Feel free to chime in on the most outstanding efforts from yesterday's meet. Obviously, some very good races from the Dublin Distance Fiesta. Also, two shot putters over 60 feet at the St. Francis Invitational. What else?
BOYS 100m Ian Sweeney Bishop O'Dowd 12 10.58 100m Damari Dean De La Salle 10 10:43w 200m Deshawn Seymour Jr. Will C. Wood 12 21.06 (NEW) 400m Ian Sweeney Bishop O'Dowd 12 47.86 800m Henry Hauser Menlo 11 1:54.28 1600m Cooper Stream Vacaville 11 4:10.66 3200m Peter Kendall Twelve Bridges 12 9:09.98 (NEW) 110m High Hurdles Chase Young De La Salle 11 14.13 (NEW) 300m Intermediate Hurdles Lawrence Onyejekwe Menlo 10 39.02 4x100m Relay De La Salle 41.10 (NEW) 4x400m Relay Carlmont 3:26.31 4x800 Relay Maria Carrillo 7:57.88 (NEW) Long Jump Hudson Smith Whitney 11 24'11" (NEW) Triple Jump Hudson Smith Whitney 11 46'11.75" (NEW) High Jump Naryan Banerjee Jesuit 11 6'8" Pole Vault Malik Li Campolindo 12 15'4" (NEW) Shot Put Case Jacobson St. Francis, MV 12 59'1" (NEW) Discus Deonte Littlejohn Acalanes 12 182'9"
GIRLS 100m London Shedd Liberty 11 11.83 (NEW) 200m Naiaja Sizemore Vanden 12 24.24 400m Alexa Randall St. Francis, SJ 11 55.21 800m Gretchen Yakaitis Carondelet 12 2:12.52 (NEW) 1600m Gretchen Yakaitis Carondelet 12 4:53.83 (NEW) 3200m Amaya Bhardawaj Palo Alto 12 10:20.52 100m Hurdles Daniela Hughes Los Altos 12 14.49 300m Hurdles Emily Gallegos Buhach Colony 10 44.24 (NEW) 4x100m Relay San Ramon Valley 47.73 4x400m Relay St. Francis, MV 4:01.91 4x800m Relay Evergreen Valley 9:39.07 Long Jump Ellie McCuskey-Hay St. Ignatius 12 20'4.75" (NEW) Triple Jump Daniela Hughes Los Altos 12 40'0" High Jump Riley McMullen San Ramon Valley 11 5'9.5" Pole Vault Emma Trevor Tulock 11 12'0" Shot Put Sidney Johnson Rio Americano 10 44'7" (NEW) Discus Gracelynne Duenas Lodi 12 151'4"
Current Harvard University and former Crystal Springs Uplands School runner, Kaiya Brooks, is hosting a free Voice in Sport session on Sunday, March 22nd at 5pm EST (2pm PST). You can find all the information you need for the session at the following link:
The 2026 Dublin Distance Fiesta (DDF) is taking place this coming weekend, and it's bigger and more robust than ever before. In previous years, I have said that with every preview and every year, that is straight fact. The meet keeps growing. When I interview distance runners for this blog, they typically say that this is one of their favorite meets of the season.
In the photo above, that is former starter Bob Shor on his step stool a few years ago, before he passed away. He was a GOOD DUDE!. Doug Griffith and Mario daSilva handle starting duties now.
Other notable figures associated with this meet. Scott Abbott and Kyle Morrison will handle announcing duty. Abbott ran at Jesuit for Walt Lange and his son Isaac has been one of the top runners for the Mauraders. Kyle announced at the DDF last year and also announced the Dan Gabor Invitational this year. Both announcers do an amazing job of making every race feel important.
Timer Shannon Sos of diablotiming.com is one of the top timers in CA. He definitely eases any stress that meet directors may have before their Invitationals.
Over two almost full days, diehard distance fans will witness a record-setting number of distance heats. In 2025, two WORLD RECORDS were established as 371 girls dipped under the 6-minute mark in the 1600 while 591 boys dipped under the 5-minute mark in the same event.
This season, the DDF will be held on the third weekend of March once again. For comparison, check out this year's numbers vs. last year's.
