The 38th California Interscholastic Federation state cross country championship meet Saturday, Nov. 29, in Fresno’s Woodward Park was a recordsetter as Irvine senior Summer Wilson ran the fastest time in girls championship history with a course record mark of 16:20 in the Division II 5K race.
Eastlake senior Jaelyn Williams wasn’t far behind with a Division I all-time record time of 16:29 in the 197-deep race.
She surpassed the previous division record of 16:30.30 by Malibu’s Claudia Lane in 2017.
Additionally, La Jolla senior Chiara Dailey became only the 11th girls runner in championship history to win three individual state titles with a time of 16:53 in the Division IV race, fifth-nest all time in the division.
Sage Creek senior Josiah Bowman won the Division IV boys race in 15:03.4 while Classical Academy senior Gunner Silva was second in 15:10.0.
Overall, Poway senior Cooper Castleberry posted the fastest time on the day among section boys runners with a time of 14:19.1 (sixth place in Division I). Mt. Carmel junior Jaxon Northcutt was the next fastest in 15:01.4 (10th place in Division II) while Bowman’s time was third overall.
East County runners also represented themselves well on the 5K course.
Christian junior Elliana Patterson, the reigning Division V girls section champion, finished third in the 201-deep Division V girls race in 17:17.5 — a halfsecond behind Branson junior Farah Allen (17:17.0). Lick Wilmerding senior Ella Morgannam won the individual division title in 15:54.2.
A two-time state qualifier, Paterson finished 13th among individuals last year after placing third at the section finals.
Santana junior Harper Diaz, a two-time Division III section and Grossmont Conference individual champion, finished ninth in the 216-deep Division III girls race in 17:51.8 — just shy of last year ‘s eighth-place finish in 17:44.2.
A three-time state qualifier, she finished 44th in 19:11.7 as a freshman after finishing fifth at the section meet.
Helix Charter qualified two individuals for the state meet: senior Tyus Joseph in the Division I boys field and junior Kate Weaver in the Division I girls field.
Joseph, making his second trip to Fresno, finished 104th in 16:08.6 in this year’s appearance after placing 113th in 16:18.3 in 2024. He finished first at this year’s conference finals after recording a runner-up finish the year before.
Weaver, the runner-up to Diaz at this year’s conference finals, did not compete in Fresno after placing 34th (18:11.5) there as a sophomore and 62nd (19:04.7) as a freshman as the conference champion.
Lion’s main
Liberty Charter led East County with one team qualifier and one individual qualifier to this year’s state meet.
The Alpine school made history when its girls cross country team qualified for the state meet by placing third in the Division V section finals. The top three teams in the division qualified to compete in Fresno. Santa Fe Christian finished first with 60 points, followed by Bishop’s with 75 points, Liberty Charter with 86 points and Christian with 95 points. The trip to the state meet was a season-ending reward for the high achieving Lady Lions team.
“Our girls team had a solid first showing at the California state meet,” program director Daniel Sanchez said. “It was a day full of emotion, excitement and unforgettable moments. The conditions were perfect — crisp air, clear skies and a fast surface at the prestigious Woodward Park, a complete contrast to the muddy San Diego course we raced on two weeks earlier.”
Liberty Charter finished 20th out of 24 scoring teams in Fresno with 468 points. Section division champion Santa Fe Christian finished ninth with 283 points while section division runner-up Bishop’s was 13th with 375 points.
Among individuals, Liberty Charter senior Cadelyn Belasco (20:24.2) led Liberty Charter with an 83rd-place finish in the 201-deep race, followed by junior Cambrey Belasco (103rd, 20:49.8), sophomore Gabrielle Barba (124th, 21:18.1), freshman Stella Klingshirn (148th, 22:04.7), junior Ezri Wagnell (183rd, 23:15.3) and seniors Emma Figueroa (194th, 24:57.3) and Amelia Primmer (195th, 25:14.3).
Junior Sam Rohrer led the Liberty Charter boys team as an individual qualifier. He placed 94th in a field of 203 runners in Fresno in 17:00.5 — a “steady improvement,” Sanchez said on his 134th place-finish in 17:39.5 last year as a sophomore. “It was truly an ideal day to race and an incredible experience for all athletes who competed,” Sanchez said
There is more.
Christian senior Jacob Lyons finished 88th at the state meet as an individual qualifier in 16:56.6.
Rohrer finished fifth and Lyons finished sixth at the section finals.
Christian freshman Brooklyn Drips finished 63rd in the Division V girls race in 19:52.4.
West Hills junior Ryan Revak finished 136th in the 219-deep Division III boys race in 16:40.3 after finishing eighth at the section finals and fifth at the Grossmont Conference finals. A two-time state qualifier, he finished his first trip to the state meet in 157th place (17:00.2) after placing sixth at the section meet (eighth at the conference finals) as a sophomore.
Runners will now line up for Saturday’s Brooks national cross country championship meet at Morley Field. Patterson (La Mesa) and Bowman (Oceanside) qualified to compete with top 10 finishes at the preceding West regional in Walnut last weekend. Patterson was third in the girls field in17:53.2 while Bowman was fifth in the boys field in 15:25.3.
Francis Parker senior Ariella Llorens (El Cajon) was 11th in 18:11.9 and was on the cusp of qualifying for Saturday’s end of season running extravaganza.
The Brooks nationals, which replaces the former Footlocker Nationals, has also extended invitations to runner who were unable to compete due to conflicts with Wrest regional qualifier. Williams placed third at the Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon that same weekend and will compete locally at the Brooks nationals event.
Her presence certainly raises the prestige level of the inaugural Brooks event.
The Brooks nationals schedule features the elite girls race at 9:15 a.m., followed by the elite boys race at 10:05 a.m. and awards at 10:30 a.m.
