2017 California Track and Field Schedule

February
February 16-18 Simplot Indoor Games at Pocatello Idaho
February 25 Capital Classic Relays at Grant
February 25 Clarke Massey Relays at Cosumnes Oaks
February 25 Bulldog Invitational at Folsom
February 25 De La Salle Super Seven at DVC
February 25 Throwers Classic at Fowler
February 25 Ontario Relays at Ontario
February 25 Burbank Relays
February 25 Buchanan Distance Classic at Buchanan

March
March 3 Steve March Relays at Del Oro
March 3 Pitman Distance Wars at Turlock
March 4 Big Cat Invitational at Santa Rosa
March 4 Dean Andreessen Classic
March 4 Sacramento State HS Track Classic at CSUS
March 4 Tom Moore Relays at Sierra
March 4 Steve Jones Invitational at Burbank
March 4 Vallejo Relays at Vallejo
March 4 Dan Gabor Invitational at Amador Valley
March 4 Willow Glen Invitational at Willow Glen
March 4 Rustbuster Invitational at Monta Vista
March 4 Peninsula Kickoff Distance Classic at CSM
March 10 Stanislaus County Meet at Turlock
March 11 San Rafael Twilight Relays at TBA
March 11 KBell Invitational at Los Gatos
March 11 Del Campo Distance Carnival at Del Campo
March 11 Randy Sturgeon Invitational at Granite Bay
March 11 Wolfpack Relays at Merrill West
March 11 Welton Moore Relays at Grant
March 11 Merced County Championships at Golden Valley
March 11 TKA Distance Carnival at TKA
March 15 Pitman F/S Showcase at Turlock
March 17 Calaveras F/S Invite at Calaveras
March 17 LeFebvre Relays at Placer
March 18 Husky Invitational at Sheldon
March 18 Lancer Invitational at Cordova
March 18 Jaguar Invitational at Kimball
March 18 Dublin Distance Fiesta Invitational at Dublin
March 18 St. Francis Invitational at St. Francis
March 18 Cupertino/De Anza Invitational at De Anza
March 18 Garlic Classic at Gilroy
March 24 County Clash V at Oakdale
March 24 Bronco Distance Carnival at Bella Vista
March 25 APU/AHS Invitational at Azusa Pacific
March 25 Firebird Invitational at TBA
March 25 Bay Area Relays at TBA
March 25 Ron Ruptier Memorial Invite at Ponderosa
March 25 Metro Invitational at Burbank
March 25 Mark Macres Invitational at Monterey Trail
March 31 Wolfpack Distance Carnival at Cosumnes Oaks
March 31 Colfax Invitational at Colfax

April 
March 31/April 1 Stanford Invitational at Stanford
April 1 MJC Invitational at Modesto JC
April 7 Cougar Coed Relays at El Dorado
March 7 Friday Night Lights at Inderkum
April 7/8 Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia
April 8 Hughson Invitational at Turlock
April 8 JFK Cougar Invitational
April 8 Thunder Invitational at Rocklin
April 11 Jesuit Easter Invitational
April 11 Rio Linda Invitational at Rio Linda
April 14 Woody Wilson Invitational at UC Davis
April 14/15 Mt. SAC Relays at Walnut HS
April 15 Serra Invitational at Serra
Bearcat Invitational (waiting on date) at San Mateo
April 22 Viking Classic at Montgomery
April 22 CCS Top 8 Meet at Los Gatos
April 21 Del Oro Invitational at Del Oro
April 22 Bella Vista Invitational at Bella Vista
April 22 Northern California Frosh/Soph Championships at Dublin
April 22 Fred Faucett Vallejo Invite at Vallejo
April 22 Halden Invitational at Davis
April 22 Hal Clements Bret Harte Invite at Bret Harte
April 22 Glenn Poole Invitational at Oakmont
April 28 Shedon Distance Carnival
April 28 Frosh/Soph SacTown Races at Whitney
April 29 Sacramento Meet of Champions at ARC

