Highlights were aplenty at Saturday's CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Cross Country Championships at Willow Hills Reservoir in Folsom where three teams and one individual -- Del Oro senior Riley Chamberlain (pictured) -- defended titles from 2019.
Here's a division-by-division breakdown followed by a list of State Meet qualifiers by division:
DIVISION 1
The boys from Jesuit won a 13th Division I title, packing at 61.6 seconds, while Davis senior Zachary Ayers took the individual crown. On the girls side, McClatchy junior Anna McNatt was a runaway individual winner -- the fastest girl of meet on the 5K course -- while Oak Ridge won the team title with a 2-3-5-9-11 finish.
Boys
Ayers stopped the clock at 15:28.6, 19.7 seconds faster than senior Braden King, who led Jesuit to a 22-point margin over Davis and 29th SJS crown overall. King edged Davis junior Ryan Mitchell by 0.2 seconds, with Jesuit junior Jacob Swanson fourth in 15:52.8. Ayres, King, Mitchell and Swanson went 1-4-5-6 in the meet merge
Girls
McNatt blistered the course in 17:26.8, 39.3 seconds faster than any other girl at the meet. In her race, she was 53.2 seconds faster than division runner-up, Oak Ridge senior Kayla Rutz (18:20.0). Oak Ridge was a 63-point winner over Davis, in defending its 2019 division title while winning for the third time in four seasons. Oak Ridge was third in the five-division merge.
DIVISION 2
Vacaville packed at 15.1 seconds for the team title in a race won by Pitman senior Damian Garcia. In the girls race, Granite Bay packed at 53.8 seconds to earn a fourth D-2 title while snapping the four-season win streak by St. Francis, which placed second. Whitney junior Katie Kopec earned the individual title, edging Granite Bay's Carly Foster by 4.3 seconds. It was the fifth D-2 title for Granite Bay and sixth overall.
Boys
Garcia was 8.0 seconds faster than Ponderosa sophomore Josh Chu (16:09.9), who was then followed across the line by a Vacaville parade of runners who all stopped the clock between 16:16.7 and 16:31.3. Junior Donovan Cheruiyot was second among scoring runners, followed by senior Kellen Ruiz, sophomore Colton Walker, senior Asher Love, and senior Paul Hobbs. It is the first D-2 title for Vacaville and second overall. Whitney, the 2019 D2 champion, was 54 points back in second. Vacaville was sixth points better than Jesuit in the merge.
Girls
DIVISION 3
Junior Caleb Cavanaugh won the individual title with teammate Dax Daley crossing second in leading Oakdale to the team crown. Oakdale packed at 58.2 seconds to out-point Beyer. In the girls race, senior Riley Chamberlain won a third SJS D-3 title while leading Del Oro to its 11th division championship. It is the 15th overall title for Del Oro, equalling the most by a girls team in section history.
Boys
Simon Appel was ninth overall (eighth among scorers) for Oakdale (16:56.0), which was a 38-point winner over Beyer. Junior Nathaniel Olsen placed sixth (16:50.7), and senior Gary Leteipa was eighth (16:53.9) for Beyer.
Girls
Chamberlain rolled to the title with the second-fastest time among girls at the meet, 18:06.1, which was 42.3 seconds faster than the division runner-up, Merced senior Isabel Perez-Zoghbi (18:48.4). Del Oro was a 50-point winner over Oakdale in rolling to another title. Senior Haleigh Humble placed fourth (19:26.7) and junior Kassidy Fmura was 10th (20:07.7) for Oakdale.
DIVISION 4
Sonora's senior Adin Dibble and freshman Broen Holman crossed with equal 15:41.2 times. Dibble was credited with the section title. Placer, which has eight D-3 banners on the boys side, claimed a D-4 team crown. It also took the girls team title led by Constance O'Neal, who placed fourth overall. Woodland senior Mahalia Quintana won the individual title. It is the ninth overall girls title for Placer.
Boys
Julian Doak (16:34.6) and Wyatt Hamilton (16:39.3) went 7-9 to lead Placer, an 11-point winner over El Dorado.
Girls
Quintana ran the 5K course in 18:40.9, 29.9 seconds faster than division runner-up, El Dorado senior Chloe Gautschi (19:10.8). Anna Soares was fifth among scorers (19:46.1) and Addison Arsenith placed seventh (20:11.3) in leading Placer to a 23-point victory over 2019 Division 5 champion Colfax.
DIVISION 5
Sacramento Country Day freshman Andrew Burr won the individual title (16:43.1) in a race where Vacaville Christian won the team title. Bret Harte won the girls team title, led by Kadyn Rolleri, in a race won by Summerville senior Sofia Vasquez. Foresthill junior McKenna Lechner, the division champion in 2019, was among the individuals qualifying for State. It is the 15th overall title for the Bret Harte girls, equalling the most by a girls team in section history.
