NorCal League Meet results

BCL #1 (NCS)
https://www.rtspt.com/events/cif/2025Meets/bclw1/mp/

Sierra Foothill League Cross Country #1 (SJS) Live Results
https://timerhub.com/get_web_index.php?page=redcaptiming.com/2025/sflxc1/

SJAA #1 (SJS)
https://ca.milesplit.com/meets/699893-sjaa-1-franklin-tokay-mcnair-2025/results

WVAL #2 (CCS)
https://ca.milesplit.com/meets/709363-wval-2-2025/results

Ideas for this blog

Now that I am not coaching and have a little more free time, I would like to put more effort into this blog. If you have any ideas of what you would like to see more of here, please list those in the comment section below. If there are posts that you enjoy already and would like to see me continue, please let me know as well. If there are athletes and/or coaches that you would like to see interviewed, please comment below.

As a reminder, this blog's first post was on July 20th, 2006. I started posting North Coast Section pre-season rankings. Eventually, the blog was a way to highlight the outstanding athletes and coaches in the NorCal area, including the Northern, Sac-Joaquin, North Coast, Central Coast, San Francisco, and Oakland sections.

Thank you.

NorCal Invitational Results

Viking Opener Boys
https://redwoodempirerunning.com/2025-boys-viking-opener/
Viking Opener Girls
https://redwoodempirerunning.com/2025-girls-viking-opener/

Ed Sias Invitational Live Results
https://www.diablotiming.com/results/2025-09-13/
Some highlights so far.
In the small school Varsity boys' race, St. Mary's edged Willow Glen, Campolindo, and Maria Carrillo as those four schools were clear of the rest of the field. Impressive 9-point victory for St. Mary's over one of the early-season standout teams, Willow Glen. Senior Tucker Presnell led St. Mary's with a 3rd place individual finish.

In the small school Varsity girls' race, Northgate with a dominant win scoring an impressive 40 points. The defending NCS Division III champions packed their five runners into the top 16 led by 2nd placer, junior Olivia Joseph.

In the large school Varsity boys' race, Dublin edged out league rival 50 to 53 led by the one/two finish of junior Jeremy Imbo and senior Justin Feng. Granada was led by 4th place finisher, senior Nicolai Barron.

In the large school Varsity girls' race, Berkeley scores 79 for the win by nearly 20 points over Foothill. The 2nd place team had the individual winner as sophomore Macie Mullins takes the win running 12:15.1. 

Combining both varsity boys' races, St. Mary's edges Dublin by 8 points. Both teams will be favored to win their divisions at the NCS MOC meet.

For the girls, Northgate was the dominant team, easily outdistancing second-place Dougherty Valley by nearly 100 points. 

Baylands Invitational
https://www.rtspt.com/events/cif/2025Meets/baylands/mp/
St. Ignatius led the girls when you combine all the races, while Bellarmine edged St. Ignatius for the boys. Scotts Valley senior Ava Decleve runs the fastest time for the girls on the 4k course at 14:14.3 while Bellarmine senior Ben Penzel edges junior teammate Duncan Burk 11:57.4 to 11:57.6.

Fighting Knights Joust at Crystal Springs Course
https://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2025/joust.htm

Duyst Twilight Cross Country Invitational (High School)
https://timerhub.com/get_web_index.php?page=redcaptiming.com/2025/duysths/

Firebird Invitational Results
https://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2025/fbirdres.htm

Malcolm Slaney photos from Baylands Invitational

Please forward this link to any teams that raced there yesterday. Thanks as always to Malcolm for taking a ton of photos of many Norcal runners.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/malcolmslaney/collections/72157724171011792/

Catching up with West Valley HS coach, Scott Fairley

Scott has generously shared his Northern Section rankings for many summers for this blog. Below is an interview I did with him in the spring of 2014 that was posted on ca.milesplit.com. You can also read more about Scott at this LINK.

Today, we chat with longtime West Valley HS cross country and track and field coach Scott Fairley. He has been the head cross country and track and field coach at WVHS since 1983, as well as an English teacher, activities director, and athletic director.  He has served as the Northern Section meet director for both XC and TF.  He has also served as the commissioner of the Northern Athletic League (NAL).  As a high school athlete at Las Plumas, Fairley qualified for the CA state meet as a pole vaulter.  One of his best athletes at WVHS was Nicole Teter, who won the 1991 state championship in the 800m. and went on to qualify for the 2004 and 2008 Olympic teams.