May
May 5 Gold Rush Elit at Calaveras
May 5 Kays Ostrom Nevada Union/Bear River Invitational at Nevada Union
May 6 JFK Frosh/Soph Invitational
May 17-19 Div I SJS Trials and Finals at Elk Grove
May 17-19 Div II-III SJS Trials and Finals at Bella Vista
May 16-18 Div IV-V SJS Trials and Finals at CSU Stanislaus
May 20 CCS Semi-finals at TBA
May 25-26 SJS Masters Trials and Finals at Elk Grove
May 26 CCS Finals at TBA

June
June 2/3 California State Track and Field Final at Buchanan 

All-Time California XC State Meet Podium Teams '87-'16 (Girls)

If you spot any errors, please let me know in the comment section below.

All-time top CCS boys' teams at CA state meet

"I keep all these records for Bellarmine’s purposes, which is why there is no girls data. Anyone who wanted to do it would find all the info on Hank’s site…just need some time and an interest in State history!! Enjoy, and congrats to all those who ran so well at CCS…for me, that would be a special shout out to the Aptos girls and Dublin and Campo boys teams, from the Bay Area…truly inspiring to watch them all run! I was so proud of their efforts…and of the many individuals who ran so well, especially Liam Anderson…wow!!!!!! See you all in track; Patrick McCrystle, Bellarmine College Prep"

Here is the LINK to all the top CCS individuals and teams all-time at the state meet.

Catching up with Santa Rosa HS senior, Luca Mazzanti

Today we catch up with Santa Rosa senior runner, Luca Mazzanti (photo to the left is courtesy of ca.milesplit.com and Ben Crawford). This past Saturday, Mazzanti was the top NorCal placer in the Division II race with his 5th place finish and 15:24.3 time. Earlier this season, Mazzanti finished in 25th at the Stanford Invitational seeded race. He went on to win the NBL championship and then finished in 5th place at the NCS meet with a time of 15:20.3. During the Track and Field season, Mazzanti finished in 4th place at the NCS MOC meet with a time of 4:18.21, just missing the state Track and Field meet. He followed that up with a very fine Steeplechase effort over the summer as he ran the 2nd fastest time in CA history in the 2000m Steeple with a time of 5:54.96.

1) You finished in 5th place at Saturday's CA state meet. Heading into the meet, what place did you think you could finish if you ran well?
Heading in I thought I was for sure in the top 20 and had the potential to move up. My fitness was still going up every week and I felt great on my runs so I had a "perfect day" goal to crack the top 10.

2) What was the plan heading into the race? Did you have a pace in mind for the first mile/2 mile? Did you have any runners that you could shadow? 
I really wanted to focus on being conservative in the first mile and be able to chase people down in the last mile or so. My coach had me pick 3 spots to make a move and that worked really well because it also kept me mentally engaged in the race. I had sort of a vague idea to look for the Dublin guys because I thought I could stick to them for a while.

3) What was your place and time at the mile mark? How did you feel at that point? 
My plan was to hit the mile in 4:50 and I crossed it in 4:52 so at that point I felt really relaxed. I was probably in 30th or so at that point and that is when I started moving up and picking people off.

4) Did you have a pretty good idea of your place throughout the race itself? How tough was the last mile? When did you start your drive for the finish line? When did it sink in that you finished in 5th place? What was your place and time in the Division I race last year?
I started to notice my place when we got to the big hill. I saw that there weren't a ton of people ahead of me so I started to pull up to the lead pack and was a few meters behind them when we reached the 2 mile mark. I actually felt really good for the last mile. I made a move on the rolling hills in the back and caught up to the leaders. I didn't want it to come down to a sprint so I started a long drive to the finish and that's when the pack broke and started going for it. I didn't have my normal kick but I sort of had the jump on a few of the guys so I was able to hold them off. It really sunk in when I saw my coaches and they were ecstatic about my race. I think my time last year was around 16:30 or so and 98th in the race. (editor's note: he finished in 105th with a time of 16:28.3) You could say this year went a little better.

