SOUTHERN SECTION DIVISION 4 GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY PREVIEW
Moving over to the girls, we may very well have some of the
top squads in the section (yes, the entire Southern Section) battling for the
title in 2021!
As we leaned on numbers from the spring track season for additional insight, when you have the likes of JSerra and La Canada -- two squads that focus more on the 800 and 1600 meters -- you have to adjust the approach.
The girls of JSerra are coming off a monster track and field season while returning everyone!
After advancing to the State Meet in the previous 12 seasons in a run that included five team titles, JSerra did not qualify in 2019. They also feature a new addition in head coach Chase Frazier. In 2019, Frazier 'transferred' from Mission Viejo High to take over the program. As our preseason favorite to capture the 2021 Division 4 crown, no squad can match them in depth and leg speed as they return six girls with sub-5:20 resumes from this past track season.
Sophomore Georgia Jeanneret (2:11/4:56) comes in with the strongest resume from the spring but Frazier described how well their training has gone and the development of Ashley Gallegos. Incoming freshman Brynn Garcia shined this past summer in the 1500 meters (4:41.49) while also impressing in cross country last December. Meanwhile, Anastasia Snodgrass (5:01.55) and Brooke O'Brien (5:04.87) will also pave the way for this squad that possesses unmatched depth in the division.
They project as one of the top five teams in the Southern Section with their eyes on some huge goals in November.
La Canada shined this past track season as well. Where they may be able to match JSerra up
front, depth 
could be the difference. Sophomore Arielle McKenzie erupted into one of the top freshmen in the nation
this past spring by finishing her season with an eye-popping 4:48.96
performance. Fellow classmate Katelyn Matarese looks to follow in her sister's footsteps while incoming freshman,
Maya DeBrouwer will make an immediate impact. She comes in with success at the
club level and is one of the top mountain bikers for her age group in the
nation. They last qualified for the State Meet in 2017 but rest assured, the
talent assembled here should see them return. Adding Pete Magill to the coaching staff also adds a nice bonus to this
group.
Oaks Christian will also present some of the top talent in the section in the sophomore dynamic duo of Payton Godsey and Grace Geyer. We expect them to short up the depth concerns and advance to the State Meet for this first time since 2013. Sarah Colebrooke returns from a solid track season (11:45.10) while the program witnessed some nice depth from the 1600 meters this past Spring.
Orange Lutheran broke a nine-year drought of not qualifying for the State Meet when they captured the Division 4 title in 2019. With the majority of that squad since graduated, they will lean on Lauren Landrith to lead the squad back to the State Meet.
Laguna Beach placed second at the 2019 CIF-SS Finals to Orange Lutheran. They have qualified for the State Meet the past three postseasons and since 2003, have qualified 12 times. Coco Reed (5:07.27/11:32.73) and Melanie Falkowski (5:23.15/11:26.76) will help lead the squad back to Fresno for a fourth straight trip.
South Pasadena and Harvard Westlake will also be two squads seeking one of those seven spots to the State Championships.
Individually, the division is absolutely loaded! Division 4 features seven girls who ran under 5:05 for the 1600 meters last spring and we do not anticipate any reason that leg speed will not transfer over to the cross country course.
We finally get to see how the track talent of La Canada's McKenzie will shine in cross country. Last December, she placed 12th at the AAU Cross Country National Championships over a 4000-meter course. Also part of the impressive Class of '24, Jeanneret of JSerra prefers to take charge early and has experienced success on the Mt. SAC Course as evidenced by her third-place finish in 2019 at the Middle School championships.
Godsey, also a sophomore, rolled to a 10:37.15 while she finished the season placing second at the Division 4 CIF Finals. With her 4:57.50 strength in the 1600 meters, Godsey will be a major factor this season. She will work well with teammate Geyer who will also challenge to go under 18:30 on the Mt. SAC course in November.
While there is an obvious surge of new faces and youth in the division, do not overlook veteran Daniela Quintero of Harvard Westlake. Let's venture back to 2018 when, as a freshman, she ran to the Division 4 CIF championship only to come back and week later and place second (17:48.3) at the California State Meet. With everything that has transpired in the past two years, head coach Jonas Koolberger has assured that she is ready to roll as a senior.
Oak Park's Madison Parrone (11:07.56) and South Pasadena's Sydney Morrow (5:03.94/11:27.60) will also be in line for top-10 finishes this season.
2019 Team Champions
Division 4: Orange Lutheran (3rd in D-IV at State)
Seven Across The Line
(Top seven freshmen/sophomore finishers at the 2019 CIF-SS Division 4 Finals)
6. Sydney Morrow (South Pasadena, 7. Angelina Vasquez (Barstow), 9. Cadence Youngman (Yucca Valley), 10. Nina Rogers (Laguna Beach), 16. Miranda Palacios (Covina), 19. Sophia Gibson (Orange Lutheran), 20. Lauren Landrith (Orange Lutheran).
Photos by Lizette Adams, DeAnna Turner and Raymond Tran.
Mark Gardner is a regular contributor to MileSplitCA and serves as the Southern Section editor.