NorCal Cross Country and Track and Field College Commitments

Hanne Thomsen Montgomery (NCS) Stanford University
Landon Pretre Menlo (CCS) Wake Forest University
Will Hauser Menlo (CCS) Cornell University
Broen Holman Sonora (SJS) Northern Arizona University
Evie Marheineke Archbishop Mitty (CCS) UCLA
Trey Caldwell De La Salle (NCS) University of Colorado
Miles Cook Sacred Heart Cathedral (CCS) Cal Poly SLO
Andrew Burr Sacramento Country Day (SJS) Dartmouth College
Alexandra Powell Monte Vista (NCS) New Mexico
Allie Turns Monte Vista (NCS) Gonzaga
Sofia Fernandez Monte Vista (NCS) Johns Hopkins
Owen Brandeis Monte Vista (NCS) Emory
Kinga Czakjkowska Palo Alto (CCS) Cornell
Emma Gardner Tamalpais (NCS) Santa Clara University
Eli Fitchen-Young Santa Cruz (CCS) Duke University
Amrie Lacefield Montgomery (NCS) Colorado State University (NEW)
Seelah Kittelstrom Montgomery (NCS) Columbia University (NEW)
Arrin Sagiraju Dougherty Valley (NCS) UCLA
Hannah Rutherford Mountain View (CCS) Stanford University
Magnolia Hougan Berkeley (NCS) Pomona College
Jackson Hein Pleasant Valley (NS) Berkeley University
Stefan Langridge International (NCS) Carnegie Mellon
James Jenkins Miramonte (NCS) NYU
Ben Bouie Crystal Springs Uplands School (CCS) Harvard University
Sadie Sanders Montgomery (NCS) Howard University
Shrey Chettiar Bellarmine (CCS) Johns Hopkins
Tadgh Murray, De La Salle (NCS) Tufts University
George Mikhael, Granada (NCS) Trinity University
Isabel Soto, Whitney (SJS) Stanislaus University
Nate Griffin Yeh, Las Lomas (NCS) UCSD
Shea Elmore, Los Gatos (CCS) UCSD
Sabrina Zanetto, St. Francis, MV (CCS) UCSD
Kylie Hooernaert, Prospect (CCS) UCSD
Ian Sharp, Archie Williams (NCS) Pomona College
Jack Rattary, College Park (NCS) Chico State
Evan Gardner, Homestead (CCS) UCSD
Josh Griffin, Nevada Union (SJS) Cal Baptist
Jackson Stream, Vacaville (SJS) Chico State
Grace Baxter, Granite Bay (SJS) University of California, Irvine
Milani Bell, Pittsburg (NCS) Long Beach State
Xavier Biwott, Vista del Lago (SJS) Stanislaus
Owen Brandeis, Monte Vista (NCS) Emory University
Anna Carmona, Terra Linda (NCS) Chico State
Addison Clinton, Oak Ridge (NCS) University of California, Irvine
Jaliyah Davis, River City (SJS) Long Beach State 
Golda Demby, Hollister (CCS) Cal Poly University 
Alana Farve, Sheldon (SJS) Stanislaus 
Emma Gardner, Tamalpais (NCS) Santa Clara University 
Ella He, Cupertino (CCS) UNC Wilmington 
Jonathan Hupman, Merrill West (SJS) Stanislaus 
James Jenkins, Miramonte (NCS) New York University
Zoe Leach, Thomas Downey (SJS) St. Mary's College 
Sophia Lopes, Hilmar (SJS) Stanislaus 
Logan Meredith, Orland (NS) Chico 
Brielle Mosley, Silver Creek (CCS) Cal State University Fullerton 
Madeline Ross, Los Altos (CCS) Emory University 
Jonelle Scott, Soquel (CCS) Long Beach State University 
Eliot Traxler, Amador (SJS) University of CA Berkeley 
Sineth Andrabadu, Hillsdale (CCS) Davidson
Maya Eisenberg, Mt. View (CCS) Johns Hopkins University
Grace Veloza, Newark Memorial (CCS), Cal State East Bay 
Aidan Dub, California (NCS) Cal State Marcos
Owen Anderson, McClatchy (SJS) Chico State
Joshua Guzman, Gilroy (CCS) Chico State
Aydon Stefanopolous, Los Gatos (CCS) UCLA
Axelle Allanic, Los Altos (CCS) UCSB (NEW)
Emily Soobrian, Los Altos (CCS) Wisconsin (NEW)
Javin Schmitt, St. Mary's Berkeley (NCS) UC Irvine (NEW)
Eshaan Hussain, California (NCS) UC Riverside (NEW)
Callum McBride, Albany (NCS) UC Berkeley (NEW)
Kyle Jakary, Jesuit (SJS) Cal Poly SLO (NEW)
Will Mulliken, Archie Williams (NCS) UCSB (NEW)
Sam Vellutuni, Rocklin (SJS) UCSB (NEW)
Charlotte Orr, Las Lomas (NCS) American University (NEW)
Lily Montilla, Las Lomas (NCS) UC Berkeley (NEW)
Carson Hedlund, Pioneer (CCS) UCSB (NEW)

If you know of other runners who have committed already and shared publicly, please add them to the list in the comment section below.

