DIVISION I
BOYS
- Team storyline: Not as much would Great Oak's nationally ranked team win for the fourth year in a row, but by how much? Despite Tyler Tickner taking a nasty fall, and others among the usual Wolfpack seven ailing and unable to run, Coach Doug Soles' lads crushed it once again, getting a 2-5-10-17-20 finish for 53 points and a 1:14:18 team time.
- Individual storyline: The top 12 in 2017 were all seniors. Would seniors again dominate at the top?
Indeed, with Long Beach Poly's William Frankenfeld (14:35.8) leading a parade of eight from the class of 2019. West Ranch sophomore Dylan Gatua (ninth in 14:49.3) was the only non-senior in the top 11. Note that Tickner rallied to grab that No. 2 finish for Great Oak (14:42.6).
Indeed, with Long Beach Poly's Race Recap: Great Oak ran away with their fourth straight divisional championship, with Tyler Tickner's runner-up finish leading the charge. In shattering their own Riverside Championship course record by ten seconds per boy, they were able to erase a 12-point deficit to Dana Hills with less than 1.3 miles to go. This was the sixth straight year of moving onto the State Meet (and eight in the last nine seasons) as Great Oak rested Gabriel Abbes and Noah Nevens for next weekend. You would never know they were missing as Ryan Shields erupted for his best race yet, rocketing to a fifth place, 14:46 performance. Cameron Hylton also stepped up to take 10th place (14:49.6) while Mateo Joseph (14:57.2) and Chris Verdugo (15:03.5) closed out the scoring. An early spill in the first 100 meters of the race did not phase the Wolfpack!
Dana Hills held on to capture the runner-up plaque with Simon Fuller taking third place in 14:44.0. Cole Stark and Carrick Denker both performed up to expectations as both crossed under 15:10. Most doubted that Dana Hills could stay at the top despite two projected scorers moving elsewhere. Garrett Hough and Hayden Stein crossed together to close out the scoring and the Dolphins' 13th consecutive year of qualifying for the State Meet and their fourth runner-up plaque over the last five seasons.
West Ranch had the firepower up top as the trio of Isaiah Seidman (fourth - 14:44.6), Evan Bates (seventh - 14:47.1) and Dylan Gatua (ninth - 14:49.) outperformed expectations. But, the lack of depth on this day pushed them down to third place, matching their same place at the 2017 Division II Finals. This is their fourth straight year of qualifying onward.
Led by William Frankenfeld's victory, Long Beach Poly moved up from sixth to fourth over the last 1.3 miles. This is the first time Poly has earned back-to-back trips to Fresno since the 2001-2002 seasons. Ronan McMahon-Staggs crossed at 15:07.4 in 22nd place with Alex Matos coming up with his best race of the season in 29th place in 15:13.8. Daniel Bautista led a trio that all finished seconds apart to cement the trip to Fresno.
Perhaps, the most improved team in Division I, Crescenta Valley remained steadfast and makes their way back to the State Meet in back-to-back years for the first time in school history. The duo of Dylan Wilbur (14:51.6) and Manan Vats' (14:52.7) top-15 finishes bolstered the Falcons onward. Their fourth scorer, Erik Faeustle emerged as one of the most improved to help elevate this squad beyond all preseason projections.
In our pre-meet write-up, we were spot on in regard to six squads competing for those last two spots. We even mentioned additional wild cards as well. With that, we wish we also included the next two squads!
THE surprise here was the crew from Mira Costa. Coming off a great track season, we had the Mustangs in our Preseason Top 10, but they faded off the grid ... until today! Cy Chittenden busted our pre-race Top 10 list in rolling to a 14:47.4, eighth place finish. Cole Gamble (15:08.2) and Cormac Carew (15:21.7) also stepped up to complete the team upgrade. JP Soares provided an additional spark as his crew had not been ranked in the top 12 since early September. This is their second time in three seasons of moving onto the State Meet.
Another nice surprise came from California! Up and down all season long, Angel Salinas was their top boy, although back in 34th place. Ethan Ruiz (40th place) excelled and with a tight 23-second scoring gap, they are going back to the State Meet for the third time in four seasons.
Individually, the large group stayed together through a conservative first half. At the 1.7 mile split, there 
were 22 boys with TWO seconds of one another! But Tickner, who had to overcome a fall, would then push the pace, with Bates and Vats on his shoulders. Hidden in that huge pack and in ninth place at the split, Frankenfeld (Patrick Corsinita photo) patiently moved forward, accelerating into the lead for good with 600 meters to go and extending it down the stretch. In crossing in 14:35.8, he set a new Division I course record, previously held by Loyola's Shane Bissell (14:39.4, achieved with his D-I victory last year). His time was also the third fastest of any senior in course history.
Individual Qualifiers: Josh O'Neill (Trabuco Hills) 14:47.1, Andrew Martinez (Ayala), 14:50.1, Raul Chavez (Roosevelt) 14:53.2, Ben McKenna (Aliso Niguel) 14:53.5, Lorenzo Orozco (Valley View) 14:57.9.
GIRLS
- Team storyline: Same as the boys asking not if Great Oak's nationally ranked team would win for the seventh year in a row and eighth time in nine years, but by how much? With junior Tori Gaitan and senior Fatima Cortes going 1-3, the rest of the Wolfpack ladies crossed 13-15-17 for 43 points and a 1:26.03 team time. Vista Murrieta, also from the Southwestern League, was second with 97 points (5-18-20-22-47) and a 1:28.21 team time.