1)  What sports did you play in your youth?  Highlights and accomplishments?
I played football, wrestling, and track and field in high school.  In football, I was the team’s rushing leader, in wrestling the Northern Section runner-up, and in track, I was a State CIF finalist in the pole vault.  I went on to compete at Chico State in the pole vault and was a two-time NCAA Division II Nationals qualifier.

2)  Who were the coaches that had the biggest impact on you as an athlete?
My high school track coach, Norm MacKenzie, hosted the 1972 California State Meet in Oroville.  He and I still work together as commissioner and chairman of track and cross country in the Northern Section.

 

3)  What led you into teaching and coaching?  What was your first experience coaching?  What did you learn from that experience?
I loved competing in athletics and wanted to figure out a way to continue that experience for myself, but to also pass along my passion for track to others.  I was lucky enough to be hired as the head track coach at Chico Sr. High School immediately after college graduation.  I learned about the organizational part of coaching and the team aspects of track and field.  Prior to that experience, I had seen track as an individual sport, but after coaching the first year at Chico High, I saw a whole other side of track and field.  Developing well-rounded teams, plotting scoring strategies, and teaching kids to compete for more than just themselves really excited me.

4)  How long have you been at West Valley High School?  What else do you at the school aside from coaching XC and TF? 
I am finishing 31 years at West Valley.  The school was only two years old when I arrived.  I am also the athletic director and activity director at West Valley.

 

5)  During your tenure at West Valley HS, what are some of your proudest achievements and top performances?
My proudest moment in coaching was seeing Nicole Teter win the California State 800 title in 1991.   She and I had worked so hard for four years together, and to see this girl from a little hick town and with challenges off the track to win the state meet was an amazing moment for both of us.

6)  Who have been your coaching mentors?  What have you learned from your fellow coaches?  What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
I have never been an assistant coach, so my coaching mentors have always been observations of other coaches from afar.  In my early coaching days, I observed what my predecessor, Chuck Sheley had done at Chico High School.  Since then, I have had two long-time assistant coaches at West Valley, Bill Elliott and Steve Main, whom I greatly respect.  We are constantly bouncing ideas off each other.

7)  From your perspective, what are the keys to being a successful cross country runner? 
Consistency.  For a distance runner to be successful, they must be patient, train consistently year-round, and be tough mentally in races.

8)  During your coaching tenure, what has changed the most in terms of coaching duties and in terms of training?
I don’t know if much has changed in terms of coaching duties.  As always, the key to coaching is being a motivator.  Kids have more distractions nowadays.  In our area, club volleyball, club basketball, club soccer, etc., are more prevalent than they used to be, and it is more difficult to get track athletes to commit to weekend invitationals.  However, that is where the motivational part of coaching comes in.  It is our job to persuade the athletes that what we are doing is in the best interest of the athlete.

9)  What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of coaching in the Northern Section?  

I don’t believe there are quite as many distractions from training in the Northern Section’s rural area as in the cities.  For distance runners, we have many trails and open spaces in which to train.  However, our area is very hot and dry during the cross country months, which makes training more difficult.  The other disadvantage is the distances we must travel to get good competition.

 

10)  If you could make any changes to either XC and/or TF in California, what would those changes be?
I was a proponent several years ago of dividing our State Track and Field Championships into divisions.  I have seen the tremendous success of our 5 division State Cross Country Championships, and think that track could do the same.  More participants from all the corners of our state advancing to the State Track Championships would help promote our sport.   The elite few have plenty of post-season invitationals where they can compete against one another for bragging rights.

11)  What advice would you give a young coach with aspirations of being a successful xc and/or track and field coach?

Be passionate about what you do.  Pass that passion on to your athletes.  I have always believed that if you work harder than the other guy, you will come out on top in the long run.