Interview with Mountain Vista XC co-coach, Jonathan Dalby

This past cross country season, the Mountain Vista girls won the NXN team race. Jonathan Dalby is co-coach with Eric Selle as they lead their team to the team title after finishing in 3rd place the year before. They were named the USTFCCCA National High School Cross Country Girls Co-coaches of the Year by the United States Marine Corps. You can check out the Just Athletics Podcast interview with Coach Dalby at the following link:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-65-jonathan-dalby/id1035155582?i=1000685091789

70th "Plato Yanicks" All NorCal High School XC Teams - Boys & Girls - 2024

Officially posted at lynbrooksports.com at the following link:
https://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2024/allnorca.htm

California all-time podium teams updated (Girls)

2024 70th "Plato Yanicks" All-Norcal Team

All-NorCal History

2023 "Plato Yanicks" All-Norcal Team

BOYS

ROTY: Eli Fitchen-Young, Santa Cruz 12 CCS

Senior: Eli Fitchen-Young, Santa Cruz 12 CCS

Junior: Isaac Abbott, Jesuit 11 SJS

Soph: Matthew Ogilvie, Jesuit 10 SJS

Frosh: Elias Thronson, Davis 9 SJS

Central Coast Section ROTY: Eli Fitchen-Young, Santa Cruz 12 CCS

North Coast Section: Trey Caldwell, De La Salle 12 NCS

Sac Joaquin Section: Broen Holman, Sonora 12 SJS

Northern Section: Jackson Hein, Pleasant Valley 12 NS

San Francisco Section: Nicolas Rivas, Galileo Academy 12 SFS

Oakland Section: Gus Schafer, Oakland Tech 12 OS

 

1^st Team

Eli Fitchen-Young, Santa Cruz 12 CCS

Landon Pretre, Menlo 12 CCS

Trey Caldwell, De La Salle 12 NCS

Aydon Stefanopolous, Los Gatos 12 CCS

Miles Cook, Sacred Heart Cathedral 12 CCS

Benjamin Bouie, Crystal 12 CCS

Broen Holman, Sonora 12 SJS

 

2^nd Team

William Hauser, Menlo 12 CCS

Drake Hoferer, Jesuit 11 SJS

Isaac Abbott, Jesuit 11 SJS

Kyle Jakary, Jesuit 11 SJS

Arrin Sagiraju, Dougherty Valley 12 NCS

Andres Lomeli, Kimball SJS

Alijah Murillo, Branham 11 CCS

 

3^rd Team

Matthew Ogilvie, Jesuit 10 SJS

Jack Rattary, College Park 12 NCS

Trey Wright, St. Ignatius 12 CCS

Henry Hauser, Menlo 10 CCS

Clark Gregory, Campolindo 10 NCS

Eshaan Hussain, California 12 NCS

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Nueva 11 CCS

 

Honorable Mention

Kenji Kawabata, Newark Memorial 11 NCS

Logan Letulle, Miramonte 11 NCS

Ian Sharp, Archie Williams 12 NCS

Jared Saal, Menlo 12 CCS

Cam Gregg, Sacred Heart Cathedral 12 CCS

Javin Schmitt, St. Mary's College 12 NCS

Peter Kendall, Twelve Bridges 11 SJS

Shrey Chettiar, Bellarmine 12 CCS

Elias Thronson, Davis 9 SJS

Mateo Cafaro, Monte Vista 11 NCS

Tucker Presnell, St. Mary's College 11 NCS

Marco Zinc, Tamalpais 12 NCS

Oscar Angel, Manteca 12 SJS

Joshua Guzman, Gilroy 12 CCS

Parker Whitemeyer, Oakdale 11 SJS

Yuval Goldberg, Mountain View 10 CCS

Connor Bilodeau, Granite Bay 10 SJS

Ismael Dominguez, Oakdale 12 SJS

Devansh Shah, Bellarmine 12 CCS

Hayden Kieslich, Willow Glen 11 CCS

 

Freshmen

Elias Thronson, Davis 9 SJS

Caden Ehrhorn, Campolindo 9 NCS

Oliver Olbekson, Menlo 9 CCS

Johann Coss, Evergreen Valley 9 CCS

Cruz Villa, Newark Memorial 9 NCS

Gabriel Saludo, Piedmont Hills 9 CCS

Connor Smith, Vacaville 9 SJS

Titouan Delaplace, Lowell 9 SFS

Hugo Tao Ong, University 9 NCS

Tarun Nikhil, Gunn 9 CCS

GIRLS

ROTY Hanne Thomsen, Montgomery 12 NCS

Senior Hanne Thomsen, Montgomery 12 NCS

Junior Amaya Bharadwaj, Palo Alto 11 CCS

Soph Brooke Oliviera, Castilleja 10 CCS

Frosh Brinley Pickett, St. Francis, MV 9 CCS

North Coast Section Hanne Thomsen, Montgomery 12 NCS

Central Coast Section Kinga Czajkowska, Palo Alto 12 CCS

Sac Joaquin Section Khloe Delatorre, Vacaville 11 SJS/Grace Baxter, Granite Bay 12 SJS

Northern Section Paulina Martins, Orland 12 NS

San Francisco Section Luisa Martin, George Washington 12 SFS

Oakland Section Chloe Leduc, Oakland Tech 11 OS

 

1^st Team

Hanne Thomsen, Montgomery 12 NCS

Kinga Czajkowska, Palo Alto 12 CCS

Amaya Bharadwaj, Palo Alto 11 CCS

Seelah Kittelstrom, Montgomery 12 NCS

Amrie Lacefield, Montgomery 12 NCS

Ella Mogannam, Lick-Wilmerding 11 NCS

Khloe Delatorre, Vacaville 11 SJS

 

