Trey Caldwell, Chiara Dailey and Braelyn Combe seek new challenges at 76th Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational

Despite the significant distance between the high schools of Concord De La Salle senior Trey Caldwell and La Jolla junior Chiara Dailey in relation to the Mt. San Antonio College campus in Walnut, both athletes have regarded the venue as a home away from home during their exceptional prep careers.

Not only have they made their marks on the former 2.93-mile Mt. SAC course, but also the 5-kilometer layout showcased at the Foot Locker West Regional in December.

Caldwell and Dailey, both two-time Foot Locker national finalists, will pursue a new challenge by racing on the revised 3-mile course in pursuit of repeating as sweepstakes champions at the 76th Mt. SAC Invitational Presented by Nike.

The renowned Poop-Out Hill has been removed from the new layout for high school athletes, with the course still featuring the familiar components of the Valley Loop, Switchbacks, National Guard Alley, Reservoir Hill and Goff’s Gauntlet, in addition to finishing on the track inside Hilmer Lodge Stadium.

It marks the first significant revision to the historic Mt. SAC layout in 48 years, barring exceptions made for rain courses.

Dailey is scheduled to participate at 4:55 p.m. PDT Friday in the Division 3-4-5 girls team sweepstakes competition, seeking a third consecutive title.

The last female athlete to win sweepstakes races three years in a row at the Mt. SAC Invitational is former La Costa Canyon High standout Kristin Fahy.

Following Division 3 girls sweepstakes victories by Fahy in 2016 and 2017, La Costa Canyon was elevated to Division 2 in 2018. Fahy added a win in the Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes race in 2018.

Caldwell triumphed in the Division 1-2 boys individual sweepstakes race last season, the lone male athlete returning to Mt. SAC this weekend in search of back-to-back elite victories.

Concord De La Salle’s Trey Caldwell | Photo courtesy of Finished Results

Caldwell, a Colorado commit, is expected to compete at 9:42 a.m. Saturday in the Division 1-2 boys team sweepstakes field.

Caldwell is looking to continue to build momentum after producing the fastest all-time high school performance on another prestigious California course with his 14:27 effort on the 2.95-mile layout Oct. 12 at the Crystal Springs Invitational.

He is pursuing back-to-back Saturday sweepstakes victories at Mt. SAC, with former Rubidoux star Kevin Ramos Leyva the last male competitor to achieve the feat by prevailing in the Division 1-2 boys individual sweepstakes field in 2017-18.

Other returning champions from last season at Mt. SAC include Corona Santiago junior Braelyn Combe, who triumphed in the Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes race.

Combe is expected to compete at 10:02 a.m. Saturday, leading the Sharks – minus Florida State commit and reigning California Division 1 state champion Rylee Blade – once more in the Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes field.

Simi Valley graduate Sarah Baxter was the last female competitor to repeat as winner of the Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes race, securing victories all four years at Mt. SAC from 2010-13.

Claudia Lane from Malibu High, who achieved the all-time prep mark on the 2.93-mile Mt. SAC layout by clocking 15:49.0, won Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes races in 2016-17.

Fiona O’Keeffe, a Davis Senior graduate, won the Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes competition in 2013 and triumphed in the Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes race in 2014.

Francis Parker junior Ari Llorens won the Division 3-4-5 girls individual sweepstakes race last season, but she is scheduled to compete Friday against Dailey in the Division 3-4-5 girls team sweepstakes.

Francis Parker’s Ari Llorens | Photo courtesy of Finished Results

Cathedral Catholic, led by Lindsay Zimmer and Jocelyn Gibson, has earned victories in the Division 3-4-5 girls team sweepstakes field the past three years.

The Dons, the defending California Division 3 state champions, are attempting to become the first girls program from their division to win four years in a row at Mt. SAC.

La Costa Canyon won four straight titles from 2014-17, but the Mavericks achieved the feat in different divisions.

Following a Division 2 victory in 2014, La Costa Canyon added Division 3 sweepstakes crowns from 2015-17.

Great Oak still holds the overall meet record by winning six consecutive Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes championships from 2014-19.

South Pasadena, Yorba Linda, Point Loma, Canyon Country Canyon, Laguna Beach and Palos Verdes are scheduled to compete Friday against Cathedral Catholic in the Division 3-4-5 girls team sweepstakes race.

