Five weeks into the California cross country season, and the freshmen and sophomores are already making noise across the state. That's why, each week, we'll highlight California's Future Stars, not just to showcase the wide range of upcoming talent, but also to recognize the present young talent who are topping leaderboards.
This week, we look at the freshmen who are leading the way. Across the state, 9th graders are affecting races at every meet with individual wins, top ten finishes, and helping their team score essential points.
Alyssa Gutierrez (St. Francis)
A freshman girl doesn't always steal the show at the Kim Duyst XC Twilight Invitational, but this year, Alyssa Gutierrez did precisely that. The freshman from St. Francis finished in 17:08 to win the invitational 5k race and lead her team to a giant team victory over top teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section. Gutierrez's performances rank her as the fourth-fastest 9th grader in the nation and the second-fastest girl in California over the 5K distance currently.
Damian Noria (Mater Dei)
This future star isn't the quickest underclassman in our rankings, but there's no doubt that he knows how to win. So far this season, Damien Noria has captured two victories in freshman races. First, he won the Mountie Xpress Invitational freshman boys race with a 10:52 on the hilly 2-mile course. Tow weeks later, he dominated the flat 3-mile PR City course, where he cruised to a 16:28 victory with a 46-second cushion. This weekend, he'll face his toughest competition at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic and will be set on breaking the 16-minute barrier.
Natalie Santos (Temecula Valley 2029)
In her first two races of her high school career, Natalie Santos put on a clinic in two big early-season invitational races. First at the CCA Ravens XC Invitational, she ran 17:48 on the 3-mile course to finish ninth overall as the fastest freshman of the meet. She did this by stepping up to the plate in the Senior Invite Race, which featured some of the most talented girls in the San Diego area.
That type of challenge prepared her for the PR City Invitational Elite Girls' race, where she hit a personal record of 17:31 and finished in ninth overall again. With Santos currently sitting in 12th on California's underclassmen 3-mile rankings and all her invitational experience, her freshman year looks to be special this fall.
Victor Esquivel (West Ranch)
We were introduced to Victor Esquivel's talents at the Cool Breeze Sundown Showdown, where his time of 15:16 helped West Ranch earn a fourth-place finish in the prestigious invitational. Esquivel followed up that performance with a ninth-place finish at the Dana Hills invitational race. A wrong turn on the course caused the whole field to run only 2.1 miles instead of 3 miles, but his top ten finish is proof of his undeniable talent. As the top freshman in the underclassmen rankings, expect big things from Victor Esquivel and West Torrance this fall.