2^nd Team

Grace Baxter, Granite Bay 12 SJS

Carina Nottingham, Berkeley 11 NCS

Giselle Fernandez, Riverbank 11 SJS

Brooke Oliviera, Castilleja 10 CCS

Ani Stieg, Archie Williams 11 NCS

Lily Montilla, Las Lomas 12 NCS

Avery Wolk, Davis 11 SJS

3^rd Team

Sydney Middleton, Redwood 11 NCS

Emma Gardner, Tamalpais 12 NCS

Sade Bumpus, Granada 10 NCS

Addison Clinton, Oak Ridge 12 SJS

Olivia Passafiume, Placer 12 SJS

Brenna Mannion, Vista del Lago 11 SJS

Natalie Arriaza, Patterson 11 SJS

Honorable Mention

Ava DeCleve, Scotts Valley CCS

Evie Marheineke, Mitty 12 CCS

Brinley Pickett, St. Francis, MV 9 CCS

Miya Cheng, Mills 12 CCS

Hailey Anglin-Solis, Twelve Bridges 12 SJS

Kylie Hoornaert, Prospect 12 CCS

Sophie Hutchinson, Whitney 11 SJS

Chloe Leduc, Oakland Tech 10 OAK

Kate Kozubik, Redwood 10 NCS

Nevaeh Brown River Valley 11 SJS

Payton Wagner, St. Francis, MV 11 CCS

Alexandra Powell, Monte Vista 12 NCS

Emmy Angelo, Ponderosa 10 SJS

Adriana Ingargiola, Oak Ridge 11 SJS

Jojo Gregg, Sacred Heart Cathedral 10 CCS

Eva Soto, Whitney 10 SJS

Norah Feldt, Davis 10 SJS

Avery Carlson, Pitman 11 SJS

Naia Hsieh, Hillsdale 12 CCS

Freshmen

Brinley Pickett, St. Francis, MV 9 CCS

Eleanor Hampton, Merced 9 SJS

Kaylie O'Connell, Monte Vista 9 NCS

Isla Roake, Santa Cruz 9 CCS

Giuliana Martino, Oak Ridge 9 SJS

Caroline Pflaum, Menlo Atherton 9 CCS

Halle Welch, St. Francis, Sac 9 SJS

Macy Mullins, Foothill-Pleasanton 9 NCS

Dhrithi Railochan, Branham 9 CCS

Ellison Williams, Turlock 9 SJS
Madeline Goss, Woodcreek 9 SJS

California all-time podium teams updated (Boys)

 

2024 "Plato Yanicks" All-NorCal Cross Country Team

Here is the 2023 team if you need a refresher. https://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/XC/2023/allnorca.htm

Here is a list of all the teams dating back to 1953.
https://lynbrooksports.prepcaltrack.com/ATHLETICS/XC/alnorcal.htm

A group of voters will vote on the members of this team, and it will be posted sometime before the new year.

If you would like to be included as one of the voters, please email me your interest at albertjcaruana@gmail.com.

Keith Conning (1941-2024)

For those of you who remember Keith Conning, it was reported that he passed away on November 29th. He was a Berkeley HS coach but will more than likely be remembered for announcing many meets in Northern California such as the Stanford Invitational. He was quite the historian and, for many years, helped select the All-NorCal team for cross country. Many have said that he was such an advocate for so many athletes as well as both sports that he covered. He was also the editor for The Conning Tower which covered Cross Country and Track and Field in Northern California. 

If you would like to share your memories about Keith Conning, please do so in the comment section below.

RIP Mr. Conning.

You may read Keith's obituary here: https://obituaries.neptune-society.com/.../keith-conning...

A celebration of Keith's life will be held January 18 at 1pm, at First Church Berkeley UCC  (Directions & Parking: https://www.firstchurchberkeley.org/directions ). A reception with food and refreshments will follow. Please RSVP to help us get a rough headcount for the caterer: https://forms.gle/NMUnBwR1zcrS8faM8

Jesuit coach Walt Lange awarded Joe Newton Award at NXN

From Jesuit HS.

Cross Country Head Coach Walt Lange received a prestigious honor on Saturday, December 7, as he was named the Joe Newton Coach of the Year at the Nike Cross Nationals!

Coach Lange, with an extraordinary 55 years of coaching at Jesuit High School, including 54 years as head coach, now joins the ranks of elite coaches recognized on a national stage. Known for his humility, Lange's contributions to high school cross country and the countless lives he has impacted over the decades make this recognition richly deserved.

Lange's dedication, passion, and lifelong commitment to developing athletes both on and off the course embody the Jesuit tradition of excellence and service. Congratulations to Coach Lange on this remarkable and well-deserved honor! 

You can check out my past interviews with Coach Lange at the following links:
https://www.crosscountryexpress.com/2009/10/catching-up-with-jesuit-hs-coach-walt.html#google_vignette

Milesplit Feature on Coach Lange
https://ca.milesplit.com/articles/324536/profile-the-walt-lange-legacy-50-years-of-excellence

Another MileSplit feature on CA Coaching Legends
https://ca.milesplit.com/articles/222603/ca-coaching-legends-walt-lange-of-jesuit

NXN and Footlocker West results

You will find results from this past Saturday's NXN meet in Portland at the following link. Congratulations to Hanne Thomsen of Montgomery who was the lone NorCal representative as she finished in 33rd place in a time of 17:58.0. For the boys, the top NorCal individual was Eli Fitchen-Young who finished in 34th place with a time of 16:03.4. The two California teams that qualified to NXN were both from NorCal with Jesuit finishing in 11th place and Menlo finishing in 15th place.
https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/240517/results/all

At the Footlocker West meet, in the girl's championship race, Ella Mogannam of Lick-Wilmerding was the top finisher for NorCal with a 14th-place finish. In the boy's race, two NorCal runners qualified for the Footlocker national meet with a top 10 finish. Trey Caldwell of De La Salle finished in 4th place qualifying for the third time. Aydon Stefanopoulos of Los Gatos also qualified with a 9th-place finish.
https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/251223/results/all

