Jesuit captures state record 10th boys cross country title, JSerra girls win fourth straight in Division 4, Trabuco Hills fastest girls team in Woodward Park history

FRESNO – The most decorated boys program in state history returned to the spotlight.

One of the most impressive girls dynasties added another remarkable chapter to its growing legacy.

A pair of three-time individual winners made their last races at Woodward Park memorable.

Post-race interviews

And a trio of back-to-back champions began and ended the schedule at the CIF State Cross Country Championships with exceptional efforts, highlighting a spectacular schedule Saturday that not only decided individual and team winners in 10 races, but also determined the California representatives Dec. 7 at Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon.

Carmichael Jesuit captured the Division 2 boys team title with 73 points, placing five scorers in the top 55 to secure the 10th championship in program history, including the first since 2006.

The Marauders broke a tie with McFarland for most boys cross country team titles all-time in the state and now trail only the San Francisco University girls program at 11 for the overall mark for any school.

Jesuit had Drake Hoferer cover the 5-kilometer layout in 15 minutes, 4.4 seconds to secure seventh, Isaac Abbott finish 10th in 15:04.6, Kyle Jakary capture 11th in 15:05.2 and Matthew Ogilive place 15th in 15:16.6, helping the Marauders lower their own Sac-Joaquin Section record for fastest team time to 76:30.

Glendora finished second with 91 points, led by Dylan Flores finishing fourth in 15:02.2 and Mathias Oliveros earning eighth in 15:04.4, and Matilda Torres was third at 105 points, highlighted by Ben Fernandez securing sixth in 15:03.9 and Hunter Hannah placing ninth in 15:04.5.  

Jesuit also matched San Clemente for the No. 5 all-time school, equaling the No. 11 performance in California prep history to secure one of two automatic berths for California to race at NXN, with Glendora grabbing one of four national at-large berths to race at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland.

JR Lesher of Hueneme surged past Griffin Kushen of Tesoro in the final 400 meters to prevail by a 14:43.0 to 14:44.6 margin, with Concord De La Salle senior Trey Caldwell taking third in 14:49.8.

Hueneme’s JR Lesher, left, and Tesoro’s Giffin Kushen | Ken Martinez photo

Lesher and Kushen are among the five California individuals on non-qualifying teams scheduled to race at NXN.

JSerra was the only team to defend its championship in any of the 10 races, capturing a fourth consecutive Division 4 girls crown by placing five scorers in the top 17 to achieve a 34-point performance and a third straight appearance at NXN following one of four national at-large berths.

The Lions eclipsed their division record for lowest score by a championship team of 40 points produced last season, becoming the sixth girls program in state history with at least seven state titles.

Chloe Elbaz, left, Sophie Polay and Reese Holley of JSerra | Photo courtesy of JSerra

JSerra had Chloe Elbaz secure second in 17:33.7, Sophie Polay take third in 17:49.4 and Reese Holley finish seventh in 18:00.0 to become one of only five schools to win at least four straight girls state championships.

Harvard-Westlake finished second with 143 points and Auburn Placer captured third at 150 points, just ahead of La Jolla’s 156-point performance, highlighted by Chiara Dailey winning back-to-back individual crowns in 16:44.4.

Dailey became the first female athlete to secure consecutive Division 4 championships since Malibu’s Claudia Lane in 2016-17. She elevated to the No. 6 all-time competitor in the state – fourth among juniors – and produced the ninth-fastest effort in California prep history at Woodward Park.

Chiara Dailey of La Jolla | Ken Martinez photo

Although Dailey achieved the fastest female performance in the meet, she decided not to pursue racing at NXN, instead focusing on competing Dec. 7 at the Foot Locker West Regional at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, with the ambition to return Dec. 14 to the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in San Diego after earning All-America honors last season with an 11th-place effort.

Dailey will have an opportunity to pursue a three-peat next year, a group that both Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura and Evan Noonan from Dana Hills joined Saturday.

Noonan became only the fifth male athlete in state history to win three in a row, including the only boys competitor in Division 3, and Engelhardt increased the list of girls three-time champions all-time in California to 10 by becoming the only Division 2 female performer to capture three straight titles.

Noonan ran 14:43.7 to rally past Liam Miller of South Torrance (14:51.9) and Miles Cook from Sacred Heart Cathedral (14:54.5), also earning a berth to compete at NXN.

Liam Miller of South Torrance, left, with Evan Noonan of Dana Hills and Miles Cook from Sacred Heart Cathedral | Ken Martinez photo

Campolindo secured its first boys team title since 2019 with a 153-182 victory against Oak Park, as Hart took third at 198 points.

Clark Gregory was 12th in 15:25.7 and Caden Ehrhorn finished 24th in 15:44.5 for the Cougars.

