood junior Theo Udelson-Nee securing second in 15:28.8.
Ryan Fitzpatrick of The Nueva School | Photo by Alex Case
Bishop O’Dowd prevailed on a sixth-runner tiebreaker against Larkspur Redwood after the teams were deadlocked at 131 points.
Fitzpatrick and Udelson-Nee joined O’Connor as the only athletes Friday to run under 15:30, contributing to four Division 5 performers eclipsing the 16-minute barrier overall, with Fresno Christian sophomore Blake Bay just missing out after clocking 16:00.7 to win the boys varsity small school yellow division race.
Monte Vista Christian edged Yosemite – with Ford Stegge (16:23.5) and Anthony Ruiz (16:38.1) taking second and third, respectively – by an 85-86 margin for top team honors.
Kenji Kawabata, a junior at Newark Memorial, triumphed in the boys varsity medium school yellow division in 15:59.3, helping the Cougars secure second with 97 points, behind Tamalpais at 45 points, led by runner-up Marco Zink running 16:07.7.
Sarkisian led all female athletes Friday by clocking 18:12.1 in the girls varsity small school blue division race, a remarkable improvement from her 19:29.6 effort to finish 24th at last year’s Division 5 state final.
Only one active Division 5 girls competitor in the state, last season’s state runner-up Ella Mogannam from Lick Wilmerding (18:11.7), has run faster at Woodward Park during their career than Sarkisian’s performance Friday.
Lily Montilla, a senior at Las Lomas, was second in 18:17.9, followed by Templeton senior Frannie Perry taking third in 18:21.1, Larkspur Redwood junior Sydney Middleton achieving fourth in 18:22.5 and Archie Williams junior Ani Stieg grabbing fifth in 18:24.7, as 13 individuals in the field eclipsed the 16-minute barrier.
Redwood Larkspur held off Reedley Immanuel by a 133-135 margin, with junior Clara Riddle clocking 18:39.0 for the Eagles to secure seventh. Immanuel placed second in the Division 5 state final last year.
Monrovia freshman Isla Terrill made a big impact in her debut appearance at Woodward Park, winning the girls varsity medium school yellow division race in 18:46.4, the fastest mark by a ninth-grader competing Friday.
Isla Terrill of Monrovia | Photo by Alex Case
Lynbrook was victorious with a 41-point performance, with Tracy taking second at 98 points, ahead of Lompoc Cabrillo with 99 points. Terrill contributed to Monrovia placing fourth with 114 points, holding off Windsor on a sixth-runner tiebreaker.
Kylie Brunelli, a senior at Monte Vista Christian, prevailed in the girls varsity medium school blue division competition in 18:56.4, improving from a 49th-place finish in 19:57.6 at the Division 5 state final last season.
Laguna Beach earned the team title with 141 points, Newark Memorial finished second at 160 points and Oaks Christian took third with 198 points, led by Delaney Napierala clocking 19:09.4 to secure runner-up honors.
Colfax junior Micah Redding triumphed in the girls varsity small school yellow division race in 19:54.4, with teammate Sophia Sundling securing third in 20:23.9, as the Falcons were also third as a team with 109 points.
Piedmont produced a 44-75 victory against fellow North Coast Section program St. Mary’s Berkeley, with another competitor from the section, Gabby Hays of Marin Catholic, achieving second in 20:20.9.