2024 California State Meet Results

You can find all the results at this link:
https://www.rtspt.com/events/cif/xc2024/mp/

Congratulations to the NorCal NXN qualifiers:
Eli Fitchen-Young Santa Cruz (CCS)
Hanne Thomsen Montgomery (NCS)
Jesuit boys team
Menlo boys team

NorCal podium teams and individuals (in order)

Division I Girls
None

Division II Girls
2) St. Francis, MV
3) Whitney

Individuals
2) Kinga Czajkowska Palo Also 17:31.5
4) Amaya Bharadwaj Palo Alto 17:34.6
7) Khloe Delatorre Vacaville 17:46.7
9) Grace Baxter Granite Bay 17:51.3

Division I Boys
2) Bellarmine

Individuals
2) Arrin Sagiraju Dougherty Valley 15:06.2

Division II Boys
1) Jesuit (State Champions)

Individuals
3) Trey Caldwell De La Salle 14:49.8
5) Aydon Stefanoupolos Los Gatos 15:02.2
7) Drake Hoferer Jesuit 15:04.2
10) Isaac Abbott Jesuit 15:04.6

Division III Girls
None

Individuals
2) Hanne Thomsen Montgomery 17:21.6
4) Seelah Kittelstrom Montgomery 17:38.9
5) Amrie Lacefield Montgomery 17:39.3

Division IV Boys
None

Individuals
1) Eli Fitchen-Young Santa Cruz 14:41.3
2) Broen Holman Sonora 14:57.2
8) Logan Letulle Miramonte 15:30.2
9) Ian Sharp Archie Williams 15:31.2

Division V Girls
1) Branson (State Champions)
3) Lick-Wilmerding

Individuals
2) Ella Mogannam Lick-Wilmerding 17:47.4
3) Brooke Oliveira Castilleja 17:58.2
8) Farah Allen Branson 18:27.9
9) Veronica Taira Menlo 18:27.9
10) Audrey Spaly Branson 18:29.3

Division III Boys
1) Campolindo (State Champions)

Individuals
3) Miles Cook Sacred Heart Cathedral 14:54.5
7) Andres Lomeli Kimball 15:14.5
10) Trey Wright St. Ignatius 15:22.9

Division IV Girls
3) Placer

Individuals
4) Giselle Fernandez Riverbank 17:57.1
6) Ani Stieg Archie Williams 17:59.6
9) Olivia Passafiume Placer 18:05.4

Division V Boys
1) Menlo (State Champions)
3) Crystal Springs Uplands School

Individuals
2) Landon Pretre Menlo 14:38.8
3) Ben Bouie Crystal Springs Uplands School 14:54.5
4) William Hauser Menlo 15:02.4
8) Henry Hauser Menlo 15:23.9
10) Ryan Fitzpatrick Nueva 15:27.7

Feel free to leave a comment below on many outstanding efforts at yesterday's meet. Biggest surprise? Most outstanding performance? 

Catching up with Santa Cruz senior, Eli Fitchen-Young

Today, we chat with Santa Cruz senior, Eli Fitchen-Young. At this year's CCS Division IV race, Fitchen-Young lowered the Crystal Springs course record to 14:23.5, which was set earlier this season at the Serra Invitational by De La Salle senior Trey Caldwell (14:27.1). Last year, Fitchen-Young finished in 4th place in the Division IV state final race earning a spot to NXN with his 14:49.5 time on the Woodward Park course. At NXN, Fitchen-Young finished in 19th place and was the 2nd fastest runner from California. (Santa Cruz Sentinel photo by John Lee)

1) How did you get your start in running? What sports did you play before HS?

I started running through an elementary program that my Mom started called Run for Run, which was a couple times a week and very short runs, sometimes with games mixed in. I then continued into the middle school program where my Mom was also the head coach, along with two other great assistant coaches. Middle school was when I started doing workouts but still low training volume. Before high school, I played competitive Soccer (until 10th grade), basketball, and baseball, and I did recreational surfing/bodyboarding, rock climbing, skateboarding, and golf.

2) What was your experience during your freshman and sophomore seasons in both cross country and track? What did you learn and what were some of your proudest achievements?

I had a great experience my first two years of high school xc/track, largely in part due to the awesome team culture created by the juniors/seniors. I learned several things, but the biggest thing was starting to really love running and taking it one step at a time. One of my proudest accomplishments was helping my team qualify for State freshmen year (first ever time for the Santa Cruz HS boys) and winning the D3 CCS team title. 

3) Who were the runners that you looked up to as a freshman on your team or other teams that helped your transition to HS running?

Several people I looked up to on my team (but not limited to) include Jim Ratliff, Will Trowbridge, Isabel and Diego Sanchez, Aidan Cinque, Emmett Thompson, and Kees van der Meer.

4) What does a typical training week look like for you? Typical workouts? Length of longest run? Mileage per week? Strength workouts?

A typical training week in the base building portion of the season this year for xc looked like; an average of 55mi per week, two-three workouts per week (don’t want to say to much about the workouts sorry), and two-three strength training sessions per week (mostly push pull). My longest run was a half marathon which I did consistently for ~2 months, at varying paces and usually Wilder Ranch or Nicsene Marks. 

5) Favorite XC meet? Favorite XC course? Favorite XC workout? Favorite long run? Favorite TF invitational? Favorite TF event? Favorite TF workout? Favorite nonrunning activity?

My favorite xc meet and xc course is probably NXN. I enjoyed the grass golf course so much since it’s unique from California and has its own set of challenges (especially at last year's NXN). I also really like Crystal Springs and Woodward Park both as meets and xc courses.