NorCal teams/individuals making Dyestat California Regional Rankings

Boys' Teams
1) Jesuit (SJS) Division I
3) Campolindo (NCS) Division III

Watchlist
Mountain View (CCS) Division II
Menlo Atherton (CCS) Division I

Girls' Teams
Watchlist
Whitney (SJS) Division II
Oak Ridge (SJS) Division I
St. Francis, MV (CCS) Division II
Archie Williams (NCS) Division IV
Los Altos (CCS) Division I
Monte Vista (NCS) Division II

Boys' Individuals (National)
47) Isaac Abbott, Jesuit (SJS)
75) Kyle Jakary, Jesuit (SJS)
81) Drake Hoferer, Jesuit (SJS)
91) Connor Bilodeau, Jesuit (SJS)

Girls' Individuals (National)
96) Amaya Bharadwaj, Palo Alto (CCS)

Stump Day

The following was written today by former UC Davis and current Sonoma Academy coach, Chris Puppione. Sarah Sumpter (nicknamed Stump) ran at Healdsburg HS and at UC Davis for Coach Puppione. She was inducted into the UC Davis Hall of Fame in 2020. She sadly passed away at the age of 25 on September 21st, 2015, due to a brain tumor which was originally diagnosed in 2010. September 10th became known as Stump Day, as that was the day she was diagnosed with cancer.

Here is my interview LINK with her following her victory at the Stanford Cross Country Invitational in 2007.

=========

Ten years ago, I sat at my desk and wrote a story about a girl who taught me how to fight with grace. I was weeks away from marriage, had no children yet, and I thought I was at the end of my coaching road—burned out, hollowed out, done. But I had Sarah’s story inside me, and it demanded to be told.

Back then, I didn’t know how much more there was to live. Didn’t know that love could grow even deeper, that two children would arrive like twin sunrises in my life. That I would find my way back to coaching—not to chase wins, but to chase meaning. I didn’t appreciate how much her voice, her lessons, her fire would echo so loudly a decade later.

Sarah was a storm and a sunrise. She was stillness before the gun and fury once it sounded. She faced the thing that should have broken her and stared it down with a smirk and a spike-laced heart. On the day they told her about the tumor in her head, she didn’t crumble. She ran. She ran through it all.

That’s what Stump Day is.

It’s not about survival. It’s about defiance with dignity. It’s about running your guts out not because it’s easy, but because it matters. It’s about giving the best you have—whatever that best looks like—because that’s what Sarah would have done.

So today, my athletes will run for her. I coach for her. I parent for her. I live for her. And I tell the story. Again. And again. And again.

Because the run continues.

We champion the grind.

And we do not waste good time.

#stumpday

https://empirerunners.wordpress.com/.../do-not-waste.../

NorCal Invitational results

Jim Tracy Challenge LIVE RESULTS taking place this afternoon
https://rt.trackscoreboard.com/meets/9925/events

Lowell Invitational (2.13/2.83 distances per Bellarmine coach, Patrick McCrystle)
https://www.rtspt.com/events/cif/2025Meets/lowellxc/mp/

Jackie Henderson Invitational
https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/254467/results/all
Post meet story LINK
Course records updated LINK

St. Mary's Invitational
https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/254297/results/all

SWRA Soiree Invitational
https://timerhub.com/get_web_index.php?page=redcaptiming.com/2025/soiree/

Nevada Union Invitational
https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/254312/info

SJS Week #2 Preview

Sorry, I didn't get this up earlier. Here is some more great work from Mike Carroll. 

SJS Cross-country - Weekend Preview

Rankings - Week #1
Boys
1. Jesuit (D2)
2. Vacaville (D2)
3. Oak Ridge (D1)
4. Davis (D1)
5. McClatchy (D1)
6. Bella Vista (D2)
7. Folsom (D1)
8. Turlock (D1)
9. Ponderosa (D3)
10. Whitney (D2)

Girls
1. Whitney (D2)
2. Oak Ridge (D1)
3. St Francis (D3)
4. Davis (D1)
5. Golden Valley (D2)
6. Vacaville (D2)
7. Turlock (D1)
8. Granite Bay (D2)
9. Bella Vista (D2)
10. Del Oro (D3)


Soiree at SWRA - Ranked teams attending

Jesuit - Boys #1
Whitney - Boys #10, Girls #1
Oak Ridge - Boys #3, Girls #2
Davis - Boys #4, Girls #4
St Francis - Girls #3
Bella Vista - Boys #6, Girls #9
Granite Bay - Girls #8

The top 4 girls' teams and 3 of the top 4 boys' teams will race in a fast 3k event called the "Soiree at SWRA" in Rocklin. The race is split into heats of 70 girl runners or 90 boys runners, organized by their times, with the final "Soiree" race including at least 5 scoring runners from each top team.

