Alyssa Gutierrez, Addyson Johns, and Cooper Stream are among California’s athletes to watch as nationally ranked competition heads to Fresno for two days of racing.
It’s another big weekend of racing as athletes on the West Coast prepare for the 47th ASICS Clovis Invitational. The stakes have never been higher after Jackson Spencer broke the course record with his 14:16.9 performance, taking down the all-time mark of 14:24.0 established by German Fernandez from Riverbank in 2007.
While we anticipate who will win this year’s Rob Brenner Boys Championship race, there are a few strong contenders based on their recent performances.
Cooper Stream brings experience winning on the Woodward Park course in Fresno. The Vacaville senior is the reigning CIF Division II champion and ran 14:48.4 at last year’s state meet.
Fresno Christian’s Blake Bay is another athlete capable of taking the win. He ran 13:49.0 in the three-mile race at Woodbridge. Bay placed third at Clovis last year in 14:51.6.
La Serna junior William Thompson is coming off his second-place finish in the Nike Portland 5K in 14:42.1. Expect to see him in the front pack.
On the girls’ side, St. Francis sophomore Alyssa Gutierrez is one runner to keep an eye on after her impressive start to the season. Gutierrez clocked 16:41.7 to win the Kim Duyst Twilight Invitational in September. That performance placed her second nationally among freshmen and sophomores.
She heads into Clovis after winning the girls’ Jim Danner Championship race at Nike Portland XC in 17:06.9, finishing more than 22 seconds ahead of the next runner. Teammate Ellison Williams placed third, giving the Sacramento team two athletes on the podium. Read our Nike Portland recap.
But she will have plenty of competition. This includes Addyson Johns, California’s top finisher in the Woodbridge girls’ Sweepstakes. The Santiago athlete clocked 15:59.5.
Crater senior Brynn Davenport finished second at Woodbridge in 15:58.7, just eight-tenths of a second ahead of Johns. It will be interesting to see how the two stack up against each other again.
Her teammate Adley Damon, who finished fourth at Woodbridge in 16:00.8 and helped Crater take home the team title, is also in the running. Read our Woodbridge recap.
For athletes hoping to return to Woodward Park for the November 28 CIF State Championships, Clovis offers a chance to race the course. The ASICS Clovis Invitational kicks off on Friday, October 9, followed by the larger-school championship fields on Saturday.