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The depth of the nation's top-ranked high school girls cross country team was on display Saturday on a mostly flat course just north of Sacramento.
Buchanan (CS) made the trip up the 99 from Clovis to Gibson Ranch in Elverta and reminded everyone exactly why the Bears have been atop the MileSplit50 National Rankings all season.
With senior Grace Hutchison leading the way, running the 5,000-meter course of thick grass and single-track dirt trail in 17 minutes 39.50 seconds, the second-fastest time in meet history, and senior Sydney Sundgren rolling in behind her at 18:06.52 as part of a 1-4 finish, the Bears put up 18 points with just a 69-second scoring split.
Sophomores Sierra Cornett placed third in 18:12.31 and Avery Hutchison crossed the line in 18:30.64. Senior Caroline Mendyk completed the scoring, crossing ninth overall in 18:49.09.
The future of Coach Brian Weaver's girls program is blindingly bright as the Bears also went 1-4 in the Frosh-Soph race on a 2.25-mile modified layout. Usual varsity-7 runners soph Elliana Lomeli (12:43.67) and frosh Kynzlee Buckley (12:53.34) went 1-2 with freshmen Tayler Torosian (13:23.53) and Lily Olsen (14:54.70) continuing the parade across the line. Frosh Camila Barajas closed the scoring for the Bears placing seventh in 15:18.33. Buchanan put eight in the top 12 all under 15:37.
Lomeli, a top-three varsity scorer, ran half a minute faster on this course than a year ago in winning the lower-level race for the second consecutive year. Torosian's time bettered that of two of the team's State Meet scoring runners from last November.
It's been a bit of a roller-coaster of a season for Buchanan, which, like most teams across the Golden State have had their share of the universal equalizers of the sport: injury and illness. Even at roughly 70 percent, they rolled to the title at Woodbridge in September. But a month later, they didn't post a team score at Clovis when they were only able to put five on the line to start and just four came back.
Hutchison wasn't able to finish the last 1200 meters or so at that Clovis Invite but the veteran standout was back in front on Saturday, running this same course 17 seconds faster than she did as a junior. Sundgren, a recent Cal-Poly SLO commit, slowed by after effects of a flu shot, was among the few not to show improvement, yet, still placed second. Results for Cornett and the younger Hutchison are encouraging to the Bears camp, and Mendyk was four-plus seconds faster year-over-year.
Freshman Valentina Garcia Lorenzo of Davis (SJ) was the first to break up the Buchanan party in the F/S race, placing fifth in 14:57.53. In the Varsity race, it was a pair of runners from Reno (NV) Galena as the first non-Buchanan runners across the line in sophomore Eleanor Raker (18:37.52) and senior Alyssa Bronander (18:41.96).
Davis senior Norah Dulaney was seventh in 18:45.67 with Placer (SJ) junior Anna Soares next at 18:47.75. Soars had run 19:29.40 here last year.
While many of the local powers skipped taking the line against the nation's best, one perennial SJS front-runner, St. Francis, took the challenge and placed second in the race where 17 teams scored. Senior Paige Quigley led the scoring for the Troubies, placing 10th overall (ninth among scoring runners) in 18:52.47.
St. Francis put up 88 points and with a 67-second scoring split.
Junior Grace Dunham was next across the line for the Troubies, placing 15th (14) in 19:30.26, followed by senior Daphne Witherell in 18th (16) in 19:33.53, junior Ryann Strawn (24/22 in 19:47.52) and junior Kayla Towne (29/27 in 19:59.55).
Colfax (SJ) junior Jesse Redding won the Varsity Girls Small School race in 19:21.01, leading her team to the race win. Ripon (SJ) senior Annie Wild second in 19:29.22, and Bay School of San Francisco (NC) junior Elsa Krummel third in 19:38.04. Junior Jade Biitner (19:53.50) was fourth and freshman Micah Redding (20:10.70) was sixth as part of Colfax's 29-point performance.
Buchanan also won the boys large school race title with 60 points (41 second scoring split and a 16:38 average) with Stockton Lincoln (SJ0 next with 92 and Clovis East (CS) at 110.
Individually, Davis senior Ryan Mitchell ran a meet-record time of 15:21.81 to beat Rocklin (SJ) senior Devin Pereira (15:43.97) and Clovis East junior Carter Spradling (16:04.04). Eric Ortega-Gammill of Reno HS placed fourth in 16:14.30 and senior Zach Weaver was fifth in leading the team champions in 16:18.65.
Mitchell's time shattered the previous best in the six-year-old meet of 15:35.37 by Nevada Union's Garrett Gough in 2017.
Also scoring for Buchanan was junior Ryan Kunkel (11/10 in 16:33.01), freshman Michael Pritsky (13/12 in 16:37.43), senior Andrew Escobar (15/14 in 16:41.20), and senior Noah Cooke (22/20, in 17:00.31).
Senior Jansen Gillig (6/5, 16:24.43), senior Daniel Gonzalez (9/8, 16:30.82), and Jeffrey Overgaard (10/9, 16:31.19) led Stockton Lincoln.
In the Varsity Boys Small School race, senior Jacob Moffett of St. Mary's (SJ) was a 20-second winner in 16:02.86. Sacramento Country Day (SJ) sophomore Andrew Burr was second (16:23.09) and Lincoln HS (SJ) senior Jaden Trujillo was third (16:50.23).
Junior Samuel Nealon placed seventh overall (sixth among scorers) in 17:09.64 to lead team champion Christian Brothers (SJ), which scored 93 points. Del Campo (SJ) was second with 157.
Junior Reign Saldana (15/11, 17:32.98), and senior Tyler Simi (17/12, 17:40.34) also placed among the top 20 for Christian Brothers.
Photos by James Leash and Dan Tyree
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The depth of the nation's top-ranked high school girls cross country team was on display Saturday on a mostly flat course just north of Sacramento.