Year
Schools
Student-Athletes
Entries
Heats
2025
225
4,047
5,863
226
2026
240
4,247
6,135
240
According to the meet director and Dublin coach Chris Williams, the DDF will once again be the largest distance-only meet in the United States based on the total number of entries. As shared in a previous post, Coach Williams continues to need your prayers as he continues to battle cancer. Your prayers are always appreciated.
OK, now a bit of history regarding this meet for those of you attending the soon-to-be-world-famous Dublin Distance Fiesta (RIPPeter Brewer) for the first time. The meet has been held at Dublin HS since 2009, with the lone exception being the 2020 season when it was not held. Before 2009, the meet was held at Skyline HS (one year), Cal Berkeley (one year), and then multiple years at the original location, Piedmont HS (shoutout Warrior. IYKYK)
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Aside from super fast competitive fields, the Dublin Distance Fiesta is known for its incredible efficiency. You can check this out in action, thanks to longtime Jesuit coach Walt Lange (over 50 years at Jesuit), in the following video. More on Coach Lange and his impressive team below.
The 2-time defending champion Campolindo girls (2025 winning team above courtesy of DDF Instagram) will be back to defend their sombrero titles. This will be the first big meet for their team after multiple league meets. They will be challenged by league and section rival Northgate. The rest of the top contenders are CCS teams Los Gatos, Carlmont, Evergreen Valley, St. Ignatius, and Mountain View.
I noticed that in my preview from last year, I did not mention the team that won the event, the Bellarmine Bells (photo above courtesy of Bellarmine). I won't make the same mistake again. Their coach, Patrick McCrystle, takes great pride in team and relay events. He was himself a 1:50.70 800 meter runner for coach Walt Lange at Jesuit. Bellarmine finished in 6th place at the California state meet last year, running the 2nd fastest time in CCS history at 7:44.84. Other contending teams this year will include section rival Menlo Atherton. Also in the mix will be Lowell, Carlmont, Bella Vista, Tesoro, Mountain View, and the host Dublin. And don't forget 2 time Division III cross country state champion Campolindo. This is definitely the main event of night one and a great way to close out Friday evening.
Girls1600
Meet Record - Riley Chamberlain (Del Oro/SJS) - 4:46.34 ('22)
For those of you interested in more DDF history, here is a bit more regarding this event. In 2015, Sonora'sCassi Land lowered the 1600 record at the DDF to 5:06.01. A year later, Miramonte's Hannah Fishlow lowered the record to 5:02.79. The first runner to lower the record under 5 minutes was Redwood's Gillian Wagner in 2017 as she raced to a 4:55.35 victory. That time held up until 2021 when Albany's Sophia Nordenholz ran 4:53.26 in the 3rd DDF that season (that's right, 3rd, thanks to COVID). In 2022, Del Oro senior Riley Chamberlain outran Montgomery's talented freshman Hanne Thomsen to set the new standard at 4:46.34. Chamberlain is still competing at BYU and remains one of the top distance runners in the NCAA.
Last year, Eleanor Raker of Galena won this event in 4:52.58. Khloe DeLaTorre of Vacaville finished in 2nd place with a time of 4:53.64 and is the top returner in this field. The fastest runner is Riverbank senior Giselle Fernandez (photo above courtesy of Juan Esparza Loera). She finished in 6th place at the CA state meet, running a best of 4:43.80. Other contenders in this stacked field include Ella Mogannam of Lick-Wilmerding, Nora Feldt of Davis, Anna Salter of Crystal Springs Uplands, and Gretchen Yakaitis of Carondelet. Both Mogannam and Yakaitis were individual state champions in cross country. If the boys' 4 x 800 is the race of the day for Friday, this could potentially be the race of the day on Saturday.
Boys 1600
Meet Record - Ajani Salcido(Jesuit/SJS) 4:09.95 ('21)
The favorite to win this race will be Bellarmine senior Stephen Sziebert (photo courtesy of West Coast XC). He was the best non senior in CCS last year in an incredibly stacked year. Sziebert won this year's KBell invitational in 4:15.21 and just competed in the New Balance Nationals indoors, posting a PR of 4:09.40 in the mile. His main competition will include Drake Hoferer of Jesuit and Jackson Puburko of Trinity. Other contenders include David Coisson of Galena in Nevada who is a proven 1600 runner and has posted a 50.44 400 already this season. Another runner that will contend is Menlo junior Henry Hauser. He finished 2nd behind Sziebert at the KBell and has posted a 1:54.28 PR in the 800.