- Individual storyline: Would Cortes be able to repeat, holding off Gaitan and two-time champion Chloe Arriaga
of Walnut? It was Gaitan, as she has done all season (winning all but one race of consequence so far), taking control, creating separation, and closing strong (16:42.2). Arriaga, admittedly hurting while running shoulder-to-shoulder with Cortes in the final sprint, found the strength to surge ahead late and place second (16:52.7) for the second year in a row after winning the title as a freshman and a sophomore. Cortes crossed third (16:54.4). Vista Murrieta's Devyn Candaele (17:01.8) and Upland's Riley Rodriguez (17:03.5), both freshmen, were fifth and sixth, respectively, on a day when the girls of the Class of 2022 made headlines.
of Walnut? It was Gaitan, as she has done all season (winning all but one race of consequence so far), taking control, creating separation, and closing strong (16:42.2). Arriaga, admittedly hurting while running shoulder-to-shoulder with Cortes in the final sprint, found the strength to surge ahead late and place second (16:52.7) for the second year in a row after winning the title as a freshman and a sophomore. Cortes crossed third (16:54.4). Vista Murrieta's Race Recap: Not ready to be upstaged by their boys, Great Oak's girls rolled to their own team title, and also broke their own previous course record! Choosing to stay with the front pack through the first two miles, Tori Gaitan purred along that last mile and raced home, beaming with a smile over that last 100 meters for the individual title in 16:42.2. Continuing to make an argument as the best team in the country, defending champ Fatima Cortes (3rd place - 16:54.5), Arianna Griffiths (13th place - 17:16.8), and Audrey Dang (15th place - 17:31.4) rolled in from there. Aubrey Nex continues to close the gap on front-running Gaitan, with a stellar 17:38.9 performance. They held a 42 point lead at the 1.7-mile split, and opened it up to 54 points by the end. They are the first team in Southern Section history to capture SEVEN straight titles while this is also their ninth in the past ten seasons!
After a slight setback at Mt. SAC last month, Mira Costa motored to a third-place finish with freshman Dalia Frias (12th place - 17:16.6) up front. Lucy Atkinson (28th place - 17:50.2) and Brooke Inouye (35th place - 18:04.8). Improving upon their sixth-place finish from 2017, this is their fourth straight year moving onward and tenth time in the past 12 seasons!
Fountain Valley qualified for the State Meet for the first time since 2007. Ashley Faller (24th place - 17:44.6) and Sara Feitz (34th place - 18:04.0) led the Barons like they have all season. Maddie Jahshan was a critical component in their success as her 18:10.3 performance was a continued indicator of her improvement over the last half of the season.
West Ranch improved from eighth place up to a fifth place finish after the 1.7-mile split. Freshman Alexis Fernandez moved up to a 10th place finish, crossing in 17:13.9. Abigail Welch (31st place - 17:59.8) and Sophia Hoelzel (36th place - 18:05.6) provided great support, to only their second State Meet berth in school history. They also qualified in 2007.
After qualifying both Arriaga twins the past three seasons as individuals, Walnut finally broke through to a 
State Meet berth as a TEAM. Their sixth place finish was led again, by Chloe and Emma Arriaga. In taking second place in 16:52.7, Chloe graduates with two individual titles to go along with two runner-up finishes! Emma crossed in eight place at 17:05.5, while it was Amanda Ghibaudo and Anastasia Sloan that provided valuable support.
For the past seven seasons, Ayala has finished between 14th and 16th place as a team. Well, that has changed as the Mikaela Ramirez-led Bulldogs qualified onward for the first time since 2010. Ramirez crossed in 17:12.5, ninth place finish while Erin Facenda and Emily Garcia crossed together at 18:15. Garcia had not been in their top three until this postseason while Ayala was also without a major scorer.
Individually, Upland upstart freshman Riley Rodriguez opted to pace the field through the first mile, with Chloe Arriaga and the Great Oak trio not too far behind. Gaitan pushed the pace from there with Arriaga, Cortes and Chino Hills' Jacqueline Duarte separating themselves as they passed through the two-mile mark. Candaele closed in on Duarte over the last 200 meters while Rodriguez held on for the surprising sixth-place finish. San Clemente's Hana Catsimanes also closed well to secure a State Meet spot.
Fellow Southwestern League foe, Vista Murrieta held true to form with a runner-up finish and left as the 
third fastest team of the day! Freshman Devyn Candaele rolled to a fifth-place finish and held the freshman course record until the Division II race. In only her fourth race of the season, Paige Haynes stayed up in the top 20 for most of the race and was joined by Emily Bourque and Aniya Pretlow as all three dipped under 17:45 and inside the Top 25. Makayla Fick, in her second race of the season, impressed with her 18:16.4 effort. The Broncos have more in the tank as they qualified for their tenth straight State Meet, and their third runner-up plaque in the last four seasons. Their 88:21 team time is the fifth fastest in course history.
Individual Qualifiers: Jacqueline Duarte (Chino Hills) 16:57.4; Riley Rodriguez (Upland) 17:03.5; Hana Catsimanes (San Clemente) 17:03.9; Cynthia Martin (Chaparral) 17:16.1; Maria Hernandez (Santa Ana) 17:18.4.