XC PREVIEW Northern Section Boys and Girls

CA 2021 XC Preview
Jeffrey Parenti


As a sophomore, Chico's Mario Giannini placed 19th in the Division III race at the State Meet. (Pat Rhames photo)
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Below is an overview look at top returning cross country athletes in the Northern Section. Because of the shutdown of the 2020 season and loss of the CIF-State Meet, a lot of our information below is based on returning athletes from the 2019 State Meet and marks achieved during both the 2021 winter XC season and the spring '21 track season. Information is based on results in the MileSplit database. Please let us know of any inaccurate or incomplete information.

Contests can begin in the Northern Section on August 21 and the section champions - the first since November of 2019 - are scheduled for November 10 at West Valley HS.

Among boys, there are nine eligible returners in the NS who competed at the 2019 CIF-State Cross Country Championships. Chico, which returns two boys from that meet, placed eighth in Division III. Chico, led by 2019 section champion Mario Giannini, appears set to go after a fifth consecutive NS D-III title and 16th dating to 1973.

University Prep (D-IV), Sutter (D-IV), and Colusa (D-V) also were team qualifiers to State. Sutter was the D-IV section winner in 2019, a first for the program. Same for Colusa.

Here's a closer look at some of the top returning boys in the Northern Section. 



TOP RETURNERS - BOYS

Division III


Mario Giannini (Chico, Sr.)
Placed 19th (14th among scorers) at the 2019 CIF-State Championships as a sophomore and is the No. 3 returner for fall 2021 from that meet. The top boy in the section. Combined 31:37.18 for 5K and 3-miles during the 2021 winter season and went 9:10.38 for 3200 meters on the track this spring.
Renton Mcgregor (Pleasant Valley, Sr.)
16:43.49 for 5K from the winter XC season ranks second among seniors behind only Giannini. Same for his 10:14.36 on the track for 3200 meters, as well as his 1600m-3200m combined time of 14:53.92.
Benjamin Wun (Chico, Sr.)
Ran No. 7 for Chico at the 2019 CIF-State Championships as a sophomore. He went 17:21.50 for 5K during the winter XC season, which ranks third in the section among returning seniors, and 10:20.12 for 3200m, which ranks fourth. 
Avery Munson-Clark (Chico, Sr.)
Combined 5K and 3-miles times from winter 2021 of 35:04.36 ranks third in the section for athletes posting times at both distances. 
Nate Solecki (Chico, Sr.)
Ranks fourth with a combined 5K and 3-mile time of 35:31.74 from winter 2021 for athletes posting times at both distances.
Tryon Jardin (Pleasant Valley, Sr) 
His 17:27.61 for 5K from the 2021 winter XC season ranks fourth among seniors. This spring he posted a combined 15:10.12 for 1600m/3200m on the track, which ranks fourth in the NS.
Robert Moncrief  (Chico) 
Ranks ninth in the section with a combined 1600m/3200m time on the track from the spring of 15:44.57.


Lower Divisions
Drew Hering (Mt. Shasta, Sr.)
Placed 59th at the 2019 CIF-State Championships as a sophomore. Arguably the section's No. 2 runner behind Giannini. Hering combined for 34:33.35 for 5K and 3 miles during the winter XC season.
Ryan Mitchell (Weed, Sr.)
Placed 82nd at CIF-State Cross Country Championships as a sophomore. Mitchell placed second to Hering at the SCL Championships in March and ranks sixth in the section with a combined 1600m/3200m time of 15:19.70. 
Elijah Magrini (Enterprise, So.) 
Posted the top NS 5K time in the class (17:33.00) for second at the Shasta County Championships in March. Showed his chops on the track in the spring (4:59.16/11:10.24).
Henry Baun (Yreka, Fr.)
5K best of 17:35.95 ranks No. 9 in the NS among returners for the 2021 fall XC season.
Cameron Anderson (Sutter, Sr.)
Ran No. 6 for Sutter at the 2019 State Championships as a sophomore. Clocked 19:36 for 3-miles during the winter XC season and 19:57.80 for 5K.
Rhys Cooper (University Prep, Jr.)
Ran No. 4 for UP at the 2019 CIF-State Championships as a freshman.
Tyler Moss (Colusa, Sr.)
Ran No. 5 for Colusa at the 2019 State Championships as a sophomore.
Patrick Landaker (University Prep, Sr.)
Ran No. 7 for UP at the 2019 State Championships as a sophomore.

