The 2025 CIF State XC Championships will go down as one of the best in the meet's 38-year history. Last Saturday, several records were broken, legacies were established, and potential future stars of American distance running emerged.
Record Books Rewritten
Summer Wilson's new Woodward Park course record in the Division 2 girls race will most likely be the lasting memory of this year's CIF State XC Championship. However, don't forget about the two divisional records on the girls' side that are quite remarkable.
First, Ella Mogannam ran 16:54 to win a highly competitive D5 girls' race after taking the lead with one mile to go. The senior from Lick Wilmerding completed an undefeated California season in seven races with that victory.
Mongannam took down the D5 meet record previously set by California legend Jordan Hasay in 2007. This is a considerable achievement, Mongannam, considering that Hasay became an NCAA champion, a two-time podium finisher at the Boston Marathon, and was a Nike professional runner.
Jaelyn Williams also made history in the Division 1 race by breaking the meet record set by Sarah Baxter in 2012. She left the record in the dust just like the competition, winning with the most significant margin of the day, 29 seconds. Her time of 16:28 put her in rare air as the third fastest girl in Woodward Park History.
Leading that restricted all-time list is Summer Wilson after her astonishing 16:20 to win the D2 race. Everyone in attendance knew this race would be special after Wilson clocked 15:14 for three miles the previous week. Additionally, Aelo Curtis from Ventura and Amaya Bharadwaj were sure to challenge her throughout the race.
No one ended up being a match for Wilson, who sprinted through the line in all smiles and appeared to have more energy in her body. This historic feat will be put to the test against the best in the nation at the Nike Cross Nationals this coming week.
New Woodward Park Girls All-Time List
Summer Wilson (Irvine), 2025 CIF State XC - 16:20
Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura), 2024 Clovis XC Invite - 16:24
Jaelyn Williams (Eastlake), 2025 CIF State XC - 16:28
Claudia Lane (Malibu), 2017 CIF State - 16:31
Rylee Blade (Santiago), 2024 Clovis XC Invite - 16:32
Legacy Built
California has a rich history in high school cross country, so building a legacy here is no easy task. Last weekend, all these runners and teams showed just how strong their CIF legacy truly is.
Jesuit Boys Win 11th Team Title
In the first mile of the Division 2 race, Jesuit made their intentions known that they weren't coasting as the favorites to a NXN berth. Instead they put 5 boys in the top 10 on their way to secure their 11th CIF State XC team title in school history.
The Jesuit boys, led by Isaac Abbott, spoke to us after their record-setting team win that extended their total of most boys' state championship wins in CIF history.
Top 3 Boys Teams State Champions
Jesuit - 11
McFarland - 9
Great Oak - 7
Jesuit will compete at Nike Cross Nationals this Saturday with a lot of confidence, aiming to improve on their 11th-place finish from 2024. Their CIF State XC performance should give them strong momentum after running the 4th-fastest team time in state history.
The Newbury Park teams from the early 2020s are the only ones ahead of them. Two of those teams won the Nike Cross Nationals team title. The 2015 Great Oak team they surpassed also won the NXN team title.
Top 5 CIF State XC Championships Team Times
Newbury Park (2021) - 73:23 (Running Lane Team Champs)
Newbury Park (2022) - 74:34 (NXN Team Champs)
Newbury Park (2019) - 75:27 (NXN Team Champs)
Jesuit (2025) - 75:36
Great Oak (2015) - 73:23 (NXN Team Champs)
Chiara Dailey's 3rd CIF State Individual Title
- Chiara Dailey as a Freshman (left) and a Senior (right) at the CIF State XC Meet -
Since Chiara Dailey finished as a runner-up to Payton Godsey during her freshman year and qualified for the Foot Locker XC Nationals, everyone knew she would become an exceptional talent. In her senior season, she made history by winning her third consecutive CIF State XC individual title.
Only 10 other girls have achieved this feat, including Sadie Engelhardt, Sarah Baxter, Jordan Hasay, Hanne Thomsen, and more.