Engelhardt prevailed in the Division 2 girls final in 16:57.6, earning a return trip to NXN, in addition to leading Ventura to a fourth-place finish at 188 points.

Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura | Ken Martinez photo

Engelhardt set the Woodward Park record Oct. 12 by running 16:24.2 at the 45th ASICS Clovis Invitational and concluded with six career sub-17 performances on the 5-kilometer course.

El Toro captured its first Division 2 girls team title with 131 points, placing five scorers in the top 60, led by sophomore Gweneth Williams taking 12th in 18:00.5 and freshmen Ava Crocker (18:16.2) and Lilly Schroeder (18:18.9) finishing 23rd and 26th, respectively.

Mountain View St. Francis was runner-up at 155 points, edging third-place Rocklin Whitney with 158 points.

Palo Alto had Kinga Czajkowska (17:31.5) and Amaya Bharadwaj (17:34.6) secure second and fourth, Tesoro also produced a pair of all-state competitors with Amber Dazey taking third in 17:32.5 and Mackenzie Forrest finishing 10th in 17:55.7, and Claremont had freshman Grace Smith achieve sixth in 17:45.3 and junior Isla Bulmer capture 11th in 17:58.5.

Murrieta Valley senior Jordin Lieberman placed fifth in 17:35.0 and Vacaville junior Khloe DeLaTorre achieved seventh in 17:46.7, both earning all-state honors for the first time, and Newport Harbor senior Keaton Robar returned to the podium by clocking 17:49.1 to earn eighth after a fourth-place finish in 17:51.9 last season.

Engelhardt and El Toro had a tough act to follow after the Division 1 girls final set a significant standard for the entire meet, as the first race of the day.

Corona Santiago senior Rylee Blade became the first back-to-back winner in the division since Davis Senior graduate Fiona O’Keeffe achieved the feat in 2013-14.

Rylee Blade of Corona Santiago | Ken Martinez photo

Blade ran 16:46.5 and junior teammate Braelyn Combe clocked 17:07.6 to take third, helping the Sharks finish with 144 points after winning their first championship last year.

Blade, who clocked 16:31.3 on Oct. 12 at the 45th ASICS Clovis Invitational to produce the third-fastest performance at Woodward Park, rebounded from her lone setback of the season Nov. 23 at the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 final to prevail against Holly Barker (16:58.9) and Millie Bayles (17:22.2) at Trabuco Hills.

But Barker and Bayles were instrumental in the Mustangs capturing their first Division 1 team title in program history by a 48-57 against Buchanan, with the programs producing the two fastest team performances in Woodward Park history to both earn automatic berths for a highly anticipated rematch at NXN.

Holly Barker of Trabuco Hills | Ken Martinez photo

Trabuco Hills had five scorers in the top 40, with Anna Desormeau earning eighth in 17:30.6, Sophie Guilfoile taking 12th in 17:38.4 and Evangeline Williams securing 36th in 18:16.6 in support of Barker and Bayles to produce a team mark of 87:47, more than a minute faster than Corona Santiago’s record effort last year.

Buchanan had all seven athletes in the top 45, with Molly Sundgren finishing fifth in 17:29.4, Gaby Gutierrez achieving 11th in 17:36.4, Sierra Cornett capturing 14th in 17:41.8, Brooklyn Buckley grabbing 19th in 17:49.8 and Kynzlee Buckley earning 25th in 17:56.3 for the No. 2 all-time effort at Woodward Park of 88:34.

Fresno Bullard’s Isabella Ramirez was sixth in 17:29.9, San Juan Hills sophomore Carol Dye took seventh in 17:30.0, Canyon Crest Academy’s Katja Dunayevich achieved ninth in 17:33.3 and Arcadia’s Charlotte Hopkins finished 10th in 17:34.4.

Ramirez was 34th in the Division 2 state final last year in 18:42.9, with Hopkins placing 28th in the Division 4 championship last season in 19:00.9.

Eyan Turk of Woodcrest Christian and Landon Pretre of Menlo School closed the meet with one of the great showdowns in state history in the Division 5 boys final.

Eyan Turk of Woodcrest Christian | Ken Martinez photo

Turk earned back-to-back championships in 14:32.5, the fastest time of the meet and equal to the No. 7 all-time competitor at Woodward Park with former Ventura standout Anthony Fast Horse.

Pretre clocked 14:38.8 to ascend to the No. 11 performer in Woodward Park history, also contributing to Menlo School placing five scorers in the top 20 to produce the lowest score in division history with 28 points – eclipsing the 1996 performance of 29 points by McFarland – and smashing the 2015 Division 5 mark for fastest team time held by Flintridge Prep by more than three minutes by running 76:37.

The Knights became the No. 7 school in Woodward Park history and secured the second automatic team berth to race at NXN, becoming the first Division 5 program, regardless of gender, to achieve the feat.

