CROSS COUNTRY '22 in REVIEW - Los Angeles City Section

Junior Max Fields is a two-time Los Angeles City Section Division 1 champion while leading Palisades Charter to consecutive titles.

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BOYS

Los Angeles City Section Highlights

• Palisades Charter's Division 1 Section Championship Performance - totaling 31 points (scoring runners finished first, fourth, seventh, ninth and 10th) -- came with 1:07 in the 1-5 split and an average time of 15:56 among the team on the three-mile course at Woodland Hills' Pierce College.

• Verdugo Hills Division 3 Section Title Win - This performance featured a 1-5 split time of 40 seconds. Evan Ellersieck, a junior, was the team's top runner, finishing seventh in 17:14.20. Good packing was key. Ellersieck was followed by junior Dustin Harman and seniors William Low and Shawn Morton in ninth, 10th and 11th. Hunter Lopez, another junior, was 14th overall.

• Reversal of Fortune - Two LAC Section division team runners-up in 2021, Mendez and New West Charter, captured Division 4 and 5 titles, respectively, in 2022. Key individuals were Mendez seniors Miguel Morales-Lopez, who won the Division 4 title in 17:11.50, Jesse Maldonado, third in 17:45.10, and Hernan Uvera, sixth in 18:12.20. New West Charter senior William Bujake won the D5 title in 16:19.90. Freshman Aaron Lee was the only other New West Charter member to finish in the top 10, 10th in 18:27.60.

• Maxing Out in D-1 - Dating back to 2019, the first name of the Division I LAC Section individual champion has been Max. This year and in 2021, Max Fields of Palisades Charter has back-to-back section wins. There was no race in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but in 2019, then-junior Max Arroyo of San Pedro won the D1 title. Each time, too, the Division I team section champion has been the one with the winning Max.

All-LAC Section Boys Team

Max Fields (Palisades Charter/Jr.) - Won second straight D-1 LAC Section individual title and helped Palisades win consecutive section titles. Ran the LAC's best three-mile and 5K times, 14:48.10 (Sept. 3 Cerritos Invite) and 15:29.74 (Nov. 26 CIF-State Championship Division I), respectively. Was 15th overall in the CIF-State D-I race and 25th in 16:15 at the Champs Sports West Regional race on Dec. 3.

William Bujake (New West Charter/Sr.) - Won the LAC Section Division 5 individual title in 16:19.90 on the three-mile course, helping his team win the D5 LAC Section championship. He finished 32nd overall in the CIF-State Division V 5K race, running it in 16:28.58 at Woodward Park.

Francisco Rodriguez (Franklin/Sr.) - He won the Division 3 LAC Section individual title in 16:02.50. Ran the CIF-State Division III race, finishing 70th overall, tops among all LAC runners in the division, in 16:41.26.

Juan Zamora (Marshall/Sr.) - Captured the Division 2 LAC section individual title in 16:26.40, covering three miles. When he transitioned to Woodward Park's 5K course in Fresno for the CIF-State Championship Division II race, he ran it in 16:58.61 and was 115th overall.

Miguel Morales-Lopez (Mendez/Sr.) - He picked a great time to PR, both for a three-mile course and 5K. Morales-Lopez won the LAC Division 4 individual section title in a PR time of 17:11.50 and he followed that up in the CIF-State Championship D IV race in a PR time of 17:06.86 for 89th place. 

Paul Tranquilla (Venice/So.) - He finished runner-up to Zamora in the LAC D2 section final, but helped Venice to the section team championship. His 5K personal best came in the CIF-State Championship DII race in 17:11.96. 

Adrian Sverlow-men (San Pedro/Sr.) - Runner-up to Max Fields in the LAC D1 section final, he ran a PR time of 15:45.20 for three miles. His 16:21.76 time in the CIF-State Meet at Woodward Park was also a PR and he finished 75th overall. 

Boys Team of the Year

Palisades Charter - Captured the Western League team title, the LAC Division I team championship, had the top LAC runner in junior Max Fields and had the highest finish among all LAC boys teams at the CIF-State Championship meet (17th, Division I). In addition to Fields, the team's next six runners are all expected to be back in 2023 -- freshman Zachary Cohen, sophomore Owen Lewicky, junior Axel Mammen, freshman Blake Sigworth, freshman, Andrew Razo and sophomore Ben Barnett.