Dailey now has her eyes set on the Brooks XC National Championships on December 13th to try and earn the national title on her home turf of San Diego.
Dana Hills's Legacy Continues
Dana Hills makes history in California high school cross country, and Oliver Hunter proved it again last weekend.
Hunter has been a shining star for the school's distance program, which hasn't fully rebuilt itself since their NXN appearance in 2023. Along with Evan Noonan, they led the boys' team until Noonan graduated this spring.
This led Hunter to step into the ultimate spotlight during the final month of the season, with four consecutive wins, including the South Coast League Finals, CIF-SS D3 XC Prelims, CIF-SS D3 XC Championships, and CIF D3 State XC Championships.
2022: Evan Noonan (Dana Hills) - 15:05
2023: Evan Noonan (Dana Hills) - 14:36
2024: Evan Noonan (Dana Hills) - 14:44
2025: Oliver Hunter (Dana Hills) - 14:55
JSerra Girls Win 8th CIF State XC Team Title
- JSerra Catholic girls at the 2025 CIF State XC Championships - Photo by DeAnna Turner
JSerra has dominated the past 5 CIF seasons, and this year was special, as their CIF D4 State XC team title tied them for third-most in history. Their 8th CIF State XC team title ties them with the exceptional Great Oak teams of the 2010s.
After completing an undefeated team season and leading the COROS MileSplit 50 team rankings, they face their toughest test at Nike Cross Nationals.
Most Team State XC Championships
11 San Francisco University: 1996-98, 2001-03, 2009-12, 2021 Division V
9 Saugus: 2006-07 Division I; 2008-12 , 2014-15 Division II
8 Great Oak: 2010, 2012-18 Division I
8 JSerra: 2010-12, 2021-25 Division IV
7 Campolindo: 2001, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2021-22 Division III
7 Corona del Mar: 1992, 2005-06, 2008-09 Div. III, 1999-00 Div. IV
6 Palos Verdes: 1987-89 Div. I; 2011, 2014, 2016 Div. III
Most Boys Every Under 15 Minutes
California boys couldn't be stopped at the CIF State XC Championships as a record number of runners broke the elusive 15-minute barrier.
Last season, only 12 boys broke fifteen at state, but this year, an impressive 21 boys broke the barrier. The Division 2 boys had the most boys under 15 minutes at eight, led by Cooper Stream from Vacaville.
A complete list of all 21 boys is below.
| Rank | Time | Athlete/Team | Grade | Meet Date Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14:43.20 | Clovis North (CS) | 2026 | |
| 2 | 14:48.40 | Vacaville (SJ) | 2027 | |
| 3 | 14:49.10 | Branham (CC) | 2026 | |
| 4 | 14:49.70 | ML King (SS) | 2026 | |
| 5 | 14:50.10 | Woodbridge (SS) | 2027 | |
| 6 | 14:52.70 | Viewpoint (SS) | 2026 | |
| 7 | 14:54.00 | Claremont (SS) | 2026 | |
| 8 | 14:54.10 | Saugus (SS) | 2027 | |
| 9 | 14:55.30 | Dana Hills (SS) | 2026 | |
| 10 | 14:55.40 | Polytechnic - Riverside (SS) | 2026 | |
| 11 | 14:55.60 | Fresno Christian (CS) | 2027 | |
| 12 | 14:56.90 | Kimball (John C) (SJ) | 2026 | |
| 13 | 14:57.00 | Del Oro (CS) | 2026 | |
| 14 | 14:57.70 | Campolindo (NC) | 2027 | |
| 15 | 14:58.00 | Bellarmine College Prep (CC) | 2026 | |
| 16 | 14:58.10 | South Pasadena (SS) | 2027 | |
| 17 | 14:58.40 | Redondo Union (SS) | 2028 | |
| 18 | 14:59.20 | Poway (SD) | 2026 | |
| 18 | 14:59.20 | Matilda Torres (CS) | 2026 | |
| 20 | 14:59.30 | Jesuit (SJ) | 2026 | |
| 21 | 14:59.70 | Rio Mesa (SS) | 2027 |