What's Coming Up In October?

We are at the end of September, and heading into the midway point for the season. This month as always, brought us plenty of exciting and fast invitationals. Among them was the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, a race where a Californian broke the national 3-mile high school record. The athlete in question, Rylee Blade (Santiago-Corona HS // SS) followed up her performance at the Cool Breeze Invitational with a blazing 15:20.30 at the Woodbridge Classic, the meet where she engraved her name into the record books. 

Looking ahead to October, here are a handful of key meets that will help pave the way to the post-season for these talented Golden State athletes.

1) Clovis Invitational (Oct. 11-12) @ Woodward Park: The famous invitational in Fresno, CA is expected to bring out hundreds of schools yet again for another exciting year. The newly formatted two-day meet allows for earlier racing and will ideally result in quicker times given the reduced heat during the morning races. The top returner on the girl's side is none other than Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura HS // SS), who will now have a score to settle with competitor Rylee Blade (Santiago-Corona HS // SS) after the thrilling Woodbridge Classic race. On the boy's side, Evan Noonan (Dana Hills HS // SS) is slotted in the top returner spot after the departure from both first and second-place finishers at last year's Championship race. Can this invite produce Noonan's return to the spotlight after the Woodbridge Classic?

2) Mt. SAC XC Invitational (Oct. 25-26) @ Mt. SAC: A tough course for anyone, the notorious hills of Mt. SAC await the thousands of runners who venture to the well-recognized Hilmer Lodge. For this meet, we have a very different outcome compared to the Clovis Invitational. The top girl's returner is Chiara Dailey (La Jolla HS // SDS), who was the only female runner to go under the 17-minute mark on the course during last year's edition. The top boy's returner is Trey Caldwell (De La Salle HS // NCS), who ran a 14:49.00 at the invite last season. Anything can happen on this course, stay tuned!

3) Flat SAC Invitational (Oct. 26) @ Gibson Ranch Park: The same weekend as Mt. SAC XC Invitational, this race provides an opportunity for schools that opt to skip Mt. SAC with one last quality 5K before heading into the postseason. Last year's edition saw Elliana Lomeli (Buchanan HS // CS) take the win in 17:44.30, who would also be the top returner on the girl's side for this year. Over to the boys, we have Isaac Abbott (Jesuit HS // SJS) as the top returner from California after finishing third last year versus two out-of-state runners. If you are a NorCal fan make sure to keep an eye on this invitational!

October should be a month to watch as we advance with the season!