XC SEASON IN REVIEW - NORTH COAST SECTION
BOYS TEAMS
The section championship featured five dominant teams in each division. If we follow the schedule order, the Campolindo boys won their 14th section title, many under veteran coach Chuck Woolridge, over a resurgent Newark Memorial team and eventual state podium placer, Maria Carillo. In Division IV, the Albany boys (above, Andrew Cohen photo) won their first section team title while qualifying for their first state meet which as you read above resulted in you guessed it, their first state championship. Longtime coach Craig Stern had quite a season that included a state team title as well as an individual state champion In Division V, the Lick-Wilmerding boys led by coach Jeffrey Gardiner won their 3rd section title before also claiming their first state title for their boys. In Division II, the Mattern brothers (Noah and Jeremy) guided the Granada boys to their 4th section title before their podium finish at the state meet. In the last boys' race of the day, the Dublin boys made section history with the first perfect score as they tallied 15 points to win their 5th section title in a row under coach Chris Williams.
GIRLS TEAMS
The Campolindo girls won their 18th Section title which now ties them with the University girls for the most section titles for girls. The Miramonte girls guided by coach Tristian Tool won the Division IV team title in perhaps the most competitive race of the day as they finished just ahead of the St. Mary's Berkeley and Acalanes girls. The Dougherty Valley girls almost secured a perfect score but finished with a still mighty impressive 16 points. They were led by first-year head coach Lauren Nakaso. California senior Madison Chavez prevented the sweep with a 5th place individual finish. The Lick-Wilmerding girls won their fourth straight section title over the past five seasons. In the final race of the day, the Granada girls won their 6th straight section title in Division II with another dominant victory.
BOYS INDIVIDUALS
Tamalpais senior Caden Carney had quite a season which included winning his first MCAL individual title. Carney then followed that up with his first section title as he finished ahead of Maria Carrillo's front runner, Jacob Donohue. At the state meet, Carney proved to be quite the racer as he moved up one spot each mile as he rolled through the 1st mile in 3rd, 2nd mile in 2nd, and ran through the finish line to claim his first state individual title.
GIRLS INDIVIDUALS
Behind the eventual state champion Montgomery freshman Hanne Thomsen, Campolindo junior Ellie Buckley gamely chased her at the section and state meet races. Buckley led the Cougars to their 6th state team title as she hung on for a 5th place finish after being right behind Thomsen through the first two miles.
Olivia Williams finished in 2nd place at the state meet behind Albany's Sophia Nordenholz. Before that race, Williams dropped two absolute bombs as she rolled on the Hidden Valley Park course in a course record of 16:55.5. At the section meet, Williams raised the bar even higher as she blasted the Hayward course in a time of 16:15.2
In Division I, Dougherty Valley freshman Sabrina Noriega won the section title ahead of senior Rhea Braganza but it was Braganza who led DV at the state meet with a 23rd place finish.
In Division V, Lick-Wilmerding junior Amelie Maltz won the section title and then proved that title was not a fluke as she finished in 9th place at the state meet.
In Division II, Granada sophomore Jana Barron led the Matadors to another section title with her individual victory while Redwood junior Audrey MacLean was the top section runner at the state meet with a 16th place finish.
Photos by DeAnna Turner and Patrick Corsinita