Symond Martin scored the biggest victory of his running career yesterday at the Brooks XC West Regional Championships at the Mt. SAC XC course in Walnut, CA.
The reigning Division 3 Arizona State XC Champion ran 15:18 to win over a deep field including 11 different states on the West from Hawaii, California, and Wyoming.
Martin took a smart and tactical approach to yesterday's race which positioned him in 6th place among the leaders coming through the first mile. By the second mile he had worked his way up to third, patiently waiting for the right moment to move. That opportunity came at the top of Reservoir Hill, where he surged into the lead and never gave it back.
On the descent, Martin held off Blake Bay, the top West Regional returner from 2024, and Zarian Rodriguez, the Arizona D1 State Champion. Andres Lomeli, the D3-5 Mt. SAC Invitational Individual Sweepstakes winner, was also in contention before finishing fourth.
Going down the final straightway, the Gauntlet, amongst screaming fans, Symond separated by three seconds to win it all. His 15:18 stands as the fastest West Regional winning time since Tyrone Gorze's 2018 win (15:10). Martin is the 8th fastest runner at the West Regional since 2006. He also becomes first Arizona West Regional Champion since a Billy Orman and Brian Shrader went back-to-back in 2009 and 2010.
The future Northern Arizona Lumberjack has already proven himself one of Arizona's elite. Next Saturday, he'll get the chance to show he belongs among the nation's best.
Race Replay
Top 10 Qualifiers
| Place | Video | Athlete | Team | Mark | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Symond Martin | 12 | Page High School | 15:18.90 | ||
| 2 |  Blake Bay | 11 | Fresno Christian (CS) | 15:21.80 | ||
| 3 |  Zarian Rodriguez | 12 | Hamilton High School | 15:23.50 | ||
| 4 |  Andres Lomeli | 12 | Kimball (John C) (SJ) | 15:24.40 | ||
| 5 |  Josiah Bowman | 12 | Sage Creek (SD) | 15:25.30 | ||
| 6 |  Braulio Castillo | 12 | West Ranch (SS) | 15:27.70 | ||
| 7 |  Caden Bybee | 11 | Unattached - UT | 15:28.20 | ||
| 8 |  Falcon Jones | 10 | Westlake | 15:29.70 | ||
| 9 |  Colton Cranney | 12 | Star Valley High School | 15:30.50 | ||
| 10 |  Edward Stout | 12 | Taylorsville | 15:31.80 |