5) When did you start running and when did you first realize that this is the sport for you?
I started running in 7th grade but it was mostly to get in shape for soccer and hang out with friends. Freshman year I was going to play soccer and not run cross-country but a friend convinced me to come to a practice and I loved it so I chose to run instead. That year I ran some pretty good times and decided to do running a little bit more seriously.

6) Did you do anything differently over the summer as you prepared for this season?
I raced the steeplechase this summer which was tons of fun. It meant I ran a lot less miles but I got to get in some really fun races and workouts so it was a good trade.

7) What about your training during the season? What was your typically weekly mileage? Any key workouts? Distance of your longest run? Pace of most of your road runs? Did you have to do most of your runs/workouts on your own?
I am a pretty low-mileage guy so I didn't do a ton of super long workouts. I started doing double days twice a week which probably bumped up my mileage to around 45 a week. I took a nasty fall while running the day after Stanford and hurt my hip pretty bad. I couldn't run for 2 weeks so that set me back a little but I cross trained and kept up my fitness relatively well. We have 2 key workouts in cross-country. One is an adapted version of what one of my coaches ran at Michigan. It's called the Michigan and is meant to simulate a race. The other is called Cobblestone and is a tempo/ hill workout. We keep records of both so it's nice to look back and see what you ran as a freshman. I think I got one run in that was 12 miles but I backed off after I hurt my hip and didn't get back above 10. I usually run around 7:00 pace and cut it down to 6:30 pace by the end of most runs but it depends on how easy I am supposed to take it. I usually run with one of my friends but he was hurt this season so I was on my own for most runs, at least for the majority. It's not as fun but in a way it forces you to focus more.

8) Tell us about your coaches and how they have helped you get to this point in your running career.
8) My coaches are awesome. I would not even be close to this point without them. Doug Courtemarche and Carrie Joseph work together so well and have a great system in place to help us develop as runners. They put emphasis on being able to develop past our high school years and making sure we don't burn out. Our newer coach (in comparison to Doug and Carrie), Kevon, is super knowledgeable about strength training and nutrition stuff so he's been a huge help in staying well rounded. The best thing about my coaches is how they encourage the team to be better in all aspects of our lives and not just athletically.

9) Favorite XC course? Favorite XC invitational? Favorite XC workout? Favorite long run? Favorite TF event? Favorite TF invitational? Favorite TF workout? Favorite movie? Favorite free time activity?
My favorites have got to be Mt. SAC for invitational and course just because of how challenging it is. My favorite workouts are tempo runs at our home course. In track I have to say steeplechase is my favorite event because it mixes up the race. I also like the 1600 because it's tactical and fast and I love to have a strong kick at the end. My favorite track meet is the Big Cat meet that my school hosts because it's a ton of fun to race so many people on your home track. My favorite movie would have to be Anchorman. I love to go backpacking when I am free on the weekends.

10) Have you made your college decision and if not, how much of a factor will running be when it comes to selecting your college?
I've narrowed it down to a handful of schools but no decisions yet. My priority is academics but running is one of the important factors I am taking into account. I hope to find a school that helps me to develop as a runner without sacrificing my academics.

11) Looking ahead to the Track and Field season, any meets that you are looking forward to and any goals you want to share?
I am really excited about our DMR this season and think we will be able to mix it up with the best teams at Arcadia. I also want to break 4:10 in the 1600 and see how competitive I can be. Maybe get into some steeplechases. But that's hard because there are not many around. If you know of any let me know. I think I could run a decent 3k steeple time.

12) Anything else you would like to add.
It's been a good cross-country season. Hopefully track is just as exciting.

Thanks so much for running such a great site.