For the girls, Oak Ridge has come in second to their rivals, Whitney, in their last two races. They’ll try to get even closer this Saturday as they meet again. Other strong teams from the Sierra Foothill League, like St. Francis, Davis, and Granite Bay, will also have top runners, making it hard for any team to score much lower than the others.

Teams from the Capital Valley Conference, including Bella Vista, Christian Brothers, Rio Americano, and Vista Del Lago (racing for the first time this season), will also compete. Whitney is the defending champion, with Davis finishing close behind last year.

Looking to "Soiree" again is Avery Wolk of Davis who returns as the defending champion. She will compete against returning #3 runner Sophie Hutchinson of Whitney. Both runners are undefeated this season with Wolk capturing the Lagoon Valley Large school individual title and Hutchinson getting first at the Sierra Invite and Oakmont Invitational. Brenna Mannion also comes in without any defeats this year because Vista Del Lago has not competed yet, but she did have the #2 best time as last year's "Soiree" so another runner to add to the lead pack. Also set to be towards the front pack are Zoe Corder of Bella Vista, who challenged Hutchinson all the way to the finish line at the Sierra Invite, Norah Feldt of Davis, and Adriana Ingargiola of Oak Ridge. St Francis also brings a full squad led by junior, Sunny Schranz and freshman phenom, Alyssa Gutierrez.

The top three boys’ teams—Jesuit, Davis, and Oak Ridge—will compete on a two-loop dirt trail course at the "Soiree at SWRA." Jesuit is the clear favorite, but other schools have strong runners who could push the pace and maybe even break the course record. Since the 3k race is short for varsity runners, the winner might be decided by who has the best 800-meter speed, especially if they can handle any fast starts. Davis came in second to a strong Vacaville team at the Lagoon Valley Invite, but their top three runners beat Vacaville’s third runner. Oak Ridge is confident with a talented group of seniors, though their top runner, Roman Zamora, won’t race. Vista Del Lago boys placed an impressive 4th last year but struggled to maintain that form later in the season.

Last year, four of the top five runners were from Jesuit, and they’re all back, but other top runners in the section are ready to challenge them. Elias Thronson, a talented sophomore, leads a strong Davis team with Nicholas Duquette (junior) and Zev Fox (senior). With Roman Zamora out, Oak Ridge is counting on Thomas Capelli and Wesley Ewing to step up. Calvin Fear from Bella Vista and Josh Landon, a sophomore from Whitney, are other promising young runners. Jackson Levasseur from Christian Brothers, the fastest returning non-Jesuit runner, could shine after winning the Lagoon Valley Small School race last week. But if you are talking about who deserves to do well, Peter Kendell of Twelve Bridges is about as hard-working as they come. He was outsprinted by 800m runner Copper Barr of Placer at the Sierra Invite but he held off Zamora for 4th place at the Oakmont Invite.

This weekend, Del Oro (girls #10) and Folsom (boys #7) will compete at the Nevada Union XC Invitational. McClatchy will race at the Lowell Invitational in the Bay Area. For other ranked teams, this is workout weekend as they prepare for the Kim Duyst invite and the Woodbridge Invitational in Southern California.

