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California Region Girls Early Season Rankings 2024Published by
A Fab Five Of Girls Powerhouse Teams In California Will Contend For A Maximum Of Four Nike Cross Nationals Spots By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor Girls California Preview The best girls cross country teams in California are leveling up. From the top five teams in the California power merge at the conclusion of the state meet, 29 of the 35 girls who finished that day are back. Buchanan, which went on to finish eighth at Nike Cross Nationals, is bringing back six. Santiago (Corona), which beat Buchanan by a point in the CIF Division 1 final and then took 19th at NXN, also returns six. J Serra Catholic, which went to NXN and finished 13th, had no seniors on that team. And two strong teams that didn't make the cut, Trabuco Hills and Ventura, are also stacked with returners. Trabuco Hills brings back its top four from 2023 and the Sadie Engelhardt-led Ventura team also welcomes back six. Aside from all of the returning talent, there are incoming freshman and other impactful additions that could make all five teams stronger than they were last year. "The team has three freshmen who all have a shot at cracking the top seven along with a few returning now juniors who were not in the lineup last year," Buchanan coach Brian Weaver said, without naming names. Next week's Woodbridge Cross County Classic, of course, will bring all of them to light. One of those Buchanan freshmen, Brooklyn Buckley, won the Fleet Feet Summer Sizzle back on Aug. 10. It is shaping up to be a season for the ages in California, from the senior year of the brilliant Engelhardt, Rylee Blade, Holly Barker and Hanne Thomsen to a tremendously competitive team showdown at the state meet. California had four berths to Portland in 2004, 2010, 2011 and 2022. It is almost assured to get that many this season. Eastlake junior Jaelyn Williams, La Jolla junior Chiara Dailey, La Canada senior Maya De Brouwer, South Pasadena senior Abigail Errington and Huntington Beach sophomore Sydney Rubio all finished in the top seven of the 3,200 meters at the CIF track and field finals and are candidates to snap up the individual qualifying spots. 1. Buchanan. The roll call of returning top seven runners starts with junior Tayler Torosian and sophomore Molly Sundgren, who finished 11th and 12th in the CIF D1 state final last year. The Bears also bring back seniors Avery Hutchison, Sierra Cornett and Elle Lomeli, and junior Kynzlee Buckley. Lomeli, who did not finish at the state meet and also was nearly last at NXN, had previously won the CIF Central Section title. New freshmen, new-to-varsity additions, it all points to another historic year in Clovis. But good as this group is, it can take nothing for granted against the other teams on this list. 2. Santiago (Corona). Last November, this team ended Buchanan's three-year steak of California state titles by a single point, 57-58. Senior Rylee Blade, who won that race by 17 seconds, returns to lead a group that also put two sophomores in the top 10: Braelyn Combe and Taylor Davis. The team graduated its fourth, but senior Audrey Buckley, juniors Kinsley Whitecavage and Jaela Jaffe are back. Blade and Combe went 1-2 as Corona won the ASICS Cool Breeze Invitational on Aug. 31. 3. J Serra Catholic. It was the CIF Division 4 champions that won the California merge and did it with no seniors. There have been some personnel changes since last December. Low stick Summer Wilson, the state runner-up, transferred to Irvine. Senior Sophie Polay, who finished right behind Wilson in third at the state meet, is back. So is junior Kaylah Tasser, senior Brynn Garcia, sophomore Reese Holley, junior Chloe Elbaz and sophomore Hayden Kroger. Senior Anne Elise Packard, who ran for the team at NXN, ran 4:49 for 1,600 meters in the spring. 4. Trabuco Hills. Senior Holly Barker was the Division 1 runner-up behind Blade, and juniors Skylar Watts (eighth), Anna Desormeau (18th) and Millie Bayles (29th) are back for the Mustangs. A team in need of a fifth picked up a good one in transfer Sophie Guilfoile, a senior from Portola (Irvine), who won the Pacific Coast League title last year. Freshman Evangeline Williams is also an important addition. More will revealed about Trabuco Hills next week at Woodbridge. 5. Ventura. The Cougars graduated the No. 5 runner on their CIF Division 2 championship team, but the six others are back. Of course, this group is led by one of the outstanding high school distance runners in prep history with senior Sadie Engelhardt. But she is also surrounded by a good group of teammates. Juniors Melanie True and Aelo Curtis contributed to the national high school record in the distance medley relay last spring at the Mt. SAC Relays. Seniors Tiffany Sax, Bailey Burman and Sophia Denzler all have a chance to be part of something special this fall. WATCHLIST |
