California is home to some of the most promising cross country stars of tomorrow. These rising athletes have already made a powerful impact early on in the season, dominating the course and making their presence known at every turn.
Future Stars
Santiago-Corona (Southern Section)
Class of 2029
Has emerged as one of Santiago-Corona's strongest young cross country athletes. His current XC bests include a 14:48.80 three-mile performance from the PR City Invitational and a 16:11.20 5K from his freshman season in 2025. Has impressive consistency and strength over longer distances. Horvath also brings strong track credentials, highlighted by a 4:20.93 1600m and 9:17.35 3200m, which suggest helpful leg speed for kicking in the late stages of cross country races.
The freshman has a current XC best is 17:24.10 for three miles, a strong mark that ranks among the top performances nationally for her class.
Landi also brings impressive track speed to her cross country profile, highlighted by a 10:22.66 3000m and 4:50.95 1500m.
With her combination of cross country strength and developing track speed, she has the potential to become a major contributor to
Santiago's distance program as she progresses through high school.
Yucaipa (Southern Section)
Class of 2030
Has shown strong potential as a young cross country athlete. His XC credentials include a 10:10.10 over two miles and a 15:15.10 three-mile PR from last weekend. He also had a solid 2025 XC season, running 10:31.50 for 3K and 11:01.30 for 2 miles before making a significant jump this season as he began his freshman year. On the track, Nielsen boasts PRs of 4:36.40 for 1600m and 9:55.75 for 3200m, giving him a strong foundation for continued development as a high-level distance runner.
JSerra Catholic (Southern Section)
Class of 2029
Her XC résumé includes a 17:05.00 three-mile PR and a 17:44.00 5K from her 2025 season, demonstrating her ability to compete at a high level over longer distances. This season, she posted a notable 10:26.21 for 3200m to open up her sophomore campaign at the JSerra Team 2-Mile, showing continued strength and development heading into cross country. On the track, Tennant has also run 4:58.21 for 1600m, giving her a strong combination of aerobic strength and speed.
Santiago-Corona (Southern Section)
Class of 2029
One more athlete coming from Santiago-Corona, Johns' cross country résumé is highlighted by a 16:39.40 three-mile PR and a 17:43.50 5K. Johns currently leads the state in the 3-mile for the class of 2029 after her impressive showing at the PR City Invitational. On the track, Johns has run a P.R of 10:32.62 for 3200m, a mark that earned her a 13th-place finish at the CIF State Track and Field Championships in May. With her combination of XC strength and improving track speed, Johns projects as a major contributor to Santiago's girls' program over the next several seasons.