Boys
Girls
Vasquez ran the course in 19:50.1, 5.4 seconds in front oof Agonaut sophomore Maeve Klement. Rolleri was third overall but first among scoring runners in 20:24.7, and senior Anika Jodie was third among scorers and eighth overall in 22:00.1 as Bret Harte was a 23-point winner over Vacaville Christian.
State Meet Qualifiers
Other individual qualifiers
Noah Pagaran (Stockton Lincoln, Sr.) 16:00.3
Nathan Short (Folsom, Jr.) 16:19.7
Jansen Gillig (Stockton Lincoln, Jr.) 16:23.0
Ethan Smith (Folsom, Jr.) 16:29.5
Aakash Arumugam (Rocklin, So.) 16:35.3
Teams (section allotment: 2)
Champion - Jesuit
(Ave: 16:19.2, Total: 81:36.0, Range: 1:01.6)
1-2 Braden King 15:48.3
2-4 Jacob Swanson 15:52.8
3-8 Brandon Moreno 16:25.0
4-12 Chase Cressman 16:40.0
5-15 Preston Conner 16:49.9
6-(23) Diego Levenfeld 17:06.9
7-(25) Jonah Reynolds 17:10.8
Other team qualifier - Davis Senior
DIVISION 2
Champion
Damian Garcia (Pitman, Sr.) 16:01.9
Others individual qualifiers
Josh Chu (Ponderosa, So.,) 16:09.9
Julius Pena (Buhach Colony, Sr.) 16:35.9
Efren Sanchez (Pitman, Sr.) 16:46.0
Gilbert Sanchez (Bella Vista, Sr.) 16:54.5
Teams (3)
Champion - Vacaville
(Ave: 16:25.3, Total: 82:06.3, Range: 0:15.1)
1-2 Donovan Cheruiyot 16:16.7
2-3 Kellen Ruiz 16:19.2
3-4 Colton Walker 16:27.3
4-5 Asher Love 16:31.3
5-6 Paul Hobbs 16:31.8
6-(25) Kellen Steplight 17:22.6
7-(39) Evan Mitchell 18:02.6
Other team qualifiers - Whitney, Vista Del Lago
DIVISION 3
Champion
Caleb Cavanaugh (Oakdale, Jr.) 16:26.9
Other individual qualifiers
Cooper Freeman (East Union, Sr.) 16:31.2
Dean McLane (Mira Loma, Sr.) 16:32.1
Wesley Selby (Nevada Union, Jr.) 16:35.3
TJ Parnow (Nevada Union, Sr.) 16:58.5
Teams (2)
Champion - Oakdale
(Ave: 16:53.9, Total: 84:29.3, Range: 0:58.2)
1-1 Caleb Cavanaugh 16:26.9
2-2 Dax Daley 16:30.9
3-8 Simon Appel 16:56.0
4-12 Nathan Luca 17:10.4
5-15 Mason Oliveira 17:25.1
6-(18) Jackson Oliveira 17:38.0
7-(34) Abner Gonzalez 18:45.2
Other team qualifier - Beyer
DIVISION 4
Champion
Adin Dibble (Sonora, Sr.) 15:41.2
Other individual qualifiers
Broen Holman (Sonora, Fr.) 15:41.2
Daniel Winter (St. Mary's, Sr.) 16:00.9
Elijah Sulivan (St. Mary's, Sr.) 16:09.3
Garrett Hesser (Calaveras, Sr.)
Team (3)
Champion - Placer
(Ave: 17:08.9, Total: 85:44.1, Range: 1:49.1)
1-7 Julian Doak 16:34.6
2-9 Wyatt Hamilton 16:39.3
3-13 Braden Muzzy 17:02.4
4-14 Daniel Aguilar 17:04.1
5-30 Elias Alvarez 18:23.7
6-(31) Jacob Dennon 18:24.2
7-(43) Caleb Dickerson 19:00.7
Other team qualifiers - El Dorado, Christian Brothers
DIVISION 5
Champion
Andrew Burr (Sacramento Country Day, Fr.) 16:43.1
Other individual qualifiers
Evan Espinoza (Waterford, Sr.) 17:14.8
Carson Edwards (Millennium, Sr.) 17:18.0
Jordan Smith (Bret Harte, Sr.) 18:10.0
Jack Headrick (Capital Christian, Jr.) 18:36.2
Teams (2)
Champion - Vacaville Christian
(Ave: 19:35.7, Total: 97:58.2, Range: 2:14.4)
1-5 Chris Lespron 18:23.4
2-9 Maverick Adam 19:06.3
3-18 Aaron Laxamana 19:53.3
4-19 Apollo Adam 19:57.4
5-32 Harrison Jones 20:37.8
6-(52) Brian Laxamana 21:44.9
7-(53) Ryder Sietsema 21:51.2
Other team qualifier - Summerville
GIRLS
DIVISION 1
Champion
Anna McNatt (McClatchy, Jr.) 17:26.8
Other individual qualifiers
Melissa Barajas (Modesto, Sr.)