Nevada Union XC Invitational - Ranked teams attending
Del Oro Girls #10
Folsom Boys #7

Lowell Invitational - Ranked teams attending
McClatchy - Boys #5

Top 20

1. Kyle Jakary, Sr, Jesuit, Oakmont Invite, 2nd, 11:38.2
2. Drake Hoferer, Sr, Jesuit, Oakmont Invite, 3rd, 11:42.0
3. Cooper Stream, Jr, Vacaville, Lagoon Valley, 1st, 15:01.9
4. Peter Kendell, Sr, Twelve Bridges, Oakmont Invite, 4th, 11:48.4
5. Elias Thronson, So, Davis, Lagoon Valley, 2nd, 15:44.9
6. Jackson Levasseur, Sr, Christian Bros, Lagoon Valley, 3rd, 15:46.9
7. Roman Zamora, Sr, Oak Ridge, Oakmont Invite, 5th, 11:48.7
8. Andres Lomeli, Sr, Kimball, Flame Invite, 1st, 15:28.3
9. Isaac Abbott, Sr, Jesuit, Oakmont Invite, 6th, 11:50.7
10. Cooper Barr, Jr, Placer, Oakmont Invite, 8th, 11:54.7
11. Hugh Heyer, Jr, McClatchy, Oakmont Invite, 9th, 11:55.0
12. Lucas Alberts, Jr, Jesuit, Oakmont Invite, 10th, 11:56.7
13. Thomas Capelli, Sr, Oak Ridge, Oakmont Invite, 12:04.2
14. Jace Campos, Sr, Pacheco, Monterey Invite, 1st, 15:01
15. Landon Warriner, Jr, McClatchy, Oakmont Invite, 11th, 11:56.9
16. Rowan Henry, Sr, Nevada Union, Oakmont Invite, 13th, 12:03.0
17. Connor Smith, So, Vacaville, Lagoon Valley, 4th, 15:50.3
18. Gio Mejia, Sr, Pacheco, Monterey Invite, 3rd, 15:50
19. Calvin Fear, Jr, Bella Vista, Sierra Invite - Junior, 1st, 10:17
20. Nicolas Duquette, Jr, Davis, Lagoon Valley, 5th, 15:51.2

Top 10 Sophomore

1. Elias Thronson, Davis, Lagoon Valley, 2nd, 15:44.9
2. Connor Smith, Vacaville, Lagoon Valley, 4th, 15:50.3
3. Josh Landon, Whitney, Oakmont Invite, 24th, 12:21.4
4. Alden Reck, Del Oro, Oakmont Invite, 32nd, 12:27.9
5. John Kelly, Jesuit, Oakmont Invite, 39th, 12:31.7
6. Dominic Urteaga, Golden Valley, Oakmont Invite, 40th, 12;33.2
7. Ben Gutierrez, Oak Ridge, Oakmont Invite, 42nd, 12:37.7
8. Lincoln Manweiler, Bella Vista, Sierra Invite Soph, 10:38.7
9. Gabe Dressen, Placer, Oakmont Invite, 70th, 13:06.4
10. Calvin Pacheco, Granite Bay, Oakmont Invite, 13:08.7

Top 10 Freshman

1. Porter Petty, Turlock, Oakmont Invite - Varsity, 50th, 12:45.5
2. Dane Demille, Pleasant Grove, Oakmont Invite - Varsity, 13:01.7,
3. Noah Foulk, Wheatland, Oakmont Invite - Freshman, 1st, 13:31.2
4. Strummer Beckett, West Campus, Lagoon Valley - Freshman, 1st, 11:43.7
5. Miles Guth, Oakmont, Oakmont Invite- Freshman, 2nd, 13:32.2
6. Erik Doan, Elk Grove, Lagoon Valley - Varsity, 32nd, 17:50.5
7. Jackson Clark, Vacaville, Lagoon Valley - Freshman, 2nd, 11:57.7
8. George Harman, Rocklin, Oakmont Invite - Varsity, 109th, 13:42.4
9. Cylus Costa, Turlock, Oakmont Invite - Varsity, 115th, 13:47.2
10. Jaciel Garcia, Oakmont, Oakmont Invite - Freshman, 3rd, 13:47.4

Girls

SJS was strongly represented at the state championships last year across the top 4 divisions and based on early season results, look to move up at the state championships this year. But it's a long season and teams will have to continue to improve as they face local section competition. Some teams haven’t raced yet, so expect ranking changes next week after all teams compete at least once.
 
