California's three-mile speed arrived early this season at the PR City Invitational, where the nation's top girls' and boys' marks were set.
Under a full moon, the third edition of the PR City Invitational took place at the SilverLakes Sports Complex in Norco, CA. If that seems familiar to you, it's because that's exactly where the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic took place from 2016 to 2021.
This venue's history helped attract some of Southern California's best competition in the second week of the official CIF cross country season. The Elite Showdown fields featured the likes of JSerra Catholic, San Clemente, and Aidan Antonio of Woodbridge, all of whom competed at the Nike Cross Nationals last season.
Elite Girls Showdown Recap
In the Elite Girls Showdown, all eyes were on the national powerhouse JSerra Catholic, who held the No.1 spot in the MileSplit 50 XC Team Rankings for several weeks last season. The Lions returned nearly their entire varsity lineup, losing only one scorer from last season, making them favorites to run for a national title.
From the start, JSerra dominated the team race and ran away with a 27-point win. Santiago (SS) (127pts) and Beckman (SS) (193pts) followed them in second and third. This is JSerra's second consecutive victory at the PR City, but this year's team produced the faster team average of 17:03 (2025 team avg - 17:17)
JSerra's team performance impressed, but the night's most dramatic moment was a sprint finish decided by one-tenth of a second. Isabella Ruiz (Ontario - 12th), Reese Holley (JSerra - 12th), and Addyson Johns (Santiago 10th) were in a three-way battle for the victory after the first two miles. Holley opened a gap during the final 400 meters, but Ruiz produced one last surge to edge her at the line.
Ruiz broke the previous course record set by Braelyn Combe (16:37.40) last season, running the fastest three-mile in the country so far at 16:18.8. Yesterday marked the biggest XC victory of Ruiz's career and announced her as a major contender entering her final season.
Elite Boys Showdown Recap
The Elite Boys Showdown began at 10:55 p.m. under the stars, setting the spotlight on Aidan Antonio, who jumped out to the early lead. Antonio is the top California returner in the three-mile, so it's fitting everyone is fixed on him.
Redlands East Valley's Elijah Medina attached himself to Antonio's hip after the first mile, making this a two-person race the rest of the way. Ultimately, Antonio pulled away from Medina to win in a U.S. No. 1 time of 14:06.8, breaking Maximo Zavaleta's meet record.
-- Aidan Antonio winning the PR City Invitational --
Medina also beat the previous meet record with a 14:14.2, which has to be encouraging for someone who barely missed the CIF State XC Championships last season. La Serna's William Thompson continued his remarkable progression, placing third in 14:17.1 and lowering his three-mile PR by 49 seconds.
The closely watched team race offered Woodbridge, Beckman, and San Clemente an early opportunity to make a statewide statement. San Clemente entered the meet as the favorites since their full varsity squad from NXN is returning, but there's also Woodbridge and Beckman who have serious NXN hopes.
The race was decided by two points; Woodbridge's duo of Antonio (1st) and Thomas Yohn (7th) pushed them past Beckman, who finished runner-up. San Clemente finished 4th overall, but they were missing three boys from their usual varsity squad. Santiago - Corona was the real surprise, led by Jackson Horvath's 20th-place finish and a 45-second gap between their scoring five.
Takeaway
PR City provided an early glimpse of California's depth. JSerra's girls reaffirmed their national-title potential, Woodbridge's boys strengthened their NXN case, and Antonio confirmed his status as the state's top three-mile returner. Meanwhile, Ruiz, Medina, and Thimpson are now on everyone's radar after last night.
