GIRLS ALL-DECADE TOP 7
Simi Valley's Sarah Baxter slogged through the mud in Portland on her way to one of her two national titles at NXN. (File photo by Pat Bendzick)
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(Listed Alphabetically)
Sarah Baxter (Simi Valley/SS)
Graduation Class: 2014 .
Highlights: Four-time CIF-State Meet champion, twice winning Division I (2010 and 2012) and twice winning Division II (2011 and 2013). ... Two-time NXN champion, winning in 2011 and 2012 and placing third in 2013. ... 16:40 at 2012 State meet is No. 2 all-time, No. 2 all-time for juniors and the D-I record. ... Her 16:43 at 2013 State Meet is equal to No. 3 all-time, No. 1 among seniors, and the D-II record. ... Her 16:57 at 2010 State Meet is equal to No. 7 all-time and ranks No. 1 all-time for freshmen.
Rationale: No other girl in the history of the CIF-State Meet has won four titles and Baxter did it all during this decade.
Destiny Collins (Great Oak/SS)
Graduation Class: 2016
Highlights: State Division I champion in 2015. Placed third at State in 2013 and in 2014. Led Great Oak to the State team title and a trip to NXN each year. ... Top-10 scorer at NXN in leading Great Oak, which placed 3rd and 2nd her last two years. ... Her 5K PR of 16:57 at the Clovis Invitational in 2014 equals the No. 7 all-time mark at Woodward Park and No. 4 AT at the Clovis Invite.
Rationale: The most impactful individual from the decade's most dominant program.
Claudia Lane (Malibu/SS)
Graduation Class: 2019
Highlights: Foot Locker National champion 2016 and 2017 ... State Division IV champion 2016 and 2017 ... Her 16:31 at 2017 State Meet is fastest all-time on Woodward Park course and No. 1 all-time for juniors ... Her 16:45 from 2016 ranks tied for third and is No. 1 all-time among sophomores. ... In a ranking of the top 200 times in the decade for 3 miles, she appears 10 times. For 5K she appears eight times.
Rationale: A top-seven runner all-time despite losing her senior year to injury.
Fiona O'Keeffe (Davis/SJ)
Graduation Class: 2016
Highlights: State Division I champion in 2013 and 2014 ... Placed fourth at NXN in both 2013 and in 2014. ... Her 16:57 in 2014 equals the No. 7 clocking all-time at Woodward Park and is a Sac-Joaquin Section co-record. ... Her 16:59 at the 2013 State Meet is equal to No. 10 all-time at Woodward Park and equals the No. 10 performance all-time at the State Meet. ... Of the top 200 5K times in the decade, O'Keeffe appears 11 times. Has more sub-17 5KS in the decade (5) than Sarah Baxter (4) and Claudia Lane (4).
Rationale: Two State titles, strong NXN finishes and historic times make her an easy top-seven selection.
Hagen Reedy (Buchanan/SJ)
Graduation Class: 2013
Highlights: State Division I champion in 2011 and runner-up (to Sarah Baxter's division record 16:40) in 2012. ... Top-20 finishes at NXN in 2011 (7th) and 2012 (20th). ... Her 16:59 at the 2012 Clovis Invitational equals the No. 10 all-time clocking at Woodward Park and equals No. 5 at that meet.
Rationale: Two-year standout in the state's largest division and clear No. 2 behind Baxter as a senior.
Corie Smith (Buchanan/CS)
Graduation Class: 2020
Highlights: State Division I champion in 2017 (17:16.7) and runner-up in 2019 (17:00). ... Three-time NXN participant whose 12th place finish in 2019 was her best. ... Her 16:54 at 2019 Clovis Invite is a meet record, ranks No. 5 all-time on the Woodward Park course, is a Central Section record and ranks No. 4 all-time among seniors (No. 3 in the decade). ... Her 17:00 for 2nd at 2019 State Final ranks No. 9 in State Division I history.
Marissa Williams (Palisades Charter/LA)
Graduation Class: 2015
Highlights: Ran second to Fiona O'Keeffe at the Division I State Final in both 2013 and 2014 with the No. 2 time at the meet, regardless of division, in 2014 (17:02) and the No. 3 time (17:04) behind Sarah Baxter and O'Keeffe in 2013. ... Placed ninth at Foot Locker Nationals in 2012, 13th at NXN in 2014 and 24th at NXN in 2013. ... Her 17:03 at the 2014 State Meet is a Los Angeles City Section record.
Rationale: Times and results were right there with the elites of the decade. Appears seven times among the top 200 times for 3-miles in the decade.
OTHERS
- Rylee Bowen (Sonoma Academy/NC) 2018 -- Three-time State Division V champion (2014, 2015 and 2017).
- Riley Chamberlain (Del Oro/SJ) 2022 -- Sophomore already with two State Division III titles (2018 and 2019). She has run two of the top five times ever for D-III.
- Cami Chapus (Harvard Westlake/SS) 2012 -- State Division IV champion in 2010, and runner-up in 2011. ... Placed 13th at NXN in 2010.
- Carlie Dorostkar (Canyon Crest Academy/SD) 2020 -- Turned the fall of 2019 into one of the best single seasons of the decade with a 3-mile national best of 15:57.50 and U.S. No. 6 for 5K of 16:45.40 in winning the State Division I title. ... Placed 6th at NXN as the top Californian.
- Vanessa Fraser (Scotts Valley/CC) 2013 -- Two-time State Division IV champion (2011 and 2012).
- Tori Gaitan (Great Oak/SS) 2020 -- State Division I champion in 2018; Led Great Oak to State Division I titles and NXN bids in 2017 and 2018. Top CA runner at NXN in 2018 when she placed 18th; 29th as a sophomore.
- Haley Herberg (Capistrano Valley/SS) 2018 -- State Division II champion 2017 (17:00). That time ranks No. 2 all-time for D-II. ... Placed 17th at NXN in 2017. ... Appears four times in the list of top-50 performances for 3 miles in the decade. Only top-7 selections Baxter, Lane and Smith appear more.
- Bethan Knights (Northwood/SS) 2014 - State Division III champion in 2013. Runner-up in 2012. ... Her winning time in 2013 of 17:08 is the D-III record. ... Two-time NXN participant.
- Meagen Lowe (Buchanan/CS) 2019 -- Two-time State Meet Division I runner-up and two-time NXN participant, placing 16th in 2017.
- Kiera Marshall (St. Joseph Notre Dame/NC) 2017 -- State Division V champion 2016 and runner-up in both 2014 and 2015.
- Anna Maxwell (San Lorenzo Valley, CC) 2014 -- State Division IV champion in 2013 and placed third as a freshman in 2010. Three-time Foot Locker Nationals finalist, placing as high as 5th as a senior in 2013.
- Julia Maxwell (Branson/NC) 2014 -- Three-time State Meet champion in Division V (2011, 2012, 2013). Placed fifth as a freshman. Recorded two of the top 10 times in D-V history.
- Cate Ratliff (Santa Cruz/CC) 2016 -- State Division IV champion in 2015 (17:03.7). Ran the second-fastest time (16:38) on the Crystal Springs course and fastest since 1979. Placed 11th at NXN in 2015 as the top CA runner.
- Carrie Verdon (Campolindo/NC) 2012 -- State Division III champion 2010 and 2011. Ran the No. 2 time in State history for Division III (17:15) in 2010. Ran two of the top five times ever for D-III.
- Gillian Wagner (Redwood/NC) 2018 -- State Division III champion 2017 and runner-up in 2016.