XC PREVIEW Central Section Girls

Young and deep Buchanan girls cross country team won the CIF-State Division I title in 2019 and enters the 2021 fall season as the team to beat in California. (DeAnna Turner photo)

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Below is an overview look at top returning cross country athletes in the Central 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, 2019 Central Section finals, 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 Central Section as of this week and the section championship meet - the first since November of 2019 - is scheduled for November 18 at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Sydney Sundgren (Buchanan, Jr.), Miliana Perez (Clovis North, Sr.), Erica Nyberg (Clovis East, Jr.), Grace Hutchison (Buchanan, Jr.), Taylor Jones (Arroyo Grande, Jr.), Caroline Mendyk (Buchanan, Jr.), Jenna Lenas (Arroyo Grande, Sr.), Kalei Aoki-Chance (Clovis West, Sr.), Kaylee Elliott (Buchanan, Sr.), Ashlyn Leath (Clovis North, Jr.), Maddie Baytosh (Centennial, Sr.), Madison Galetti (Clovis West, Sr.), Jada Hardwick (Clovis, Jr.), Gianna Bomarito (Clovis North, Sr.), Valerie Boylan (Clovis North, Sr.), Molly Bizik (Clovis West, So.), Emma Ruvalcaba (Clovis, Jr.), Elle Lomeli (Buchanan, Fr.), Sierra Cornett (Buchanan, Fr.), Kaitelyn Emmons (Clovis North, So.).

Nia Lamas (Sanger, Sr.), Charlotte Castelli (Paso Robles, Sr.), Sienna Bianchi (Sanger, Sr.), Cadence Estermann (Golden West, Sr.), Gabriella Wilson (Paso Robles, Sr.), Sydney Moore (Paso Robles, Jr.), Violet Emerson (San Luis Obispo, Sr.), Leah Mendibles (Sanger, Jr.).

Elena Baltazar (Independene, Jr.), Gabriella Avila (Corcoran, Sr.), Gaby Chielpegian (Edison, Sr.), Mia Torrecillas (Highland, So.), Lianna Guerra (Highland, Jr.), Isabella Cruz (Kerman, Sr.), Joslen Jimenez (Porterville, Jr.), Paola Rangel (Reedley, Sr.).

Rhiannon Walker (Fresno, Jr.), Clover Cicoletti (Yosemite, Sr.), Kailey Kolesar (Tehachapi, Jr.), Lily Baloian (Fresno, Jr.), Illiana Murguia (Nipomo, Sr.), Kayden Sanders (Nipomo, Jr.), Itzel Hinojosa (Nipomo, Jr.), Ximena Hinojosa (Nipomo, Jr.).

Lizzetta Dardenne (Mammoth, Sr.), Zoey Cardosa (San Joaquin Memorial, Sr.), Julissa Avila (Farmersville, Sr), Caitlin Chea (Central Valley Christian, Jr.), Mickayla Mejia (Sierra Pacific, Jr.), Demaris Lopez (Fowler, Jr.), Celeste Ramos (Granite Hills, Sr.), Gabriela Gutierrez (Fowler, Sr.).

Buchanan junior Sydney Sundgren is among CA's elite returning distance runners. (DeAnna Turner photo)

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The girls class of 2023 ruled the course in 2019, as Sydney Sundgren (Buchanan), Erica Nyberg (Clovis East), Grace Hutchison (Buchanan), and Taylor Jones (Arroyo Grande) placed among the top 15 overall in the Division I race, and Caroline Mendyk (Buchanan) was the No. 4 scorer (33rd overall, 24th among scorers) on the best team in the state.

Fast-forward to the fall 2021 cross country season where Buchanan is gearing up for another run at Golden State superiority. Sundgren, Hutchison, Mendyk, senior Kaylee Elliott -- who also took the line at the State Meet in 2019 -- are back to lead another strong group of newbies led by freshman Elle Lomeli. Lomeli is the former Alta Sierra Middle School star read to step up to the big time. She recently went 11:21 for two miles on a shortened Woodward Park course while not yet fully up to speed because of a summer injury. 

It should be noted that in that annual pre-season 2-mile Summer Sizzle Time Trial event at Woodward Park, Buchanan ran a faster team time last weekend than it did in 2019 when it won the State Meet title.

• Closer Look at Buchanan

Clovis North looks like a legit top-10 team in the state with seniors Miliana Perez and Gianna Bomarito, junior Ashlyn Leath, sophomore Kaitelyn Emmons, and developing depth. 

• Closer Look at Clovis North

Madera South has a solid mix of seniors and newcomers looking to challenge the elites in Division I.

Nyberg placed second ahead of, in order, Sundgren, Jones, Perez, Elliott and Mendyk at the 2019 CS championship meet. 

Highland sophomore Mia Torrecillas is coming off a winter XC season where her 36:13.80 combined time for 5K (18:24.00) and 3 miles (17:49.80) was the best in the section for girls with times at both distances. The Clovis North trio of Perez, Bomarito, and Leath ranked next followed by Highland teammate Lianna Guerra. 

Paso Robles senior Charlotte Castelli is the top returner in Division II from the 2019 section meet, where she placed second. Sanger senior Nia Lamas was third. 

Independence junior Elena Baltazar is the top returning placer in Division III. She was fourth in that race. Guerra is the next returner. She placed 11th as a freshman. 

In Division IV, Fresno junior Rhiannon Walker, who posted 1600m and 3200m PRs before the COVID-19 shutdown, placed third behind runner-up Clover Cicoletti of Yosemite. Fresno junior Lily Baloian, who was seventh, is another top returner from that meet. 

In D-V, Sierra Pacific junior Mickayla Mejia was second with Mammoth senior Lizzetta Dardenne third.