-- Braelyn Combe after winning the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix Junior Mile --
Last year was a great indoor season for California's distance stars, and this year could be even better after exceptional performances at the 2026 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.
On Saturday, Braelyn Combe (Santiago), Jaelyn Williams (Eastlake), and Ashlin Mallon (Cardinal Newman) lined up to represent California in the NBIGP Junior Mile. The girls' field was loaded with NXN and Brooks XC All-Americans, including the champion from both races, Natasza Dudek.
Combe and Williams positioned themselves near the front early on, similarly to their battle at the CIF State D1 Cross Country Championships last fall. Williams led the field with two laps to go on the 200m indoor track while Combe followed in third place.
The reigning CIF State 1600m Champion, Braelyn Combe, wasted no time over the final 400 meters, moving to the front and securing the Junior Mile victory with an impressive 63-second last lap. Her winning time of 4:38.97, is the third fastest mile time for a Californian girl all-time indoors.
Jaelyn Williams finished in fourth place, running 4:41.55, which ranks as the sixth-fastest indoor mile performance by a Californian girl all time. Ashlin Mallon finished 12th overall.
After the race, Combe expressed that a frustrating cross country season served as motivation to ensure she opened her indoor season strong in Boston. Although she didn't expect to run this well, the performance may make the defending state champion hard to beat moving forward.
-- Braelyn Combe after winning the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix Junior Mile --
Last year was a great indoor season for California's distance stars, and this year could be even better after exceptional performances at the 2026 New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.
On Saturday, Braelyn Combe (Santiago), Jaelyn Williams (Eastlake), and Ashlin Mallon (Cardinal Newman) lined up to represent California in the NBIGP Junior Mile. The girls' field was loaded with NXN and Brooks XC All-Americans, including the champion from both races, Natasza Dudek.