Meet Record - Alyssa Brewer (California/NCS) 2:08.99 ('18)
Now Stanford freshman Hanne Thomsen of Montgomery completed a very unique double last year by winning the 800 and 3200. She was victorious in the 2-lap event with a time of 2:10.18. This year, the top 2 fastest times in the field belong to Ava Decleve of Scotts Valley (Shmuel Thaler photo) and Ava Padilla of Monte Vista. Decleve won the Winter Time Trials in Watsonville, while Padilla won the Dan Gabor Invitational last week. Other contenders will include Hailey Sellers of Branson, Ella Mogannam of Lick-Wilmerding, and Ashlin Mallon of Cardinal Newman. A few more names to watch out for are Whitney teammates Addi Ewers and Kaylee Smith as well as Crystal Springs Uplands senior Anna Salter.
Boys 800
Meet Record - Yutaka Roberts (El Camino/CCS) 1:52.34 ('22)
The top 2 finishers from last year were sophomores Lucas Alberts of Jesuit (VND photos) and Hugh Heyer of McClatchy (both from the SJS). Both runners return this year, with Alberts the favorite as the defending champion and the 2nd-place finisher from last year's state meet. Another athlete to watch out for is Placer senior Cooper Barr. He has a PR of 1:51.76 as well as state meet experience from last year. His mom, Lindsay Hyatt, was a 4-time state champ in California in this event. Another interesting tidbit that might only interest me involves Sebastien Swain of Piedmont. He qualified for the state meet last year as a sophomore, running a personal best of 1:53.15. His mom, Becky Spies, is one of the fastest distance runners in NCS history and a University of Villanova Hall of Famer. His aunt, Jessica Spies, still holds the NCS record in the 800 at 2:05.84. Other runners that could be a factor are Thomas Hekl of Amador Valley, 1:53.87 last year and won this year's Dan Gabor Invitational. Hunter Steele of Galena ran 1:53.81 last year at the Stanford Invitational to finish in 6th place.
Girls 3200
Meet Record - Hanne Thomsen (Montgomery/NCS) 10:14.46 ('22)
The fastest entry time in this event belongs to St. Francis, SJ freshman, Alyssa Gutierrez (photo courtesy of St. Francis, SJ instagram). She has posted a best of 10:27.63, winning the Bronco Roundup Distance Carnival. She is also quite familiar with the Dublin Distance Fiesta, having won the exhibition mile last year as an 8th grader. She will be challenged by Natalie Arriaza of Patterson, who is the defending Sac-Joaquin Section champion with a best of 10:35.24. This will certainly be a preview of the SJS Masters meet final and will also include Khloe DeLaTorre of Vacaville, Avery Wolk of Davis, Brenna Mannion of Vista del Lago, Sophie Hutchinson of Whitney, Adriana Ingargiola of Oak Ridge, and Avery Carlson of Pitman.
Boys 3200
Meet Record - Matt Strangio (Jesuit/SJS) 8:47.97 ('19)
Last year, four runners dipped under the 9 minute mark with Eli Fitchen-Young of Santa Cruz leading the way with a time of 8:56.43. Then junior Isaac Abbott of Jesuit finished in 3rd place with a still standing PR of 8:57.47. He's on the comeback trail from an injury and will not be participating in this event. This year's race could be quite the event, and, as in the past, it could be the most competitive of this Invitational. Among the top contenders will be the top 2 NorCal runners from this past cross country season, Cooper Stream of Vacaville (photo courtesy of Vacaville HS Facebook page) and Alijah Murillo of Branham. Stream was the Division 2 state champion while Murillo had an outstanding race at NXN and claimed the NorCal Runner of the Year award. Blake Bay from Fresno Christian is one of the top runners in the state in Division V and a Brooks XC National qualifier. Kimball senior Andres Lomeli won the Skyline Invitational 1600 and was a state finalist in the 3200 last spring. Two other runners that should definitely not be overlooked are Campolindo teammates Caden Ehrhorn and Clark Gregory.
