IRVINE | The concluding race day for the 43rd Woodbridge Classic, presented by ASICS America, featured powerful performances. It was evident to see the state of where this season might take California's top runners and teams, as well as results that shows the Woodbridge event's successful reach in attracting a wider, deeper entrant field beyond California.
Considered an important early season test and traditionally a haven for personal-best times on the flat, fast three-mile course at Irvine's Great Park, the results from the sweepstakes races with elite individuals and teams delivered.
Santiago Corona senior and Florida State commit Rylee Blade firmly established herself in 2024 with a race record-setting time of 15:20 to win the Bob Day Girls Sweepstakes race. Blade shattered the all-time meet record time by 12 seconds. She was eight seconds ahead of runner-up La Jolla San Diego junior Chiara Dailey, 16 seconds faster than the previous all-time record holder, Timpview (Utah) senior Jane Hedengren, who was fourth on Saturday and a whopping 20 seconds ahead of Ventura senior and North Carolina State commit Sadie Engelhardt who finished fifth (15:40.2).
"It hasn't really sunken in yet," said Blade, minutes after her race ended, "but my first thought when I finished was, 'Did that just really happen?"
Yes, it certainly did and in impressive fashion -- again.
The sweepstakes win, combined with a season-opening 15:47 to win the Cool Breeze Invitational title Sept. 7 in Pomona, demonstrates Blade's desire to build a senior year to remember. Her junior year wasn't too shabby, either. She's the defending CIF Southern Section and CIF State Division I cross country individual champion and the Sharks won their the CIF-SS and first-ever girls CIF State team title last fall. Blade also won a 3,200-meter State title in track and field her sophomore year.
"What I was thinking about throughout the entire race was I want to do this for my teammates and I'm just so happy to go celebrate with them," she said.
But to celebrate a win, which included a first-ever victory when Ventura's Engelhardt is in the field -- Blade has competed with her since eighth grade and said Engelhardt has been a motivator to work toward being at her best -- Blade needed to conquer not only other runners, but to master the flat, fast and this year a slightly new course layout at Great Park.
"I honestly liked it a little bit more, you had, not a downhill, but once you hit the sidewalk a little bit it was somewhat like a downhill. I felt we were able to open up on a few spots and it felt there were a few less turns than last year which made it a little easier to pick up the pace," she said.
In the team sweepstakes standings Blade's win and teammate Braelyn Combe's ninth-place finish (16:02.9) helped the Sharks to a third-place finish. Flower Mound Lewisville (Texas) won the team girls sweepstakes title with 92 points, followed by Ventura (112). Santiago was next with 141 points.
Meanwhile, the Doug Speck Boys Sweepstakes race showcased the Woodbridge Classic's out-of-state schools appeal. The top six finishers in Saturday's race were on teams outside of California. The winner was Mercer Island (WA)'s Owen Powell, whose all-time meet record setting time of 13:30.3 barely edged Crater (OR) senior Josiah Tostenson mark of 13:30.5. Both crushed the previous meet record of 13:38.1 set by Newbury Park's Leo Young in 2021.
"I definitely thought coming into this race, the main way I could utilize this opportunity with such good competition and a deep field with so many tough and talented individuals was that I wanted to compete to the best of my ability. I'm really happy with how I did that tonight," Powell said.
Third place went to Coeur D'Alene (Idaho) senior Maximus Cervi-Skinner (13:37). Caden Leonard, a junior from Southlake (Texas) Carroll was fourth in 13:41.8, Crater senior Tayvon Kitchen was fifth in 13:43.5 and Herriman, Utah junior Jackson Spencer finished sixth in 13:49.2. The first California boys runner to cross the finish line was ML King Riverside junior Maximo Zavaleta, who was seventh in 13:56.4.
Finishing first among such strong competition, Powell's mindset on emerging from the pack came to fruition just as he had hoped.
"I really think I knew if I was able to hold on through two miles and be in a good position there I was confident in my ability to close in a half-mile, 1K. I found myself right where I wanted to be and I was really comfortable. So, when I turned on the jets, I went into that last 800 very confident."
Herriman, the defending national cross country championship boys program, to the Woodbridge sweepstakes team title with 58 points.
The first seven team places were filled by out-of-state teams: Southlake Carroll was runner-up with 173 points and Crater took third with 187 points. Hamilton (AZ) was fourth (226), Couer D'Alene was fifth (258). Rock Canyon of Colorado was sixth (275) and Mercer Island was seventh (305). The highest California team finisher was Manhattan Beach's Mira Costa, eighth with 324 points.
"I think it's really cool that this meet is so national. I'm very happy to be a part of it," Powell said.
Beyond the sweepstakes results, Woodbridge also has rated boys and girls races designed to capture those top teams who just miss qualifying or choose not to compete in the sweepstakes race.
The boys' rated race was claimed by Oaks Christian senior Christian Yoder, who went 14:15.7 and edged his own teammate, fellow senior Cooper McNee (14:16.5), to win. Auge Martin of St. Francis was third in 14:23.1. On the girls side, Vista Murrieta senior Erika Kirk won the rated race in 16:33. She edged El Toro Lake Forest sophomore Gweneth Williams (16:35.1) and Jackson Mill Creek (WA) senior Selena Bangerter (16:45.8).
Team results for the rated races had El Toro girls winning with 90 points, followed by Crater (OR) at 109 and Mira Costa third with 228 points. The boys title was won by Mountain View (CA) with 138 points, followed by Montana's Bozeman (165). The Yoder-McNee combination led Oaks Christian to third place with 171 points.