Dailey, the reigning California Division 4 state champion and a two-time Foot Locker All-American, is also expected to be joined in Friday’s field by La Canada’s Maya de Brouwer and South Pasadena’s Abigail Errington.

Dailey, Errington, de Brouwer and Zimmer secured the top four spots in the Division 3-4-5 girls team sweepstakes competition last season.

Cathedral Catholic’s Lindsay Zimmer, left, and South Pasadena’s Abigail Errington | Photo courtesy of Finished Results

St. Francis returns after winning the Division 3-4-5 boys team sweepstakes title last year, with the defending California Division 4 state champions scheduled to square off at 5:13 p.m. Friday against Canyon Country Canyon, West Ranch, West Torrance, Foothill Tech, Palos Verdes, Viewpoint and Yosemite.

The Golden Knights endured significant losses to graduation, but still feature seniors Auge Martin and Aidan Guzman.

Olly O’Connor, a junior at Viewpoint, seeks another strong performance in preparation for the Division 5 postseason schedule, with Corona del Mar showcasing Max Douglass and Kevin Steinman as part of a lineup that is also scheduled to include West Torrance’s Andrew Quast, Palos Verdes’ Adrian Miller, Cathedral Catholic’s Nathan Wilber and Yosemite’s Ford Stegge.

Annie Ivarsson of Dana Hills, the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 runner-up last season, leads the entries in the Division 3-4-5 girls individual sweepstakes race at 5:31 p.m. Friday.

Ivarsson was unable to compete at the Mt. SAC Invitational last fall, but did experience the Southern Section championship race concluding on the Hilmer Lodge Stadium track last year.

Capistrano Valley’s Audrey Heath and Sage Creek’s Gabriella Peters both placed in the top 10 in the Division 3-4-5 girls individual sweepstakes last season and are scheduled to return Friday.

Ayanna Hickey from The Bishop’s School in La Jolla and Brentwood’s Amelia Sarkisian are both top contenders for the California Division 5 state title and are expected to be in the field, in addition to Santana’s Harper Diaz, Calabasas’ Sofia Francini, University City’s Darcy Ray, Moorpark’s Jenna Murray, Marlborough’s Maddie Giorgio and Monrovia freshman Isla Terrill.

The Division 3-4-5 boys individual sweepstakes race caps Friday’s schedule with a 5:50 p.m. start, with Burroughs Ridgecrest’s Zion Ortiz and Wildwood’s Theo Udelson-Nee both returning after placing in the top 10 last year.

Ryan Fitzpatrick of The Nueva School and Santa Fe Christian’s Evan Smith are also scheduled to compete in the field again Friday, in addition to Sage Creek’s Josiah Bowman, Kimball’s Andres Lomeli, Simi Valley’s Elijah Rojas, Cathedral’s Omar Fabila, Moorpark’s Hunter Lee, Thousand Oaks’ Oliver Clippinger-Zimmerman, Servite’s Emmanuel Lopez, Crawford’s Leo Lorenzano, Carmel’s Mack Aldi, Mary Star of the Sea’s Finn Babbitt, Lancaster Desert Christian’s Mehari Winheim, as well as Lyon Craig of Health Sciences High and Middle College.

There is also a scheduled matchup Friday involving two of the elite athletes in Division 3 in a girls varsity race at 11:13 a.m., with Becky Osorio of West Covina competing against Alahna Thomas from Santa Margarita.

In addition, Granada Hills junior Samantha Pacheco is entered in a Division 1 girls varsity race at 11:49 a.m. Saturday, with Paso Robles senior Tyler Daillak competing along with El Toro High in a Division 2 boys varsity field at 4:38 p.m. Saturday.

El Toro, Saugus and Tesoro are all expected to race in the Division 2 girls varsity field in the preceding competition at 4:22 p.m. Saturday.

But the four marquee races Saturday begin at 9:02 a.m. with the Division 1-2 boys individual sweepstakes, with Caldwell’s move to the Division 1-2 boys team sweepstakes field creating an opportunity to crown a new champion.

La Serna’s Grant Miller, who placed fifth last season, is the top returning athlete in the field and is expected to be joined by Rancho Bernardo’s Camden Luecht, Lancaster’s Issaiah McCorvey, Venice’s Paul Tranquilla, Del Norte’s Luke Jin, Gilroy’s Joshua Guzman, Chaffey’s Daniel Reza, Canyon Crest Academy’s Luca Caruso, Camarillo’s James Rieckewald-Schmidt, Roosevelt’s Luke Lopez, Northwood’s Logan Shaw, Valley View’s Evan Nahuat, Ventura’s Blake Harris, Steele Canyon’s Micah Senn and Canadian athlete Brady Keller from Lacombe High in Alberta.