My favorite XC workout is the hills we do at the beginning of every season, not because I particularly enjoy them, but because it’s a specialized workout, a nice change of scenery from track workouts, and because the workout is so difficult/helps me get fit.

My favorite long run is an out-back quicker pace run starting at Shaffer road and going out to the second and third bluff at Wilder.

My favorite track and field meet is either the Dublin Distance Fiesta, State track meet, or NON. My favorite track event is the 1600 although I’m starting to like the 3200 more and more. And favorite track workout is any taper workout where I can really get the legs moving.

My favorite non-running activity is definitely surfing/bodyboarding/bodysurfing with friends in town or up north. 

6) Can you tell us about your coach and how he has helped you get to where you are today as a runner? 

Coach Brock (aside from my family) has been the most influential part of my running career. He’s developed me both as an athlete and a person, and I could not be more thankful to have him as a Coach and Mentor. In my opinion, he is one of the top coaches in the state and even the country, and he has coached some incredible athletes in the past. One of Coach Brock’s philosophies that I appreciate a lot is the idea of lifetime fitness, and it’s incredible to see him still doing 11+ pull ups and sometimes benching more than I can. I also am appreciative that he has helped me realize to ‘trust the process’ more, as I feel he always has me peak at the right time of the season, and not get distracted by big early season meets or times.

7) Your mom was one of the top runners in the US. Can you tell us a bit about how she got into running and what were some of her accomplishments as a runner.

My Mom got a late start to running when compared to many of the top US distance women at the time, starting when she was out of college. My Grandpa had recently passed, and she wanted to move back to San Jose/Sunnyvale, where she grew up, so she saw an ad for this thing called the Nike farm team and wanted to join them. She called the number and didn’t realize it at the time, but Meb Keflezighi answered, and shortly after, she joined the farm team. She was coached by Jeff Johnson for the majority of her time on the farm team (and Vin Lananna for a little). During this time, she had a 3rd place team finish for the US at the World XC Championships, 4th in the Pan AM Games in the 10k, had multiple Olympic Trials appearances (9th in the 10k), and won wharf to wharf twice. She is someone I look up to a lot, and has been an incredible support in my running career. 

8) You have committed to attend Duke next fall. What led you to pick that college?

A number of things led me to pick Duke over some other great programs and schools. However, the two biggest aspects are the incredible team culture, and I have a lot of faith in Coach Kevin for developing Duke into a top NCAA program. The education is also word class and I didn’t want to pass up that opportunity. The only set back is how far Duke is from Santa Cruz, however Jeremy Kain (who is on the team and graduated from Scott’s Valley HS right by Santa Cruz) answered a lot of my questions about the distance and the team made me feel I would fit in right away. 

9) You qualified for NXN last year as an individual. At what point of the season did you think that could be a possibility? What do you remember most about your NXN experience? What did you learn?

Although very ambitious, my goal going into the season was not only to make NXN but also to place high in the race. However, for much of the season, it wasn’t really looking like a possibility. It was only until my league meet and CCS that I started to realize how much fitness I had gained from last season. My biggest memory from last year's NXN was leading the race with Josh Bell and several other California guys. At one point, all I saw in the race was an empty golf course ahead of me, and I realized then that I could do really well if I just kept pushing. The biggest lesson from NXN for me was the sense that I was there and in the midst of the nation's best runners, and that if I consistently put in the work early in the season, I could be competitive with the best HS runners in the nation. 

10) At CCS, you lowered the Crystal Springs course record.  What was your plan before the race? What does it mean to you to hold the course record on such a legendary course?

My plan going into CCS was to get the course record (and, of course, to win my race). My Coach wanted me to go out in 4:40 and hammer the second mile, which I really tried my best to do, but I didn’t realize how fast I was going, so I went out in 4:28/4:29 but was still able to hammer the second mile. By the 2 mile I was at 9:24 and realized I just needed to hang on and kick for the course record. Getting the course record by 4 seconds (in a solo effort) was/is a huge confidence booster going into the CIF 2024 xc State Meet. Crystal is truly a special course and the CCS atmosphere is so electric, so to get the course record at such a legendary course is something I will remember and cherish for a long time. 

11) What would your advice be for a young runner with aspirations to be successful in high school and beyond?

My advice to young runners with aspirations to do well in high school and beyond high school would be to truly enjoy the process. While this may sound repetitive, as many runners have heard this before, High School running (and life/running beyond) goes by so fast, so try to treasure and cherish every moment, the joy, the pain, and the laughs with your teammates on runs and the moments your running alone.

12) Anything else you would like to add.

Thanks for the interview, Albert! And thank you for all you do not only for your incredible Crystal Springs Uplands Program, but also CCS and NorCal running.

Thank you very much for your time, Eli. Albert.

2024 NCS MOC XC Meet Data

Thanks to www.diablotiming.com for posting combined results at these links:
https://diablotiming.com/results/2024-11-23/mp/#event1
https://diablotiming.com/results/2024-11-23/mp/#event2

You can check out photos of the team winners from each race on my Twitter account @CCExpress

In the past, the All-NCS teams were determined by the results of the NCS MOC meet. This year, the conditions were so different for the later divisions that it's not fair to compare runners racing earlier in the meet to runners later in the meet. For now, here are the top 10 individuals in each Division. 

Feel free to comment below on the most outstanding performances, biggest upsets, and best individual and team races. 

