Alyssa Gutierrez, Matthew Ogilvie Wins at Kim Duyst Twilight Invitational 5K

The sun set, but athletes from the greater Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley were ready for a night of racing at the Kim Duyst Twilight Invitational on Saturday.

Held at River Oaks Golf Course in Ceres, California, on September 12, Alyssa Gutierrez and Matthew Ogilvie won the high school invitational 5-kilometer races, setting up team victories for both programs.

In the girls’ race, Gutierrez delivered a commanding performance. The St. Francis sophomore finished in 16:41.7, earning a 25.8-second victory over Golden Valley senior Fernanda Cortes, who ran 17:07.5.

Matilda Torres freshman Emily Zapata rounded out the top three in 17:14.8.

Gutierrez is currently ranked No. 63 nationally and is one athlete to watch out for this cross country season. She is ranked No.1 in NorCal.

St. Francis had five runners in the top 10 inlcuding Ellison Williams who finished fourth in 17:31.0, Halle Welch in seventh in 17:59.6, Rebecca Dickson eighth in 18:01.6, and Sophia Kadel 10th in 18.18.0.

St. Francis took home the team title with 27 points. Golden Valley edged Oakdale for second, 92–94.

In the boys’ race, it was Ogilvie with Jesuit for the win. The senior had company through the first three kilometers, with Matilda Torres’ Antonio Santiago just 5.2 seconds behind. But the Jesuit senior continued to build his advantage, crossing the finish line in a speedy 14:43.1. He was the only runner in the boys’ invitational race to break 15 minutes.

Santiago finished second in 15:07.7, followed by River City’s Oliver Charkiewicz in 15:10.6. Jesuit also had Ryan Tait finish eighth in 15:20.8, and John Kelly placed 10th in 15:35.8.

The team claimed the title with 58 points, ahead of Matilda Torres with 111 and Bella Vista with 129.