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Girls

L.A. City Section Highlights

• Relative rivalries? - Nah, not when they run for the same team or school. How about the Reseda High trio? The Division 3 LAC Section final saw senior Molly Sandridge win the individual title (20:41.30) in 2022. Her younger sister, sophomore Rosemary Sandridge, was fifth in 22:14.60. Brother Jude Sandridge, a junior, was the boys' runner-up in Division 3 LAC Section final in 16:26. 

• Youth on the Rise - The Division 4 LAC Section final was a great sight for the future. Three of the top four spots were occupied by freshmen. Maywood Center for Enriched Studies' Kellie Mena, won the D4 title in 21:29.30. Dorsey's Marlene Garcia and Mendez's Rosa Bautista-Flores were third and fourth, 22:05.40 and 22:16.10, respectively. Other strong freshman LAC Section final performances were turned in by Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies' Alexandra Villanueva (D3, third, 21:45.20), Alliance Marc & Eva Stern's Valerie Palma (D5, second, 19:50.50), Griselda Roca of Sun Valley Magnet (D5, fifth, 22:01.30) and Rancho Dominguez Prep's Karah Machuca (D5, sixth, 22:20.40).

• Double-Gold Trio - Three of the five LAC Section team champions had its top runner win the individual section title: Granada Hills Charter won Division 1 with 37 points and sophomore Meztli Velazquez (pictured above) won in 18:22; Sophomore Brynn Bogue of Bravo Medical Magnet won in 19:24.60 and Bravo won Division 2 with 52 points. Junior Gabriela Nascimento won Division 5 and her school, New West Charter, edged Rancho Dominguez Prep, 51 to 52. 

All-LAC Section Girls Team

Meztli Velazquez (Granada Hills Charter/So.) - Running on a senior-laden team, the younger standout won the Division I LA City Section title in 18:22 on the three-mile Pierce College course in Woodland Hills. Granada Hills Charter also won the section team title. Finished 50th overall in the CIF-State Championship Division I race, a 5K, in 19:05.97.

Naima Salazar (Granada Hills Charter/Sr.) - Third in the LAC section final in 18:39.20, Salazar turned in the top LAC female runner's 5K time of 18:56.07, good for 40th overall, in the CIF-State Championship Division I race at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Gabriela Nascimento (New West Charter/Jr.) - Secured the Division 5 LAC Section title in a time of 19:20.80 to help her New West Charter team capture the section title. She was 39th overall in the CIF-State Championship Division V race, finishing in 19:49.82.

Brynn Bogue (Bravo Medical Magnet/So.) - Captured the LAC Section's Division II individual title, finishing in 19:24.60. Bravo also won the section team title. Bogue was the top LAC runner in Division II at the CIF-State Championship, finishing 102nd overall in 19:59.74.

Jocelyn Pacheco (Granada Hills Charter/Sr.) - Ran the fastest LAC female three-mile time at the Woodbridge Cross-Country Classic in 17:55.10. Won the West Valley League title in 18:25.10 was fourth in the LAC Section D1 final. Ran a 5K PR, 19:09.48, at the CIF-State Championship meet to finish 57th overall. 

Valerie Palma (Alliance Marc and Eva Stern/Fr.) - Made a sensational high school debut with a second-place finish in the LAC Section D5 final, running three miles in 19:50.50. She then had a 37th overall finish, 19:45.77, as the top LAC runner in the 5K CIF-State Championship Division V race.

Ava Baak (Palisades Charter/Sr.) - Won the Western League title (18:45.40), finished second in the LAC Section Division 1 final in 18:38.60, breaking up the top three pack of Granada Hills Charter runners. Finished 117th in 20:27.79 in CIF-State Championship Division I race, a 5K PR. 

Girls Team of the Year

Granada Hills Charter - Dominated the West Valley League Finals by taking six of the top seven spots and then the top five among the top 22 runners in the Division I LAC section final. GHC finished an LAC Section-best 12th in the Division I team standings at the CIF-State Championship Meet. The team had three top seniors, Naima Salazar, Jocelyn Pacheco and Zaida Velazquez, and an underclassman group consisting of sophomores Meztli Velazquez, Reece Trice, Emma Kavcioglu, and freshman Sophia Battle.