30 Girls XC Teams to Watch this Fall: Buchanan (CS)

CA 2022 XC Preview
Ryan Blystone

It's time to get fired up for cross country! Our traditional XC countdown is back, although it may look a little different this time around - our longtime data analyst Jeff George has moved on, leaving this energizing project to the MileSplit team in CA. Our collective goal is to briefly highlight 30 boys and 30 girls teams that we think will have an impact this fall. We will spotlight one team per gender per day over a 30-day period. Similar to past countdowns, we will provide a cross-sampling of teams from all 10 sections without regard to statewide or even division ranking (those will come later, as will articles previewing each section, and returning athletes to watch). As always, if you catch an error or have updated information for us, email CA state editor Jeffrey Parenti (jeffrey.parenti@flosports.tv) and we'll make the corrections.



Buchanan (CS/Division I)


The names change, eventually, but the results are likely to be the same for the Buchanan girls' cross-country program in 2022.

The Bears secured the TRAC, CIF Central Section and CIF State Division I team championships in dominating and efficient fashion in 2021. Coach Brian Weaver will seek more of the same in 2022 with a roster of senior standouts, key returners and superior depth. He also has a few varsity newcomers who could challenge for scoring spots.

Everything begins with Sydney Sundgren, the individual TRAC and Central Section champion and third-place finisher at State. Her personal best was a 16:59.99 in the 5000 at the Garmin RunningLane Cross-Country Championships post-high school season meet in December.

Joining her is fellow senior Grace Hutchison, who was runner-up in the TRAC and Central Section races. She struggled in the State final in late November, but recovered the following week with a PR 17:28.15 at the same Garmin race as Sundgren.

The key returners and depth come from sophomore Elliana Lomeli, who finished eighth in the State final as a freshman, junior Stefania Sesock (14th State), senior Caroline Mendyk (20th) and sophomore Sierra Cornett (22nd).

All seven Buchanan runners were in the top 10 in the Central Section final. In the TRAC final, Buchanan runners took five of the top six spots. Furthermore, the TRAC JV final was won by freshman Elizabeth Dimitrashchuk and Buchanan's top five finished among the top 10 spots.
 

2021 Returning Times for 5000 Meters


Buchanan (CS)
1) Sydney Sundgren16:59.992
2) Grace Hutchison17:28.155
3) Elliana Lomeli17:38.459
4) Stefania Sesock17:40.2710
5) Sierra Cornett17:41.4012
Average Time: 17:29.65 Total Time: 1:27:28.26 1-5 Split: 41.41
6) Caroline Mendyk18:08.4433
7) Avery Hutchison19:34.51208


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Ryan Blystone is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to MileSplit.

Photos by DeAnna Turner