Benjamin Bouie took third in 14:54.5 for Crystal Springs Uplands, which followed back-to-back team titles with a third-place effort at 144 points. Turk, Pretre and Bouie are the first trio to eclipse the 15-minute barrier in the same Division 5 race since it was added to the state schedule in 1996.

Viewpoint, led by junior Olly O’Connor finishing fifth at 15:05.8, secured runner-up honors as a team with 118 points.

Eli Fitchen-Young of Santa Cruz captured the Division 4 boys title in 14:41.3, with Sonora’s Broen Holman clocking 14:57.2 and Corona del Mar’s Max Douglass taking third in 14:58.0.

Eli Fitchen-Young of Santa Cruz, left, and Broen Holman from Sonora | Ken Martinez photo

Fitchen-Young became the No. 2 competitor in division history, trailing only the Woodward Park record performance of 14:24.0 established in 2007 by German Fernandez of Riverbank.

Oaks Christian, which won its lone girls state championship in 2007, captured the first Division 4 boys crown in program history with a 61-89 victory against JSerra, as Foothill Tech took third at 147 points.

JSerra produced the new division record by clocking 79:08 on Oct. 12 at the 45th ASICS Clovis Invitational, but Oaks Christian relied on Christian Yoder (15:07.5) and Cooper McNee (15:09.1) placing fourth and fifth, respectively, to contribute to a 77:43 performance.

Bradley Arrey secured sixth in 15:19.5 for JSerra, which ran 78:44.

Abigail Errington denied Santa Rosa Montgomery standout Hanne Thomsen a potential fourth Division 3 state title, becoming the first female competitor in division history to eclipse the 17-minute barrier by clocking 16:57.5, also leading the Tigers to their first girls team championship with 106 points.

Abigail Errington of South Pasadena | Ken Martinez photo

Point Loma placed second at 149 points, Santa Margarita took third with 163 points, holding off last year’s winner Cathedral Catholic at 165 points.

Thomsen, runner-up in 17:21.6, and fellow senior teammates Seelah Kittelstrom (17:38.9) and Amrie Lacefield (17:39.3) placing fourth and fifth, respectively, became the first trio in division history to all place in the top five in the same year.

Saugus in Division 2 in 2010 and San Francisco University in Division 5 from 1996-98 are the only other girls programs to produce three athletes finishing in the top five in any division in the same season.

Summer Wilson of Irvine, who was second in Division 4 last year, ran 17:30.8 to take third in her first Division 3 state final.

Conor Lott of Clovis North captured the Division 1 championship in 15:04.4, surging late to prevail against Dougherty Valley’s Arrin Sagiraju (15:06.2) and Buchanan’s Luke Sanders (15:06.5), with Martin Luther King’s Maximo Zavaleta finishing fourth in 15:09.9.

Conor Lott of Clovis North | Ken Martinez photo

Beckman had five scorers in the top 65 to win its first state title in program history with 139 points, with Bellarmine Prep prevailing in the battle for second by a 154-157 margin against Redondo Union and Trabuco Hills placing fourth at 162 points.

Seniors Nathan Horrocks (15:27.5), Anthony Barrera (15:27.9) and Aaron Feaster (15:31.2) were 17th, 18th and 22nd, respectively, for the Patriots.

Brentwood sophomore Amelia Sarkisian produced the fastest Division 5 performance in five years, securing victory in 17:31.8, producing the first state title for the Eagles since Tani Brown in 2003.

Amelia Sarkisian of Brentwood | Ken Martinez photo

Sarkisian, who elevated from a 24th-place finish at last year’s state final in 19:29.6, became the No. 4 all-time competitor in the division and the second-fastest sophomore behind only four-time champion Jordan Hasay at Mission Prep.

Ross Branson achieved a new division record for fastest team time by running 94:41, eclipsing the 2016 performance of 95:19 by Flintridge Prep, capturing the program’s first state title since 2013 with 82 points.

Farah Allen, a sophomore, earned eighth in 18:27.9 and senior Audrey Spaly clocked 18:29.3 to take 10th for Ross Branson, which also captured the first North Coast Section championship in program history.

Immanuel was runner-up for the second year in a row with 103 points and Lick Wilmerding took third at 109 points. Lick Wilmerding ran the No. 3 time by a Division 5 program at 95:22, with Immanuel elevating to No. 4 at 95:24.

Ella Mogannam, a junior, was also second again for Lick Wilmerding in 17:47.4 and Castilleja sophomore Brooke Oliveira took third in 17:58.2, the first time the division showcased a state final with three sub-18 competitors.

Ari Llorens (18:01.5) and Olivia Teates (18:16.1) of Francis Parker finished fourth and sixth, respectively, with Ayanna Hickey from The Bishop’s School placing fifth in 18:13.7.

Clara Riddle led Immanuel by clocking 18:16.1 to capture seventh.