'22 XC RUNNER OF THE WEEK POLL
Archbishop Mitty sophomore Evie Marheineke (127) was the fastest girl on the course at the WCAL Finals, a performance that earned the most votes in a statewide poll as our most recent MileSplitCA Girls XC Runner of the Week. (Dan Tyree, file photo)
Marheineke received 49 percent of the vote in a statewide poll. Amelie Maltz, a senior at Lick Wilmerding (NC), was second in our closest voting of the fall season, receiving 46 percent of the votes.
This week were are putting eight athletes on the line and leaving it for you to select the overall CA XC Runner of the Week. Our objective each week will be to select top performers from across the state.
Be sure to vote in the MileSplit Picks window below the candidate list.
This week's candidates (listed alphabetically by last name)
Ashlyn Boothby (Scotts Valley/CC) - Ashlyn, a junior, defended her individual Division 4 title while leading her team to a repeat victory at the Central Coast Section Championships. Boothby ran 18:10.50 to win by more than 18 seconds over her sister Amber on the 2.95-mile Crystal Springs course in Belmont.
Brooke Butler (Oak Ridge/SJ) - Brooke, a senior, improved nearly a minute from a 12th-place finish as a junior to win the Division 1 title at the Sac-Joaquin Section Championships. Butler ran 18:47.80 to help her team defend its title on the 5,000-meter course at Willow Hills Reservoir in Folsom.
Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura/SS) - Sadie, a sophomore, was the fastest girl on the course by nearly a minute over the next fastest girl across 18 qualifying heats during the two-day Southern Section Prelims. Engelhardt ran 16:38.8 on the 3-mile course at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.
Katie Kopec (Whitney/SJ) - Katie, a senior, was the fastest girl on th course at the Sac-Joaquin Section Championships, running 18:17.30 to defend her Division 2 title while leading her team to victory over the 5,000-meter course at Willow Hills Reservoir in Folsom.
Gioana Lopizzo (La Costa Canyon/SD) - Gioana, a junior, was the fastest girl at the San Diego Section Championships, running 17:12.70 to win the section Division 3 title on the 3-mile course at Morley Field.
Elizabeth Merrill (Shasta/NS) - Merrill, a sophomore, was the fastest girl at the Northern Section Championships, running 19:13.45 to win the large school-division title on the 3-mile course at West Valley HS in Cottonwood.
Tatum Olesen (Menlo-Atherton/CC) - Tatum, a junior, won the Central Coast Section Division 1 title while leading her team to an impressive 19-point performance on the 2.95-mile course at Crystal Springs in Belmont.
Lauren Soobrian (Los Altos/CC) - Soobrian, a senior, was the fastest girl at the Central Coast Section Championships, running 17:29.00 to win the Division 2 title and leading her team to the CCS title on the 2.95-mile Crystal Springs course in Belmont.
Photos by DeAnna Turner and Dan Tyree