1. Whitney (D2)
Lost count on many times Whitney has repeated as Division 2 section champions, but there are plenty of familiar last names on those teams as older sisters are replaced by their younger siblings.
They lost only one runner from their top 6 last year and with an experienced squad they might join Jesuit as another Sacramento-area team as state champions. Based on early season wins at the Sierra and Oakmont Invites, Hutchinson has proven to be a strategic runner who knows when to turn it on. She ran a controlled race against Zoe Corder of Bella Vista, before outsprinting her at the line. At Oakmont she surged earlier and put five seconds over sophomore Ellison Williams of Turlock, who might be the early season most improved runner. Her leadership will be invaluable if they are to repeat on the State Meet podium. She is joined by Soto, Landon & Ewers, all with big PRs at Oakmont, and ended up placing their top 4 before Oak Ridge's #2 runner.

Last Season: D1 Section: 1st, State Meet: 3rd
Returners: Top 5 of 6. Sophie Hutchinson, Sr. Eva Soto, Jr. Jane Landon, Sr. Addison Ewers, Sr.

2. Oak Ridge (D1)
Oak Ridge probably has the most depth of any school in the section when considering boys AND girls. On the boys side they are getting ready to upset D1 section champions, Davis. On the girls they are the three-time repeat D1 champions. They have a very young squad with a strong incoming freshman class based on Sierra Invite results. At the Oakmont Invite, they were led by  Adriana Ingargiola, the lone senior in the top 7 who went under 14 minutes, but her six teammates all went under 15 minutes, including freshman Addie Yip and Cameron Fectner. The most impressive stat was that they were only 16 points behind Whitney at Oakmont.

Last Season: D1 Section: 1st, State Meet: 6th
Returners: Adriana Ingargiola, Sr. Maya Day, Jr. Giuliana Martino, So. Emi Madsen, Jr. Lauren Tiedemen, So.  

3. St Francis (D3)
It's never surprising when St. Francis suddenly appears with a new stellar set of freshman at the beginning of the season. But after this happens two or three years in a row, it suddenly becomes pretty hard to make their top 7. This might be St Francis's deepest squad in 5 years based on how they did at the Lagoon Valley Invitational. After Coach Chad Worthen starts introducing the longer distance races to their underclassman, we will have a better idea of potential. Regardless, with no seniors in their top 7 it will be a program that will continue to improve in upcoming years. Their strong incoming freshman class includes Alyssa Gutierrez.

Last Season: D3 Section: 3rd, State Meet: 7th
Returners: Halle Welch, So. Sophia Kadel, So. Sunny Schranz, Jr. Miya Menza, So.

Davis (D1)
Cross-country is a long season and the Davis coaching staff seem to know how to gradually build their team's success as the season progresses towards the section finals at Willow Hills. Early season results at the Lagoon Valley Invitational would point towards a slow start as junior Norah Feldt (Track State 1600 qualifier 4:51) ran 19:26, where normally she would be up with her senior teammate Avery Wolk who went 18:40. Expect Feldt to keep improving at "Soiree at SWRA" as the competition level ramps up as the top 4 ranked teams meet up.

Last Season: D1 Section: 2nd, State Meet: 14th
Returners: Avery Wolk, Sr. Norah Feldt, Jr. Katelyn Secrest, Jr. Lilian Hales-Yang, Jr.  

Golden Valley (D2)
The team from Merced caught some other D2 teams off-guard last year as they snagged the last state-qualifying spot at Willow Hills. Golden Valley returns 6 of their top 7 runners from last year's state championships meet. They finished a strong 4th at the Oakmont Invite, trailing only SJS teams Whitney and Oak Ridge. They are led by junior Fernanda Cortes, and field a deep team with 1-5 time spread of one minute.  
Last Season: D2 Section: 4th, State Meet: 13th
Returners: Fernanda Cortes, Jr. Aubri Villa, Jr. Chelsea Chavez, So. Gabriela Hicks, Sr.  

Vacaville (D2)
Vacaville might have the strongest 1-2 runners in the Section with Khloe Delatorre and Makayla Galvan. Delatorre should be looking at a top 3 individual state finish after finishing 7th last year at Woodward. Even though their 1-5 time spread was close to 2:30 minutes, at most meets their top 2 runners will definitely help their score. They finished within 11 points of Davis at the Lagoon Valley Invitational.
 
Last Season: D2 Section: 3rd, State Meet: 21st
Returners: Khloe Delatorre, Sr. Makayla Galvan, Sr. Gisselle Swartz, Jr.  

