* The JSerra girls are California's top team in 2023
Photo Credit: MileSplit
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By Edgar Salazar - California MileSplit
The California (CIF) State Cross Country Championships are set to go down on Saturday in Fresno at the legendary Woodward Park.
It's one last race to settle things in one of the country's most prestigious championships.
Below, we preview the top storylines to watch out for on the girls side, factoring in CIF Divisions I through 5.
Check below to read up more on the top races, athlete matchups and team battles.
Division I
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Great Oak is headed back to the state championships, which tallies to more than a dozen consecutive years of being present as a team in Fresno.
The Wolfpack finished fifth at the CIF Southern Section Finals after winning last year's edition. Looking at Buchanan, the Bears have continued their Division I supremacy, yet they will have to battle it out versus newly crowned Sothern Section champions Santiago (Corona).
Individually, Jaelyn Williams of Eastlake -- from down in the San Diego Section -- will look to give chase to Rylee Blade, who was third at last year's state meet.
Defending Division I champ, Tessa Buswell, will be heading back to Fresno yet again, this time with her team in hopes of defending her individual title.
Division II
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Los Altos from the Central Coast Section are the defending champions in this race.
However, Ventura has been ripping it this season and the Cougars are being led by none other than Sadie Engelhardt, who makes her third trip to the state championships and is looking for her second straight individual title after placing runner-up her freshman year to Mira Costa great Dalia Frias.
While the heavy favorite in this race is Engelhardt, the team battle will be an interesting one seeing that Los Altos qualified for NXN last season.
That leads to the thought that there could perhaps be a team in this division that grabs one of those at-large berths for the national meet in Portland. Might it be Ventura?
Murrieta Valley makes its first return to the state championships as a team in about two decades after placing third at the Southern Section Finals.
Look for the Nighthawks as they take on the famed Woodward Park course.
Division III
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Cathedral Catholic from the San Diego Section is heading back to the state meet for the 10th time in a row. Since 2019, they have achieved a podium finish as a team, but have yet to obtain the Division crown.
Campolindo is the defending champion in this race, and it is coming off a win at the Northern Coast Section Championships last weekend. The squad will look to make a return to NXN in December.
Hanne Thomson of Montgomery is the defending individual winner from the division and is on paper the favorite to win this race.
However, look to Gioana Lopizzo (La Costa Canyon), Melisse Djomby Enyawe (Corona Del Mar), and Shea Volkmer (Campolindo) to apply pressure during the race in an effort to challenge Thomson for the individual win.
* From left to right: Hanne Thomson, Chiara Dailey and Gioana Lopizzo at the Clovis Invitational
Photo Credit: MileSplit
Division IV
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This race is being headlined by a team who has been tearing up every course they have raced on.
The girls from J Serra Catholic look to three-peat as Division IV champions, and, based on their performance at the Southern Section Finals, are in a great spot to do so.
They face a challenge from Oaks Christian, which is led by NAU commit Payton Godsey, the defending champion in the division.
Godsey, however, faces a challenge for the individual title from Chiara Dailey of La Jolla and may even be the undercard here.
Godsey and Dailey have faced off twice this season, with each girl beating the other once. At last year's state championships, Dailey placed runner-up to Godsey over the 5K distance at Woodward Park, so we'll see how they decide to attack the course at these Championships.
For what it's worth, Dailey has ben the more consistent runner all season.
Division V
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The team battle here will be exciting. This race will be coming down to a team's 4-7 runners because there are a handful of schools that could produce a win in this division.
Defending champion Crystal Springs Upland showed that ti is coming back with a strong squad after winning the Central Coast Section Championships by over 30 points.
Down in the San Diego Section, the girls of Francis Parker tore up the course as they placed six of their runners in the top 10, which gave them the Division V Section title.
They are led by Ariella (Ari) Llorens who after being sick at last year's state championships, wants to challenge for the individual title up in Fresno. From the North Coast Section, both San Francisco University and Lick Wilmerding continue their rivalry at the State meet.
At the Section Championships, these schools placed first and second respectively, with only a one-point difference between them. Both schools finished in the Top 5 at the State Championship last year.
CIF State XC Preview Content:
Sadie Engelhardt: Better Than Ever
A Week In The Life: The Ventura Boys And Girls Squads
