Chris Caudillo won his second consecutive CIF-Central Section Division 1 title, a performance that made him the voting favorite for MileSplitCA Boys Cross Country Runner of the Week. (DeAnna Turner photos)
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Congratulations to last week's top vote-getter, Chris Caudilloof Clovis (CS)!!
Chris, a senior, defended his CIF-Central Section Division 1 title, running 15:01.98 on the 5K Woodward Park course in Fresno.
Caudillo received 51 percent of the vote in a statewide poll. Matthew Donis of Highland (SS) was second in the voting with 23 percent of votes.
This week, following the CIF-State Championships, we are expanding our candidate list to put eight outstanding cross country performers on the line for you to choose the overall CA XC Runner of the Week.
Be sure to vote in the MileSplit Picks window below the candidate list. Voting closes each week on Friday at 9 p.m.
This week's candidates (listed alphabetically by last name)
(All races were held on the 5,000-meter course at Woodward Park in Fresno.)
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Mark Cortes (Great Oak/SS) - Mark, a senior, was the top runner for Great Oak in its upset victory of the Division I team title. Cortes ran 15:23.47 to lead the Wolfpack to a 67-80 victory over a San Clemente team that beat them the week before at the Southern Section Finals. Great Oak had a scoring split of 20 seconds in winning its seventh State title and earning a bid to Team Nationals in Portland.
Dax Daley (Oakdale/SJ) - Dax, a senior, placed second in the Division III race in 15:17.82 while leading Oakdale to the program's first CIF-State title. Oakdale, the division title favorites, led from the start and never faltered. Daley, who placed third in the Sac-Joaquin Section Final, ran among the top three throughout and closed in 4:55.3 to surge into second.
Matthew Donis (Highland/SS) - Matthew, a senior, the fastest boy on the Mt. SAC course the week before at Southern Section Finals, was the fastest in Division I on Saturday in Fresno. His 5K PR time of 14:51.25 ranked fourth in the merge behind only Newbury Park runners. He averaged a 4:46.6 mile in earning a bid to compete this Saturday at Team Nationals in Portland.
Auge Martin (St. Francis/SS) - Auge, a sophomore, did what fifth runners do on championship teams: They bring all they have over the final mile. That's what Martin did in the Division IV final to help lift St. Francis to the program's first CIF-State title in cross country. The Knights, the Southern Section champions, where a close second at both the 1-mile and 2.1-mile splits. Over that final mile, Martin made up more ground -- 11 position spots -- than anyone on his team, running a 5:13.5 final mile to cross in 16:31.0, 51st overall, 36th among scoring runners. He was 69th at the 1 mile and 62nd at the 2.1-mile split. Martin crossed just behind runner-up Cathedral's No. 4, securing the title for the Knights.
Evan Noonan (Dana Hills/SS) - Evan, a sophomore, followed up his stellar Southern Section-winning performance with an even more impressive romp to the State Division III title. His time of 15:04.2 is the third-fastest ever by a sophomore boy at the State Meet but he needed to run a 4:40.0 final mile to make up six position places and ended up winning by 13.6 seconds. His time ended up sixth in the merge, earning him a bid to compete this Saturday at Team Nationals in Portland.
Emmanuel Perez (Cathedral/SS) - Emmanuel, a junior, won the State Division IV title a week after winning the Southern Section title. Manny took the lead in the second mile, held it slightly at the split, and continued to hold off pre-race favorites Sean Morello and Broen Holman all the way to the end. Perez crossed in 15:05.37 to win by 3.43 seconds over Morello and earn a bid to compete at Team Nationals in Portland.
Micah Sanchez (Liberty Charter/SS) - Micah, a senior, followed up his San Diego Section victory with a State Meet title in Division V. He had the lead at the mile split and maintained it throughout, crossing in 15:13.51 to win by 11 seconds. He averaged a 4:53.7 mile and placed 14th in the merge.
Lex Young (Newbury Park/SS) - Lex, a senior headed to Stanford, out-sprinted his twin brother Leo to win the Division II title in 14:27.87. His time rounded up is equal the No. 3 all-time mark on the 5K Woodward Park course run by Leo last year, and is one second ahead of older brother Nico's fastest clocking. Young led Newbury Park to a fourth consecutive State divisional title, and third in D-II where the Panthers set division records for points (24) and team time (74:34). His winning time is a D-II record and ranks No. 3 all-time for senior boys.
VOTE: CA Boys Cross Country Runner of the Week (Nov. 21-27)
Chris Caudillo won his second consecutive CIF-Central Section Division 1 title, a performance that made him the voting favorite for MileSplitCA Boys Cross Country Runner of the Week. (DeAnna Turner photos)