Ventura is scheduled to showcase Aelo Curtis, Melanie True, Tiffany Sax and freshman Sophie Nuckols in the Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes race at 9:22 a.m., but the Cougars will not have two-time California Division 2 state champion Sadie Engelhardt in the lineup Saturday.

Westview’s Kaitlyn Arciaga is the top returning athlete after taking third last year, with Santa Monica’s Phoebe Benun and Vista Murrieta’s Erica Kirk joining the Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes field after finishing third and fourth, respectively, last season in the Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes competition.

Westview’s Kaitlyn Arciaga | Photo courtesy of Finished Results

Clovis West junior Cameron Macias, who won the Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes title in 2022 and placed fourth last season, is also entered, in addition to Etiwanda’s Alyssa Wyatt and Crescenta Valley’s Emilia Greenway, who were both part of last year’s field.

Lucy Peterson, an elite Division 5 competitor from Bay School of San Francisco, has decided to race Saturday in the Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes competition and will be joined in the field by Arcadia teammates Charlotte Hopkins and Reena Hsieh, Temescal Canyon’s Megan Crum, Peninsula’s Alexandra Himebauch, Canyon Crest Academy’s Katja Dunayevich, Long Beach Poly’s Avery Peck, Patrick Henry’s Hannah Aguirre, Santa Ana’s Adamara Esparza and Rancho Bernardo’s Riley Biddle.

Along with Caldwell seeking consecutive Saturday victories at Mt. SAC, Great Oak is looking to add to its legacy in the Division 1-2 boys team sweepstakes competition, having won eight of the past nine titles.

The Wolfpack prevailed from 2014-21, then regained the championship after San Clemente prevailed in 2022.

Great Oak and Concord De La Salle will be challenged by an exceptional field that includes Beckman, Mira Costa, Martin Luther King, Glendora, Redondo Union, Crescenta Valley and three-time L.A. City Section Division 1 winner Palisades.

Martin Luther King junior Maximo Zavaleta returns after placing second last year in the Division 1-2 boys team sweepstakes race, with Bradley Quezada also expected to compete for the Wolves.

Martin Luther King’s Maximo Zavaleta | Photo courtesy of Finished Results

Glendora’s Dylan Flores, Woodbridge’s Aidan Antonio, Beckman’s Mason Nguyen, Great Oak’s Jack Paradise, Riverside Poly’s Jace Deledonne, Redondo Union’s Adam Divinity, Trabuco Hills teammates Dylan Jubak and Ziyad Abdallah, Mira Costa’s tandem of Krish Desai and Isaac Faynsod, San Clemente’s Yohan Anderson and Ayala freshman Bryson Caganap are also scheduled to participate.

Trabuco Hills has Millie Bayles, Holly Barker, Anna Desormeau, Skylar Watts and Sophie Guilfoile among its entries for the Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes race, looking to continue momentum after its victory Oct. 19 at Oak Canyon Park, capturing the Orange County sweepstakes title for the first time since 2015.

The Mustangs are looking to add their first Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes title in program history against a field that includes reigning champion Claremont – featuring junior Isla Bulmer and freshman Grace Smith – and a short-handed Corona Santiago lineup, with Kinsley Whitecavage, Lauren Reightley and Jaela Jaffe expected to compete along with Combe.

Claremont is attempting to become the first school to win consecutive Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes titles since Great Oak’s streak of six straight from 2014-19.

Mountain View St. Francis, featuring Lauren Draper and Sabrina Zanetto, and Del Norte – led by Emily Russo and Eliza Hong – also add depth to the field, with Mira Costa highlighting Alana Clarke, in addition to Ayala, Woodbridge, Scripps Ranch, San Clemente, Martin Luther King, Great Oak and sophomore Zoey Morris leading defending L.A. City Section Division 1 champion Palisades into the Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes competition.

Corona Santiago and Trabuco Hills are the leading contenders to challenge for the Southern Section Division 1 title Nov. 23 at Mt. SAC, but both programs will not square off with their full lineups during the regular season, including Saturday’s race.