Girls Division I

1	Nottingham, Carina  *T	JR	228	Berkeley (NC)	1	18:19.3	---	6:06.4	7:47.9 (1)	12:23.2 (1)
2	Saenz, Dakota  *T	FR	229	Berkeley (NC)	2	18:30.2	10.9	6:10.1	7:48.3 (4)	12:29.3 (5)
3	Nierengarten, Illiana  *T	SO	339	Castro Valley (NC)	3	18:44.8	25.5	6:14.9	7:48.0 (2)	12:23.7 (2)
4	Hougan, Magnolia  *T	SR	225	Berkeley (NC)	4	18:47.4	28.1	6:15.8	7:48.8 (6)	12:25.0 (3)
5	Bellinger, Emily  *I	SO	266	California (NC)	5	18:48.4	29.1	6:16.1	7:51.7 (7)	12:34.0 (7)
6	Kumar, Ananya  *T	JR	458	Dougherty Valley (NC)	6	18:49.2	29.9	6:16.4	7:48.1 (3)	12:29.2 (4)
7	Chhabra, Neha  *T	FR	456	Dougherty Valley (NC)	7	19:05.1	45.8	6:21.7	7:48.5 (5)	12:29.7 (6)
8	Prenton, Melia  *I	SR	484	Dublin (NC)	8	19:16.9	57.6	6:25.6	7:54.3 (8)	12:46.9 (8)
9	Koch, Gracie  *T	SR	226	Berkeley (NC)	9	19:20.7	1:01.4	6:26.9	8:04.4 (10)	12:53.1 (9)
10	Dughi, Anna  *T	SR	334	Castro Valley (NC)	10	19:28.7	1:09.4	6:29.6	8:05.9 (12)	12:58.8 (11)

Boys Division I

1	Sagiraju, Arrin  *T	SR	468	Dougherty Valley (NC)	1	15:59.4	---	5:19.8	15:59.3 (55)	15:59.4 (52)
2	Hussain, Eshaan  *T	SR	275	California (NC)	2	16:05.0	5.6	5:21.7	6:38.8 (1)	10:38.2 (1)
3	Feng, Justin  *T	JR	487	Dublin (NC)	3	16:09.5	10.1	5:23.2	6:39.0 (2)	10:42.5 (2)
4	Lipman, Lucas  *T	SO	490	Dublin (NC)	4	16:13.2	13.8	5:24.4	6:48.2 (6)	10:52.7 (5)
5	Mullen, Preston  *I	SR	235	Berkeley (NC)	5	16:15.4	16.0	5:25.1	6:46.6 (4)	10:50.8 (4)
6	Rosicker, Edmundas  *T	SR	467	Dougherty Valley (NC)	6	16:19.6	20.2	5:26.5	6:49.7 (8)	10:55.5 (6)
7	Santhiapillai, Daniel  *T	JR	493	Dublin (NC)	7	16:19.9	20.5	5:26.6	6:44.7 (3)	10:50.8 (3)
8	Lalani, Zayaan  *T	SR	489	Dublin (NC)	8	16:36.4	37.0	5:32.1	6:48.1 (5)	10:57.4 (7)
9	Gan, Tristan  *T	SR	488	Dublin (NC)	9	16:46.2	46.8	5:35.4	6:52.6 (10)	11:09.6 (11)
10	Johnson, Dante  *I	SR	232	Berkeley (NC)	10	16:46.7	47.3	5:35.6	6:57.3 (14)	11:07.0 (9)

Girls Division II

1	Powell, Alexandra  *T	SR	915	Monte Vista (NC)	1	17:55.3	---	5:58.4	7:30.5 (3)	11:57.0 (2)
2	Bumpus, Sade  *I	SO	604	Granada (NC)	2	17:56.7	1.4	5:58.9	7:30.6 (4)	11:57.3 (4)
3	Middleton, Sydney  *T	JR	1109	Redwood (NC)	3	18:04.6	9.3	6:01.5	7:27.6 (1)	11:56.7 (1)
4	Kozubik, Kate  *T	SO	1108	Redwood (NC)	4	18:10.7	15.4	6:03.6	7:27.8 (2)	11:57.1 (3)
5	Turns, Alyssa (Allie)   *T	SR	917	Monte Vista (NC)	5	18:20.8	25.5	6:06.9	7:34.9 (5)	12:08.0 (5)
6	O'Connell, Kaylie  *T	FR	913	Monte Vista (NC)	6	18:26.6	31.3	6:08.9	7:46.0 (10)	12:23.5 (6)
7	Davidson, Emma  *T	SR	1195	San Ramon Valley (NC)	7	18:39.3	44.0	6:13.1	7:50.5 (11)	12:28.1 (9)
8	Nacco, Marley  *T	SR	1111	Redwood (NC)	8	18:49.4	54.1	6:16.5	7:46.0 (9)	12:29.5 (11)
9	Mullins, Macy  *I	FR	554	Foothill - Pleasanton (NC)	9	18:50.5	55.2	6:16.8	7:40.9 (7)	12:25.7 (8)
10	Mueller, Rose  *T	FR	1110	Redwood (NC)	10	18:57.9	1:02.6	6:19.3	7:52.0 (13)

Boys Division II

1	Caldwell, Trey  *T	SR	439	De La Salle (NC)	1	15:26.2	---	5:08.7
2	Rattary, Jack  *T	SR	371	College Park (NC)	2	15:45.4	19.2	5:15.1
3	Mikhael, George  *T	SR	616	Granada (NC)	3	16:11.7	45.5	5:23.9
4	Murray, Tadhg  *T	SR	442	De La Salle (NC)	4	16:14.1	47.9	5:24.7
5	Barron, Nicolai  *T	JR	611	Granada (NC)	5	16:15.5	49.3	5:25.2
6	Moore, Liam  *T	SR	370	College Park (NC)	6	16:16.4	50.2	5:25.5
7	Raju, Sattvik  *T	JR	66	Amador Valley (NC)	7	16:18.1	51.9	5:26.0
8	Buscho, Connor  *I	SO	556	Foothill - Pleasanton (NC)	8	16:19.5	53.3	5:26.5
9	Gill Gulati, Arran  *T	SR	63	Amador Valley (NC)	9	16:22.3	56.1	5:27.4
10	Gaber, Dillon  *T	JR	440	De La Salle (NC)	10	16:23.7	57.5	5:27.9

