Division II
Two of the top returning NCS girls in Division 2, Monte Vista's Kelli Wilson (1976) and Vintage's Mary Deeik (2055) are pictured running within a stride of each other at the State Meet. (Credit: DeAnna Turner)
Last season at the North Coast Section Meet of Champions at Hayward HS, several races (five to be exact) were held including both Division 2 races before the meet was terminated due to the bad air quality. The Granada boys and girls swept this division for the second time in school history after they accomplished double victories in Division 3 back in 1999. The Granada girls also won their fourth straight section title and finished in second place at the State Meet following a third-place finish in 2017.
Last year, the Granada boys easily won the section title outdistancing De La Salle by 49 points (31-80). This year, the boy's team battle should be much closer and may be a toss-up at this point. Both teams lose strong front runners as De La Salle graduated last year's section individual winner, Connor Livingston while Granada graduated runner-up Joshua White and sixth-place finisher, Tyler Hattori.
The De La Salle boys qualified for the State Meet last year after a couple misses the previous two seasons. DLS should have a strong junior group that will vie for its first section title since 2014 when they won Division I.
The Granada boys will have a different lineup than last year and will continue to be a formidable team in this division. They have fielded very strong JV teams with lots of runners ready to compete well at the varsity level. Rising senior Seth Jeppson is the fastest returning individual in this division.
Division II is arguably the deepest division in this section and there will be plenty of team still in contention
for a top-3 finish. Mission San Jose will be led by senior Arnav Arora (4:23.88/9:51.91). Redwood returns to Division II under new leadership and will have one of the top individuals in Hudson Grace (4:24.80/9:35.10). College Park has been one of the best programs in this division and should contend once again after a strong summer.(Arnav Arora (1871) is captured in this DeAnna Turner photo during the home sprint to the finish at the State Meet in November.)
As mentioned above, Redwood will have a new cross country coach this season. Redwood grad Laura Schmitt (photo above courtesy of the Redwood Bark) had been at the helm of the Redwood HS cross country and track and field teams since the fall of 1986. She also graduated from Redwood HS in 1982 and coached all three of her children, Jake, Meagan, and Caitlin. Over the last four years, Laura coached 2018 NXN individual champion, Liam Anderson. Her 34 years at Redwood were filled with a lot of success including multiple MCAL and section titles as well as state champions and the already mentioned NXN winner. Laura and her son Jake have taken on a new challenge over the past few years with their Thoroughbred Treadmill studios and will both be missed by their Redwood team as well as many other coaches and competitors. We wish Laura our best wishes and congratulate her on a most successful coaching career.
The Granada girls have dominated this division in the past four years. They graduated an outstanding group in the spring of 2019 but they have plenty of talent ready to make a major statement for the varsity team. They should be led by rising juniors Shae Hill (2:26.08/5:14.73/11:03.70) and Amaiah McIntosh (2:28.53/5:23.96/11:40.43) who both gained valuable experience last year as part of the section winning team.
The two teams that will challenge Granada will be Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley. Rising senior Kelli Wilson (2:19.55/4:59.74/10:31.84) will be among the favorites for an individual title as she leads another strong Monte Vista team. Alumni Jason Intravaia will take over the helm at San Ramon Valley as another, Sofia Tavella, will be among his leading runners.
The rest of the contenders will be vying for that coveted last state meet spot. Vintage qualified last year as the fourth-place team and will have star runner Mary Deeik (2:31.79/5:19.43/10:57.13) back as one of the individual favorites. Last season, the College Park varsity team consisted of one senior and six freshmen. The returning runners posted impressive times during the track and field season and will be looking to return to Fresno this fall. The Liberty girls finished in seventh place in 2018 and return the majority of their team from last season. Count them in as state contenders.
Division II Boys (Top 3 Advance to State)
1) De La Salle - Very slight favorites after impressive track season.
2) Granada - Defending champs will be a very formidable threat to win 2nd in a row.
3) Redwood - Solid returning group back to Division II under a new coach.
4) Mission San Jose - Senior Arnav Arora will lead a talented group.
5) College Park - Very conservatively in 5th at the moment but could finish near the top.
On the bubble: Clayton Valley, Vintage.
Top 5 returning individuals
(NCS Place, Name, School, Time)
5. Seth Jeppson (Granada) 15:13.9
11. Anthony Guerra (Granada) 15:28.8
9. Arnav Arora (Mission San Jose) 15:33.4
13. Patrick Curulla (De La Salle) 15:40.0
14. Dylan Frye (Vintage) 15:40.4
Division II Girls (Top 4 Advance to State)
1) Granada - Looking for 5th section title in a row.
2) San Ramon Valley - Still plenty of talent for this team.
3) Monte Vista - Kelli Wilson will lead a strong returning group.
4) College Park - Sophomore gang will make this team a contender here.
5) Liberty - Will be among several teams aiming for a top 4 finish.
On the bubble: Redwood, Vintage
Top 5 returning individuals
11. Anthony Guerra (Granada) 15:28.8
9. Arnav Arora (Mission San Jose) 15:33.4
13. Patrick Curulla (De La Salle) 15:40.0
14. Dylan Frye (Vintage) 15:40.4
Division II Girls (Top 4 Advance to State)
1) Granada - Looking for 5th section title in a row.
2) San Ramon Valley - Still plenty of talent for this team.
3) Monte Vista - Kelli Wilson will lead a strong returning group.
4) College Park - Sophomore gang will make this team a contender here.
5) Liberty - Will be among several teams aiming for a top 4 finish.
On the bubble: Redwood, Vintage
Top 5 returning individuals
(NCS Place, Name, School, Time)
3. Mary Deeik (Vintage) 17:36.5
6. Kelli Wilson (Monte Vista) 17:54.3
8. Amaiah McIntosh (Granada) 18:00.8
9. Kylee Denver (Freedom) 18:02.2
10. Shae Hill (Granada) 18:04.1
6. Kelli Wilson (Monte Vista) 17:54.3
8. Amaiah McIntosh (Granada) 18:00.8
9. Kylee Denver (Freedom) 18:02.2
10. Shae Hill (Granada) 18:04.1