* * *
Apparently, winning a post-season national title cross country race has its benefits.
Payton Godsey and Aaron Sahlman, both individual winners at national championship meets, also are the fan favorites as California MileSplit Cross Country Runners of the Year for the 2022 season.
Godsey, a junior at Oaks Christian (SS), the Southern Section and CIF-State Division IV champion, also won the elite girls gold race at the Garmin RunningLane National Championships in Huntsville, Alabama.
On that same day, Dec. 3, in Portland, Oregon, Sahlman, a senior at Newbury Park (SS) headed to Northern Arizona University, used a tremendous kick to pull away from a deep field to win the individual title at Team Nationals.
In statewide fan voting, via MileSplit partners FanPower, Godsey received 48 percent of the vote, outpacing a pari of superstar sophomores, Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura/SS), and Hanne Thomsen (Montgomery/NC).
Sahlman's race win in Portland was the first of his high school career while competing on the deep Panthers teams, ranked as the nation's best over the past three seasons.
He won the fan vote with 45 percent of the tally, outpacing three other candidates, all seniors: Matthew Donis (Highland/SS), and Newbury Park teammates Lex Young and Leo Young.
Link to Polls - Boys Voting - Girls Voting
* * *
PAYTON'S '22 RESUME
Runner-up at Woodbridge, running a PR of 15:51.90, the No. 2 time for 3-miles in both CA and the U.S. Repeated as the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 champion. Went on to win the division title at the CIF-State Meet. Her time of 17:00.1 on the 5K Woodward Park course at State is a PR and ranks as the No. 4 time ever by a junior girl and the fifth-fastest ever in D-IV at State. Also, it ranks CA No. 3 overall and U.S. No. 6 in the class. Won the elite race at the Garmin RunningLane National Championships (17:28.30).
AARON'S '22 RESUME
A consistent No. 3 for the undisputed top team in the country, saved his best for last, winning the Team Nationals individual title in 14:44.5, a record on the Glendoveer Golf Course 5K layout. It was Aaron's only XC race win of his high school career. Helped his team win CIF-Southern Section, CIF-State and national titles, which the Panthers did for the third consecutive season. His 3-mile season best of 14:01.70 from Woodbridge ranks third in CA and eighth nationally. His 14:41.04 5K SB from the CIF-State Meet ranks third in CA.