Girls Division III

1	Thomsen, Hanne  *T	SR	931	Montgomery (NC)	1	18:03.9	---	6:01.3	7:27.8 (1)	11:53.9 (1)
2	Kittelstrom, Seelah  *T	SR	927	Montgomery (NC)	2	18:45.7	41.8	6:15.2	7:42.0 (2)	12:22.4 (2)
3	Lacefield, Amrie  *T	SR	928	Montgomery (NC)	3	18:50.3	46.4	6:16.8	7:45.3 (3)	12:27.9 (3)
4	Gardner, Emma  *I	SR	1273	Tamalpais (NC)	4	19:04.0	1:00.1	6:21.3	7:46.3 (4)	12:29.6 (4)
5	Yakaitis, Gretchen  *I	JR	316	Carondelet (NC)	5	19:16.7	1:12.8	6:25.6	8:02.5 (13)	12:54.9 (7)
6	McCasland, Kiona  *T	SO	296	Campolindo (NC)	6	19:25.3	1:21.4	6:28.4	7:49.0 (6)	12:45.8 (5)
7	Montilla, Lily  *I	SR	772	Las Lomas (NC)	7	19:32.5	1:28.6	6:30.8	7:47.5 (5)	12:47.2 (6)
8	Terrazas, Camila  *T	FR	998	Northgate (NC)	8	19:35.3	1:31.4	6:31.8	8:02.4 (12)	12:57.7 (8)
9	Veloza, Grace  *T	SR	984	Newark Memorial (NC)	9	19:36.6	1:32.7	6:32.2	8:01.1 (8)	12:59.7 (10)
10	McCarty, Alice  *T	JR	981	Newark Memorial (NC)	10	19:40.2	1:36.3	6:33.4	8:00.0 (7)	12:59.2 (9)

Boys Division III

1	Kawabata, Kenji  *T	JR	986	Newark Memorial (NC)	1	16:36.4	---	5:32.1	6:53.3 (3)	11:06.0 (1)
2	Ehrhorn, Caden  *T	FR	300	Campolindo (NC)	2	16:44.0	7.6	5:34.7	6:53.2 (2)	11:07.8 (2)
3	Zink, Marco  *T	SR	1284	Tamalpais (NC)	3	16:45.3	8.9	5:35.1	6:58.3 (10)	11:09.2 (6)
4	Gregory, Clark  *T	SO	301	Campolindo (NC)	4	16:45.7	9.3	5:35.2	6:55.8 (6)	11:11.8 (7)
5	Cristea, Teo  *I	SR	1189	San Rafael (NC)	5	16:48.8	12.4	5:36.3	7:00.1 (12)	11:13.3 (9)
6	Gardner, Caeden  *T	SR	1279	Tamalpais (NC)	6	16:50.9	14.5	5:37.0	6:52.8 (1)	11:08.8 (4)
7	Surgeon, Xavier  *I	JR	1385	Windsor (NC)	7	16:55.4	19.0	5:38.5	6:53.5 (5)	11:07.9 (3)
8	Ruark, Lucas  *T	JR	1282	Tamalpais (NC)	8	17:02.4	26.0	5:40.8	11:09.4 (154)	17:02.3 (152)
9	Cook, Maxson  *T	SR	297	Campolindo (NC)	9	17:03.5	27.1	5:41.2	6:56.2 (8)	11:17.8 (10)
10	Gaylord, Cormac  *I	SR	106	Analy (NC)	10	17:04.5	28.1	5:41.5	6:53.4 (4)

Girls Division IV

1	Stieg, Ani  *T	JR	140	Archie Williams (NC)	1	19:50.1	---	6:36.7	8:00.1 (1)	13:00.2 (1)
2	King, Lucy  *T	JR	240	Bishop O'Dowd (NC)	2	20:10.1	20.0	6:43.4	8:21.1 (4)	13:23.1 (3)
3	Murphy, Nevis  *T	JR	4	Acalanes (NC)	3	20:14.9	24.8	6:45.0	8:13.0 (3)	13:22.6 (2)
4	Rodgers, Isabella  *T	SO	241	Bishop O'Dowd (NC)	4	20:37.2	47.1	6:52.4	8:11.1 (2)	13:25.4 (4)
5	Hays, Gabby  *I	SR	863	Marin Catholic (NC)	5	20:38.1	48.0	6:52.7	8:22.0 (6)	13:37.4 (7)
6	Mand, Leighton  *I	SO	1042	Piedmont (NC)	6	20:40.2	50.1	6:53.4	8:24.6 (8)	13:38.3 (8)
7	Sekhon, Anju  *T	SO	6	Acalanes (NC)	7	20:51.2	1:01.1	6:57.1	8:22.1 (7)	13:32.4 (6)
8	Silverstein, Alyssa  *T	JR	139	Archie Williams (NC)	8	20:59.2	1:09.1	6:59.7	8:21.4 (5)	13:28.2 (5)
9	Sullivan, Ainsley  *T	SO	142	Archie Williams (NC)	9	21:01.7	1:11.6	7:00.6	8:34.3 (12)	13:55.4 (10)
10	Potter, Madison  *I	SR	1257	St. Mary's College HS (NC)	10	21:05.3	1:15.2	7:01.8	8:35.0 (13)	14:01.5 (12)