Turlock (D1)
Turlock secured the last state championships qualifying spots at Willow hills last year and were one of the few teams in SJS that had both boys and girls qualify for state championships. They are led by Ellison Williams, who is looking very sharp, having the second fastest time all-day at the Oakmont Invite. 4 out of their top 5 runners are freshman or sophomores and if they don't finish ahead of Davis this year, next year they will be even stronger.  
 
Last Season: D1 Section: 3rd, State Meet: 20th
Returners: Ellison Williams, So. Maya Day, Jr.  

Granite Bay (D2)
After finishing a disappointing 17th at the state meet, Granite Bay will be motivated to return to the state championships to improve upon that showing. Despite the departure of Grace Baxter to UC Irvine, they still finished within 20 points to Division 2 rival Golden Valley at the Oakmont Invitational. They had 4 runners in the low 15 minutes at Oakmont but they still need to find a strong 5th runner this season, otherwise there are other D2 teams like Bella Vista, Vista Del Lago or Woodcreek who might upset the perennial state qualifiers.
 
Last Season: D2 Section: 2nd, State Meet: 17th
Returners: Kaelyn Harlan, Sr. Emily McCracken, Sr. Abigail Osman, So. Madeleine Olson, Jr. Anna Hammack, Sr.

Bella Vista (D2)
Bella Vista is in the same situation as Vacaville where they have a very strong top 2 runners in seniors Zoe Corder and Sophia Pham. Corder was just out-leaned by Sophia Hutchinson of Whitney on the line at the Sierra Invite and Pham looks to have a breakout senior season after her early season results at the Sierra Invite. The gap to their 3-5 runners is nearly 3 minutes so hopefully they can keep building their squad fitness. Bella Vista will be racing against other D2 rivals in the "Swaree at SWRA" and this will be the opportunity to target other team's 3-5 runners.
 
Last Season: D2 Section: 6th
Returners: Zoe Corder, Sr. Sophia Pham, Sr. Avery Berlier, Jr.

Del Oro (D3)
Del Oro finished just behind Granite Bay at the Oakmont Invitational and also had 4 runners who finished under 16 minutes. They might not have the depth to challenge St Francis for the D3 section title but they will be competitive against River Valley and Oakdale. Their 5th runner is not far behind and with a time spread of less than one minute, they have a great training group to push all their times down.

Last Season: D3 Section: 2nd, State Meet: 20th
Returners: Claire Imrie, Jr. Stacie Holbert, So. Izzy Oldenburger, Sr. Lyla Stafford, Sr. 

Pre-Season NCS Division IV Rankings

The past 2 seasons (2023 & 24) have had the same 4 teams - Archie Williams, St. Mary's, Miramonte & Bishop O'Dowd -  battle it out for NCS supremacy and state meet invitations.  This year should be no different. (Logan Letulle photo on the right courtesy of dyestat.com.)

1. Bishop O'Dowd returns the fastest 5 and should be considered the slight favorite. They're led by a trio of seniors, including Sebastian Taylor (last year's D4 runner-up), Nathaniel Mesfen, and Liam Wright.  Juniors James Prater and Dylan Blount give the Dragons the deepest 5 on paper.

2. Saint Mary's has the fastest three returners in the section and possibly in the state.  Senior Tucker Presnell's 15:35, 15th place finish at the state meet last year makes him the 2nd fastest returner, while teammates Djali de Chalus (9:14) and Ian Kopchik (9:25) spring track seasons suggest they will be a very formidable trio.  Seniors Shane Doherty, Mika Mazin, and Adrian Hall look to anchor the Panthers' back end enough to potentially win another section team title for the Panthers.

3. 2023 Champion Miramonte features the state's fastest D4 returner in senior Logan Letulle, who ran 15:30 while finishing 8th at last year's state championships. Fellow senior Preston Repulles, along with juniors Brendon Collins and Gabe Verity, and sophomore Will McMorran, give the Matadors a real chance to upset the favorites and hang yet another championship banner.