Maeve Mahony (Inderkum, Fr.) 19:05.9
Getzabell Pacheco (Sheldon, Jr.) 19:07.9
Emma Kaufman (Stockton Lincoln, Jr.) 19:21.2
Skyler Tatum (Stockton Lincoln, Sr.) 19:27.2
Teams (3)
Champion - Oak Ridge
(Ave: 19:04.1, Total: 95:20.5, Range: 1:25.5)
1-2 Kayla Rutz 18:20.0
2-3 Ava Maier 18:47.0
3-5 Samantha Liaty 18:59.5
4-9 Quinn Walker 19:28.5
5-11 Brooke Butler 19:45.5
6-(15) Addison Clinton 20:05.3
7-(18) Lauren Olson 20:11.0
Other qualifying teams - Davis, McClatchy
DIVISION 2
Champion
Katie Kopec (Whitney, Jr.) 18:07.6
Others individual qualifiers
Leila Swenson (Bella Vista, Sr.) 18:34.8
Natalie Wieland (Ponderosa, Sr.) 18:48.8
Kiah Aitken (Lodi, So.) 19:08.1
Teams (3)
Champion - Granite Bay
(Ave: 18:51.7, Total: 94:18.3, Range: 0:53.8)
1-2 Carly Foster 18:11.9
2-7 Emily Allison 18:58.1
3-9 Grace McGuckin 19:00.8
4-10 Lizzy Hansen 19:01.8
5-11 Morgan McKenna 19:05.7
6-(15) Grace Baxter 19:25.0
7-(46) Courtney Franz 21:30.2
Other team qualifiers - St. Francis, Rio Americano
DIVISION 3
Champion
Riley Chamberlain (Del Oro, Sr.) 18:06.1
Other Individual qualifiers
Isabel Perez-Zoghbi (Merced, Sr.) 18:48.4
Peyton Derepentigny (Lincoln, Sr.) 19:55.9
Tea Troche Jones (Will C. Wood, Sr.) 20:06.4
Sienna Jones (Manteca, So.) 20:13.5
Briana Parker (Pioneer, So.) 20:47.8
Teams (3)
Champion - Del Oro
(Ave: 19:51.2, Total: 99:15.8, Range: 3:22.7)
1-1 Riley Chamberlain 18:06.1
2-5 Angeline Gutierrez 19:33.9
3-7 Isabel Anglero 20:01.3
4-8 Emilie Merz 20:05.7
5-17 Avery Covington 21:28.8
6-(18) Charlotte Wood 21:34.4
7-(49) Lexi Kool 25:00.4
Other qualifying teams - Oakdale, Nevada Union
DIVISION 4
Champion
Mahalia Quintana (Woodland, Sr.) 18:40.9
Other individual qualifiers
Chloe Gautschi (El Dorado, Sr.) 19:10.8
Annie Wild (Ripon, Jr.) 19:53.0
Dakota Gibson (Casa Roble Sr.) 20:03.1
Maya Gomez (Livingston, Sr.) 20:27.8
Teams (3)
Champion - Placer
(Ave: 20:32.0, Total: 102:39.6, Range: 2:23.6)
1-4 Constance O'Neal 19:40.1
2-5 Anna Soares 19:46.1
3-7 Addison Arsenith 20:11.3
4-13 Leah Booth 20:58.4
5-23 Olivia Passafiume 22:03.7
6-(35) Grace Mueller 22:45.6
Other qualifying teams - Colfax, Christian Brothers
DIVISION 5
Champion
Sofia Vasquez (Summerville, Sr.) 19:50.1
Other individual qualifiers
Maeve Klement (Argonaut, So.) 19:55.5
McKenna Lechner (Foresthill, Jr.) 20:34.1
Ariana Martinez (Summerville, So.) 20:40.5
Mikele Jopson (John Adams Academy, Fr.) 20:42.6
Teams (2)
Champion - Bret Harte
(Ave: 22:17.7, Total: 111:28.2, Range: 3:30.4)
1-1 Kadyn Rolleri 20:24.7
2-3 Anika Jodie 22:00.1
3-4 Addison Heermance 22:05.1
4-8 Lilly O'Genn 23:03.2
5-12 Savannah Inks 23:55.1
6-(14) Sophia Keirns 24:31.8
7-(21) Taylee McDaniel 25:44.4
Other qualifying team - Vacaville Christian
Individual qualifiers to the State Meet are based on a formal that is tied to the number of automatic team qualifiers per division. If a division is allowed three team qualifiers, a maximum of five athletes among the top 14 not on one of the qualifying teams will advance. If a division is allotted two team qualifiers, a maximum of five athletes among the top 12 not on one of the qualifying teams will advance.
Photos/Videos by Dan Tyree and James Leash