Thank you very much for your time Luca! AJC

Northern California podium finishers at California State XC meet

Division IV Boys (Individuals)
4) Ryan Cutter Hercules (NCS)
6) Kellen O'Neill Arcata (NCS)
10) Munir Kabbara San Rafael (NCS)

Division V Boys (Individuals)
1) Cooper Teare St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS)
3) Brian Schulz El Molino (NCS)
7) Jake Lange Nueva (CCS)
9) Sean Laidlaw Lick-Wilmerding (NCS)
10) Eli Horwitz Stuart Hall (NCS)

Division IV Girls (Individuals)
2) Mari Friedman Santa Cruz (CCS)
8) Cassy Haskell Miramonte (NCS)
9) Kaela Dishion Bret Harte (SJS)

Division V Girls (Teams)
3) Nueva (CCS)

Division V Girls (Individuals)
1) Kiera Marshall St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS)
2) Alex Stout Pacific Collegiate (CCS)
4) Emily Perez St. Joseph Notre Dame (NCS)
5) Grace Dailey Branson (NCS)
6) Rylee Bowen Sonoma Academy (NCS)
8) Kate Bowen Sonoma Academy (NCS)

Division I Boys (Individuals)
1) Luis Grijalva Armijo (SJS)
2) Michael Vernau Davis (SJS)
3) Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau Bellarmine (CCS)
7) Benjamin Holland Jesuit (SJS)
9) Neil Braganza Dougherty Valley (NCS)

Division II Girls (Individuals)
4) Alexandra Beitia Granite Bay (SJS)
7) Meredith Corda Monte Vista (NCS)
10) Isabella Fauria St. Francis, Sacramento (SJS)

Division III Boys (Teams)
3) Campolindo (NCS)

Division III Boys (Individuals)
2) Liam Anderson Redwood (NCS)
6) Collin De Julio Vista Del Lago (SJS)
7) Andrew Skoy Shasta (NS)

Division I Girls (Teams)
2) Davis (SJS)

Division I Girls (Individuals)
1) Olivia O'Keeffe Davis (SJS)
5) Sofia Castiglioni Davis (SJS)

Division II Boys (Individuals)
5) Luca Mazzanti Santa Rosa (NCS)
6) Anirudh Surapaneni Dublin (NCS)
7) Jake Ritter Granite Bay (SJS)

Division III Girls (Teams)
3) Aptos (CCS)

Division III Girls (Individuals)
1) Glennis Murphy Redwood (NCS)
2) Gillian Wagner Redwood (NCS)
4) Marea Zlatunich Aptos (CCS)
6) Isabella Chao Campolindo (NCS)
8) Delaney Rasmussen Vista Del Lago (SJS)
9) Hannah Ruane Campolindo (NCS)

All-Time California XC State Meet Podium Teams '87-'16 (Boys)

Below is an updated list of the podium teams (top 3) for every CA state meet race since the first one in 1987. The bolded numbers are additions from this year's state meet.

If you find any errors, please email me the corrections at albertjcaruana@gmail.com

Girls will be posted tomorrow.

2016 California State Cross Country Championships - Boys D1 Race

Thank you once again to Jesuit coach Walt Lange and crew...

NorCal NXN Qualifiers

Team Qualifiers
Davis Girls (one of two CA auto qualifiers)

Individual Qualifiers
Luis Grijalva Armijo
Michael Vernau Davis
Cooper Teare SJND
Liam Anderson Redwood
Glennis Murphy Redwood

2017 Track and Field Invitationals

If you are a meet director and know the date of your meet during the spring Track and Field season, please post your meet and date in the comment section below.

A NorCal coach inquired about meets that have shuttle hurdle races. Please let us know what meets in Northern California have that race on their schedule.

Donation to Cross Country Express

If you have enjoyed the pre-season, season and section Cross Country coverage on this website this past summer and current season, a kind donation would be appreciated.  You can do so at the link to the right via PayPal.

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