Boys Division IV

1	Sharp, Ian  *T	SR	149	Archie Williams (NC)	1	16:23.6	---	5:27.9	6:43.8 (3)	10:53.8 (2)
2	Taylor, Sebastian  *T	JR	250	Bishop O'Dowd (NC)	2	16:31.4	7.8	5:30.5	6:43.4 (2)	10:53.5 (1)
3	Schmitt, Javin  *T	SR	1266	St. Mary's College HS (NC)	3	16:37.4	13.8	5:32.5	6:45.5 (4)	10:57.8 (3)
4	Seeley, Ryan  *T	SR	148	Archie Williams (NC)	4	16:44.5	20.9	5:34.8	6:53.1 (6)	11:05.9 (5)
5	Presnell, Tucker  *T	JR	1265	St. Mary's College HS (NC)	5	16:56.6	33.0	5:38.9	6:42.9 (1)	10:58.5 (4)
6	Zimmerman, Harry  *I	JR	14	Acalanes (NC)	6	17:01.4	37.8	5:40.5	7:01.5 (19)	11:18.2 (9)
7	Eilenberg, Ennio  *T	SR	246	Bishop O'Dowd (NC)	7	17:02.7	39.1	5:40.9	6:58.4 (8)	11:15.9 (7)
8	Letulle, Logan  *T	JR	893	Miramonte (NC)	8	17:06.0	42.4	5:42.0	6:46.9 (5)	11:09.5 (6)
9	HETHERINGTON, Milo  *T	SO	146	Archie Williams (NC)	9	17:08.8	45.2	5:42.9	7:09.3 (28)	11:24.5 (17)
10	Ajmani, Shahan  *I	JR	1304	Terra Linda (NC)	10	17:09.0	45.4	5:43.0	6:59.2 (12)	11:18.6 (11)

Girls Division V

1	Mogannam, Ella  *T	JR	800	Lick Wilmerding (NC)	1	19:11.9	---	6:24.0	7:42.4 (1)	12:40.6 (1)
2	Chang, Caroline  *T	SO	798	Lick Wilmerding (NC)	2	19:13.9	2.0	6:24.6	7:51.4 (3)	12:40.9 (2)
3	Allen, Farah  *T	SO	252	Branson (NC)	3	19:18.5	6.6	6:26.2	7:56.4 (4)	12:47.0 (4)
4	Schlatter, Corinna  *I	SO	1241	St. Helena (NC)	4	19:26.6	14.7	6:28.9	7:56.5 (5)	12:48.3 (5)
5	Spaly, Audrey  *T	SR	257	Branson (NC)	5	19:36.2	24.3	6:32.1	7:45.9 (2)	12:41.2 (3)
6	Adams-Teoh, Ella  *T	FR	797	Lick Wilmerding (NC)	6	19:47.1	35.2	6:35.7	8:09.7 (7)	13:04.7 (6)
7	Sellers, Hailey  *T	SO	256	Branson (NC)	7	20:10.1	58.2	6:43.4	8:14.4 (8)	13:22.6 (8)
8	Gidney, Maya  *T	FR	254	Branson (NC)	8	20:11.1	59.2	6:43.7	8:04.8 (6)	13:14.5 (7)
9	Williams, Eme  *T	JR	169	Athenian (NC)	9	20:18.1	1:06.2	6:46.0	8:16.9 (13)	13:23.1 (10)
10	Shepard, Luella  *I	JR	853	Marin Academy (NC)	10	20:20.4	1:08.5	6:46.8	8:16.4 (12)	13:25.1 (11)

Boys Division V

1	Friedland, Ben  *T	SO	1147	San Francisco University (NC)	1	16:46.0	---	5:35.3	6:48.0 (1)	10:59.7 (1)
2	James, Jasper  *T	SR	263	Branson (NC)	2	17:25.9	39.9	5:48.6	7:12.3 (4)	11:30.8 (2)
3	Garoutte, Wade  *T	SR	1149	San Francisco University (NC)	3	17:35.3	49.3	5:51.8	7:09.1 (2)	11:34.5 (3)
4	Langridge, Stefan  *I	SR	693	International	4	17:46.8	1:00.8	5:55.6	7:13.4 (7)	11:40.1 (4)
5	Price, Devin  *I	SR	1137	San Domenico (NC)	5	17:50.4	1:04.4	5:56.8	7:14.4 (8)	11:40.8 (5)
6	Kraska, Ethan  *T	SO	1150	San Francisco University (NC)	6	17:52.3	1:06.3	5:57.4	7:25.1 (19)	11:51.5 (11)
7	Brilliant, Jack  *T	SR	1146	San Francisco University (NC)	7	17:52.6	1:06.6	5:57.5	7:15.6 (9)	11:45.4 (8)
8	Ikeda, Sevan  *I	SR	285	California School for the Deaf - Fremont (NC)	8	17:59.8	1:13.8	5:59.9	7:12.8 (5)	11:43.6 (7)
9	Derango, Aaron  *I	JR	1290	Technology (NC)	9	18:05.0	1:19.0	6:01.7	7:13.4 (6)	11:41.1 (6)
10	McWilliams, Jake  *I	JR	655	Healdsburg (NC)	10	18:08.5	1:22.5	6:02.8	7:19.6 (13)	11:52.5 (12)

Teams qualifying both teams to State Meet
Dougherty Valley (Division I)
Campolindo (Division III)
Newark Memorial (Division III)
Archie Williams (Division IV)
Bishop O'Dowd (Division IV)
University (Division V)
Branson (Division V)