Girls Distance Medley Relay
Meet Record - Santa Cruz/CCS - 12:07.58 ('18)
This race will feature some of the top distance programs in Northern California. The Campolindo girls (Chuck Woolridge photo), won both relays last year and will be attempting to repeat here. They will face stiff competition from Mountain View and the last two cross country Division V state team champions, Branson and Crystal Springs Uplands. Los Altos and Carson (NV) should also be in the mix.
I started this list a few years ago and will keep it going this year. Because of COVID, this relay was not contested in 2021 or in 2020, when the meet was not held at all. Here are the winning teams over the past few years.
2025 Campolindo 12:25.13 2024 SF University 12:48.02 2023 Campolindo 12:36.04 2022 Tamalpais 12:34.83
2019St. Francis, Sacramento12:22.61
2018Santa CruzHS 12:07.58 (meet record)
2017San Ramon ValleyHS 12:23.41
2016Monte VistaHS 12:16.21
2015Bella VistaHS 12:14.03
2014Las LomasHS 12:31.29
Boys Distance Medley Relay
Meet Record - Davis/SJS - 10:23.93 ('16)
This is always a tough event to predict, as many of the fastest teams will include runners doubling back from the just-concluded 3200m and other race distances. The Bellarmine boys (photo courtesy of Bellarmine) could be going after the relay sweep if they can pull of the 4 x 800 victory first. They will have to finish in front of some tough teams, including Mountain View, Carlmont, and Whitney.
Lastly, a shout-out to West Coast XC (aka Kenneth Martinez), who will be interviewing Coach Chris Williams and me today to preview the DDF. You can find West Coast XC on his website at https://www.westcoastxc.com/ and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@WestCoastXC
I just got word that Bob Rush passed away peacefully yesterday morning. Bob will always be remembered for his tireless work on the Crystal Springs course. I will post more as I receive more information, but for now, RIP to a great man who had a huge impact on Cross Country in this area. Please feel free to add any memories of Mr. Rush.
Please go to www.lynbrooksports.com for a tribute to Bob courtesy of Hank Lawson.
Below was the info for Bob's 90th birthday celebration last June at the Crystal Springs course.
Bob, for his 90th birthday, is planning on running (runoggn as he calls it) across the Crystal Springs XC course finish line on Wednesday, 4 June at 12:00noon.
You and everyone else are invited to this special occasion.
Eldest son Rob will be organizing the event with pizza and beers, so if you can attend, please RSVP to Rob at 650.773-3557 so he knows how much food to purchase. Please plan on arriving around 11:30am.
Please pass along the 4 June event details to allow those whom you think would be interested, and hope many of us can make it to the course on 4 June!
The following note was sent by Dave Shrock. For those of you that might not know, Bob Rush is one of the designers of the Crystal Springs course and for decades, Bob tirelessly took care of the course so that runners to this day get to race on one of the most historic courses in the United States. Please pass the following note along to others who might be interested in helping celebrate Bob's birthday.
Bob, for his 90th birthday, is planning on running (runoggn as he calls it) across the Crystal Springs XC course finish line for his 90th birthday on Wednesday, 4 June at 12:00noon.
You and everyone else are invited to this occasion, with perhaps a meal afterwards somewhere...an informal affair.
He is also looking forward to heading up to CSM who is hosting the JC State Championships on Saturday, 17 May.
Please pass along the 4 June event details to allow those whom you think would be interested, and hope to see many of you at the course on 4 June!
Chloe Leduc, Oakland Tech (OAK) Cal Berkeley Drake Hoferer, Jesuit (SJS) UCLA Gretchen Yakaitis, Carondelet (NCS) UC Berkeley Logan Letulle, Miramonte (NCS) Williams Brooke Lee, Archie Williams (NCS) UC Berkeley Zoe Corder, Bella Vista (SJS) Washington State Sophie Hutchinson, Whitney (SJS) Washington State Lena Llamas, Buhach Colony (SJS) Wingate University Andres Lomeli, Kimball (SJS) Cal Poly SLO Amaya Bhardawaj, Palo Alto (CCS) Princeton University Aidan Sharp, Menlo Atherton (CCS) University of Chicago Micah Redding, Placer (SJS) University of Idaho Owen Dawson, Analy (NCS) University of Chicago Cooper Barr, Placer (SJS) Stanford University