4. Since 2015, no Division IV team has matched the success of Archie Williams. During that time, they were coached by Robyn Berry who just recently retired from coaching the boys. Ben Turman is now the new boy's coach taking over for Robyn after her 13 successful seasons. With 5 titles in 10 years, including 2024, the Falcons have established themselves as a perennial contender so despite losing several of their top runners and coach to graduation, don't count them out of the 2025 race just yet. Seniors Milo Hetherington and Sean Chamberlain provide enough up-front strength to possibly qualify them for yet another state meet berth.  

5. The Piedmont boys finished in 6th place at the 2024 section meet. Despite the adjustment of CBEDs in the last decade, Piedmont has been a consistent tenant in this division. The Highlanders won 7 section titles in the late 90s and early 2000s, including a state team title in 2005. Piedmont will be led by talented junior Sebastien Swain, who finished 13th last year and qualified for the state meet in the 800 with a PR of 1:53.15. He may be under the radar at the beginning of the season as he recovers from injuries.

Top Individuals:

1 Logan Letulle (Miramonte)

2 Tucker Presnell (Saint Mary's)

3 Sebastian Taylor (Bishop O'Dowd)

4 Djali de Chalus (Saint Mary's)

5 Ian Kopchik (Saint Mary's)

6 Preston Repulles (Miramonte)

Girls Teams:

1. The defending champion, Archie Williams, will be the strong favorite to repeat this coming season under coach Josiah Russell, Archie Williams class of '19. He was on their podium team in 2018. This is his 2nd second coaching the girls as they look to continue from last season's accomplishments. They will be headed by the defending individual champion Ani Stieg. The team finished in 7th place at the state meet while Stieg made the podium with a 6th place individual finish. She was equally as impressive on the track as she qualified to the state meet in the 1600 with a PR of 4:51.12 as well as recording PRs in the 800 at 2:17.08 and in the 3200 at 10:34.50. Along with Stieg, the Falcons return their entire lineup from their section championship team including Alyssa Silverstein (5:18.77/10:53.93) and Brooke Lee (4:56.00/11:57.25). (Ani Stieg photo courtesy of Marin Independent Journal).

2. Miramonte finished in 6th place last year as a team and has been one of the most improved teams in this division. Rising sophomore, Isabel Mickel was their top runner at the NCS MOC cross country meet. During the spring, Mickel recorded personal bests of 2:27.59, 5:14.05, and 11:52.57. Teammate Teia Adler sported PRs of 2:29.43, 5:35.19, and 11:56.50 and will give them two strong runners up front. Sasha Bevacqua was the lead runner for the team at the Hayward scrimmage after sporting 2:27.70/5:37.94/12:08.01 PRs in the spring. The Matadors also add standout freshman Marissa Dollard who will definitely make a huge impact for her team in this division.

4. Bishop O'Dowd will be another team in contention for the state meet. They qualified for the state meet last year as the 3rd place team and return their entire lineup from that team. They will also be quite formidable with two runners that finished in the top 5 of last year's mudfest at Hayward HS. Lucy King (2:42.25/5:46.96/12:03.27) finished in 2nd place behind Stieg and ahead of 4th place teammate Isabella Rodgers (2:25.62/5:20.38/11:02.71). 

4. The Piedmont girls finished in 4th place at last year's section meet, just missing the state meet. They have been one of the strongest teams in this division, winning 9 section titles with their last one in 2019. Their top runner from that meet, Leighton Mand, finished in 6th place and set new PRs on the track at 2:26.89 and 5:19.38. Their 2nd runner from the section meet, Amalia Gray (5:45.70/12:21.81), also returns and will be part of a competitive pack.

5. St. Mary's Berkeley is another strong team that has done well in this division. Last year, St. Mary's finished in 5th place, giving them another season where they have finished in the top 5. This seems to be a rebuilding year for them, but with girls' teams, a couple of strong freshmen can change the complexion of a team very quickly. Their top returner from last year's section meet is Sabrina Jackson, who finished in 21st place.

Girls Individuals:

1. Ani Stieg (Archie Williams)

2. Alyssa Silverstein (Archie Williams) 

3. Nevis Murphy (Acalanes)

4. Isabella Rodgers (Bishop O'Dowd)

5. Brooke Lee (Archie Williams)
6. Lucy King (Bishop O'Dowd)