With the recent demise of the Stanford Invitational, other Invitationals have stepped forward to put on display much of the talent here in Northern California. One of those meets is the Capital Cross Challenge (James Leash photo above from 2018 meet) which will take place once again at the Arcade Creek XC course. In the past few years, many teams and individuals have traveled to Sacramento to display their talents at the end of September.
This year will be no different as several of the top teams and individuals in the state will be featured at this meet. The best girls' team in Northern California is the St. Francis Trabauders and they will be here for the meet. By looking at the entries, it appears their top runners will not be competing but they are still plenty deep and will be a force throughout the meet. You can check out the schedule on the next page.
Also in attendance will be the Jesuit boys, their longtime coach Walt Lange and their superstar senior, Matt Strangio. Just last week, Strangio outdueled Dublin's senior, Christopher Middleton-Pearson as both runners broke the old meet record at the De La Salle Nike Invitational.
Other notable teams/individuals include Campolindo, Carlmont, Davis, Del Oro, Long Beach Poly, Vacaville and Vista del Lago.
Campo may not be at full strength but have proven year after year to be at their best during November.
Carlmont features one of the top female runners in the state in Kaimei Gescuk and have been one of the strongest teams out of the Central Coast Section for many decades.
Bill Gregg has built quite a powerhouse at Davis and have proven for many years to be one of the best teams out of the Sac-Joaquin Section. They have rolled at state garnering several podium finishes and the girls finished 2nd twice at the uber-competitive NXN meet.
Del Oro has been a strong Division III team garnering multiple state qualifying teams. This year, Del Oro will be led once again by super sophomore, Riley Chamberlain. She hit the ground running as a freshman capturing the Division III state title and earning a spot at the NXN meet.
Sports Illustrated named Long Beach Poly as the strongest sports school in the entire United States in 2005. They have been strong in Cross Country and teams don't typically travel as many miles to just view the Golden Gate Bridge.
This year, Vacaville features two of the top runners in the state in Daniel Hernandez and Kellen Steplight. They are both fearless racers and both had a chance to race at the world-famous Woodbridge Classic last week, garnering valuable experience.
Last year, the Vista del Lago girls won their first state XC title as they captured the Division III crown. This season, VDL will take on larger teams as they now reside in Division II.
If you want to add any teams or individuals, feel free to add them in the section below.
You can check out the race schedule, course maps and live results link on the next page.