Six 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 current young talent who are topping leaderboards.
This week, we are highlighting a group of sophomores making waves regionally in Orange County and the Inland Empire.
At the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, Marina Avilla finished with a time of 17:19 to win the Gold Sophomore Girls' race by over 90 seconds. She walked out of Woodbridge as the fastest sophomore in the Inland Empire and with confidence to help secure her first Desert Empire League victory. Yesterday, Avilla ran 17:32 to stay under the 18-minute barrier and prove that her fast time at Woodbridge wasn't a fluke.
One half of the Ayala sophomore one-two punch, Bryson Caganap, is no stranger to being a future star after an outstanding freshman season. He's currently ranked the fastest sophomore in the Inland Empire after he ran a personal record of 14:32 at the Palomares League Preview last week. This year, Caganap has proven he can consistently run under 15 minutes for three miles and is capable of finishing in the top 25 of the fastest races.
As a freshman, Rebecca VanPeteghen ran only two cross country races for Huntington Beach, but now she is an essential runner for the varsity squad. Her breakout race came at the Dana Hills Invitational, where she ran a personal record of 17:35 for a 13th-place finish. She helped Huntington finish third in a competitive race as the No. 3 runner on the team. Her consistent top finishes on the team will carry a lot of weight, particularly with their lead runner, Sydney Rubio, who is always competing for the individual win.
The Woodbridge Cross Classic was a big moment for Ryder Whitcomb of San Juan Hills because he broke the 15-minute barrier for the first time in his career. The sophomore ran 14:57, ranking him the fastest sophomore in Orange County currently. This is impressive compared to his freshman year, since he's no longer the No. 4 man on San Juan Hills, but he's leading the varsity squad with big goals.
Six 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 current young talent who are topping leaderboards.
This week, we are highlighting a group of sophomores making waves regionally in Orange County and the Inland Empire.
