XC Preview: Central Section Girls

The Central Section is loaded with talented young runners including (from left) Sydney Sundgren, Taylor Jones, Miliana Perez and Erica Nyberg. (Photo by DeAnna Turner)

DIVISION 1

The freshman parade begins in the large school division where Erica Nyberg (Clovis East), Sydney Sundgren (Buchanan), Taylor Jones (Arroyo Grande) and Caroline Mendyk (Buchanan) went 2-3-4-7 behind graduated champion Corie Smith (Buchanan), who won for the second year in a row and third time in four years. 

Sundgren is the top returner for Buchanan which not only won its fourth consecutive CS title but also pulled the upset at the State Meet, beating Great Oak by seven points to snap its seven-year winning streak. It was a young lineup behind Smith, Sundgren and Mendyk contributing to both victories.

Kaylee Elliott, now a junior, was sixth at the section meet as the No. 3 scorer with Mendyk next followed by Morgan Hutchison, now a senior, who was 12th and the No. 5 scorer. At State, Grace Hutchison, now a sophomore, was the No. 3 runner behind Smith and Sundgren with Mendyk and Morgan Hutchison next. 

Miliana Perez, a junior at Clovis North, was fifth at the section final and seventh at State, Nyberg was 11th and Jones was 15th at State. 

Also back for North along with Perez is sophomore Ashlyn Leath (16th), the team's No. 2 scorer.

Among top-25 girls at the section final, joining Jones at Arroyo Grande is Jenna Lenay, a sophomore, who was 11th, and Arabella Edler, a senior, who was 25th, and the team's Nos. 2 and 3 scorers.

Clovis West was fifth out of the 11 teams that scored at sectionals but its top four scorers are scheduled to be back, led by rising juniors Kalei Aoki-Chance (14th) and Madison Galetti (19th) along with the addition of standout freshman Emma Connolly. 

DIVISION 2

San Luis Obispo was a three-point winner over Sanger with Paso Robles only another three points back in third. It's no surprise that 15 girls among top-25 finishers are returning for that trio of teams. 

SLO, which won for the second year in a row, had just one senior among its five scorers at sections and returns seniors Grace Rubio (4th), Shaylee Grimm (7th), Grace Greenelsh (14th), and junior Violet Emerson (22nd). Rubio placed 23rd and Grimm 30th as SLO placed 18th at State.

There were no seniors among Sanger's five scorers, led by Nia Lamas, now a junior, who placed 3rd in 18:32.28, senior Rebeca Coronado (5th), junior Sienna Bianchi (13th), senior Jessica Recinos (16th), and sophomore Anayacsi Diaz (25th). Lamas placed 39th at State and Coronado was 55th as Sanger placed 20th.

And then there's Paso Robles, which had six finishers among the top 23 who are ALL returning. Junior Charlotte Castelli (pictured) leads that group. She placed second at the section final nearly 15 seconds behind champion Unique Ford, a graduate of Madera, who won for a second year in a row. Also scoring for Paso Robles was now-seniors Madeline Loff (6th) and Grace Chamberlain (18th), junior Gabriella Wilson (19th) and sophomore Sydney Moore (20th). Junior Clara Lundy, who placed 23rd, ran No. 6 for PR. Castelli was 47th at State.

DIVISION 3

Edison was a three-point winner over Corcoran with Highland another seven points back in third. Edison had just one senior among its five scorers and returns top finisher Sarah Renberg, a senior who placed third overall. Senior Kennedy Jennings (21st), sophomore Emily Chavira (25th) and junior Gaby Chielpegian (28th) were the team's Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 5 scorers. 

Senior Paulina Guerrero was 6th for Corcoran among five scorers scheduled back for 2020-21. That lineup includes seniors Arlene Magana 13th, junior Gabriella Avila (18th), senior Sherlyn Hernandez (26th) and junior Brandi Valdez (39th). Guerrero was 29th at State.

Highland returns two of the top five and and three of the top 11 from the 2019 section final. Haley Ulloa (pictured), now a senior, placed second behind champion Jessica Valles, a graduate of Sunnyside. Senior Neyda Martinez was fifth and sophomore Lianna Guerra was 11th.  Ulloa went on to placed 54th at State.

Another in that long list of girls in the class of 2023 is Elena Baltazar, the top returner for Independence, who placed 4th at the section final and 45th at State.

DIVISION 4

Nipomo was an 18-point winner over Yosemite for the team title in a division where there were only four seniors among the top 25, including Bishop Union grad Rachel Fitt, whose 18:45.00 was 3.89 seconds ahead of runner-up Clover Cicoletti, a rising junior at Yosemite.

Cicoletti (pictured) had a faster time at the section final than she did on the same Woodward Park 5K course at State, placing 40th. Rhiannon Walker, a rising sophomore at Fresno, placed third at sections was 20th at State running some 25 seconds faster. Sierra Burror, a rising senior at Bishop Union, placed fourth at sections in 19:20.01 but improved significantly at State, placing 15th overall in 18:29.30. 

Returners from Nipomo's lineup includes all five scorers in junior Illiana Murguia (6th), sophomores Kayden Sanders (12th), Itzel Hinojosa (16th), Ximena Hinojosa (17th) and Kate Barnett (21st)

Yosemite returns four scorers behind Cicoletti in senior Emily Rich (10th), Jocelyn Stansberry (11th) and Jaiden Stansberry (32nd) and junior Audrey Scott (33rd). 

DIVISION 5

Mammoth, a 19-point winner for the team title, returns seniors Lizzetta Dardenne and Emma Dardenne, the Nos. 2 and 4 scorers at the section finals and the Nos. 3 and 4 scorers as Mammoth placed 12th at the State Meet. Junior Laurel Wight was the team's No. 5 scorer.

As a freshman, Mickayla Mejia (pictured) placed second at the section final for runner-up Sierra Pacific, which returns all scorers. Mejia ran the Woodward Park 5K course in 20:09.74, behind graduated champion Jordyn Harper of Mammoth, who claimed the title in 19:51.56.

Junior Emma Howe was 13th, senior Emma Marella was 17th, sophomore Abigail McKean was 18th and junior Keira Taksa was 27th.