Boys Ranking by Class

Three Mile Run - 2023

RANKTIMEATHLETE/TEAMGRADEMEET DATE PLACE
117:33.00
Elijah Magrini
Enterprise High (NS)
2023
Shasta County Championships 2nd
218:36.00
Jesse Hicks
Orland High (NS)
2023
Oroville @ Orland 3rd
318:53.00
Colton Downey
Etna High School (NS)
2023
SCL Championship 7th
419:07.00
Jacob Wagner
Enterprise High (NS)
2023
Shasta County Championships 10th
519:11.00
Aiden Leachman
Enterprise High (NS)
2023
Enterprise @ Red Bluff 2nd
619:20.00
Nathaniel Bekaert
Mt. Shasta High (NS)
2023
SCL Championship 8th
719:22.00
Nicholas Wallis
Shasta High (NS)
2023
Shasta County Championships 14th
819:26.00
Victor Lujan
Yreka High (NS)
2023
NAL Yreka @ West Valley 2nd
919:44.00
Henry Duggins
Red Bluff High (NS)
2023
Shasta County Championships 15th
1019:49.00
Anthony Rist
Trinity High (NS)
2023
SCL Championship 14th


5000 Meter Run - 2023

RANKTIMEATHLETE/TEAMGRADEMEET DATE PLACE
117:19.93
Mark Velazquez-pati
Pleasant Valley High (NS)
2023
BVAL Dual: Pleasant Valley @ Las Plumas 2nd
217:21.00
Joshua Santiago
Las Plumas High (NS)
2023
BVL Dual: Sutter @ Las Plumas 1st
318:53.00
Jesse Hicks
Orland High (NS)
2023
Willows at Orland 3rd
419:05.44
Brandon Underwood
Pleasant Valley High (NS)
2023
Butte County Cross Country Championships 15th
519:26.44
Victor Lujan
Yreka High (NS)
2023
NAL: Anderson v Yreka 2nd
619:33.42
Colton Downey
Etna High School (NS)
2023
Yreka Duals 5th
719:36.94
Ko Sekiguchi
Yreka High (NS)
2023
Yreka Duals 7th
819:41.72
Nathaniel Bekaert
Mt. Shasta High (NS)
2023
Yreka Duals 8th
919:42.67
Tyler Faultner
Yreka High (NS)
2023
Yreka Duals 9th
1020:12.22
Henry Duggins
Red Bluff High (NS)
2023
Butte County Cross Country Championships 22nd


3200 Meter Run - 2023

RANKTIMEATHLETE/TEAMGRADEMEET DATE PLACE
110:35.00
Mark Velazquez-Patino
Pleasant Valley High (NS)
2023
Dublin Social Distance Fiesta #3 91st
211:10.24
Elijah Magrini
Enterprise High (NS)
2023
Sweet Elite District Meet 4th
311:19.68
Jesse Hicks
Orland High (NS)
2023
BVL Championships 1st
412:20.50
Ethan Eades
Fall River (NS)
2023
SCL League Meet 2nd
512:28.39
Kyle Cox
Trinity High (NS)
2023
SCL League Meet 1st
613:03.97
Anthony Rist
Trinity High (NS)
2023
SCL League Meet 2nd
714:41.10
Dominic Robinson
Lassen High (NS)
2023
NAL Grizzly Meet U-Prep/Anderson @ Lassen 2nd
814:41.35
Zachary Guerra
Durham High (NS)
2023
SVL Meet 3 @ Durham 2nd
914:57.99
Cayden Pulatie
Golden Eagle Charter (NS)
2023
West Valley Invitational 9th
1015:46.77
Ivan Howes
Fall River (NS)
2023
Black Butte Invitational 2nd


1600 Meter Run - 2024

RANKTIMEATHLETE/TEAMGRADEMEET DATE PLACE
14:53.14
Logan Borg
Foothill Palo Cedro (NS)
2024
West Valley Invitational 6th
24:59.89
Nolan Roemmich
University Preparatory School (NS)
2024
NAL Meet at U-Prep 1st
35:02.02
Brandon Underwood
Pleasant Valley High (NS)
2023
Thunder Invitational 10th
45:03.39
Henry Baun
Yreka High (NS)
2024
NAL Meet at U-Prep 2nd
55:06.16
Austin Hein
Pleasant Valley High (NS)
2024
Chico Track and Field Invitational 3rd


3200 Meter Run - 2024

RANKTIMEATHLETE/TEAMGRADEMEET DATE PLACE
111:02.79
Cavin Muff
Pleasant Valley High (NS)
2024
Dublin Social Distance Fiesta #3 114th
211:42.53
Alex Mize
Wheatland Union High (NS)
2024
BVL Championships 2nd
311:51.15
Johann Maas
Redding Christian (NS)
2024
West Valley Invitational 6th
412:03.32
Matt Anderson
Chico High School (NS)
2024
Dublin Social Distance Fiesta #3 155th
512:14.03
Austin Hein
Pleasant Valley High (NS)
2024
Butte County Schools (and beyond) at Chico 1st



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