CLAIM YOUR MILESPLIT PROFILE

NOTE: After claiming your MileSplit profile, you'll be notified each time you're tagged in results, photos, articles, or videos.

Team Spotlight: Mt. Carmel Expanding Dominance Over the SDS

By Edgar Salazar | MileSplit California

There is no shortage of star power at Mt. Carmel.

At the front of the Sundevil lineup is Jaxon Northcutt, one of the fastest distance runners in the country. But as the 2026 season has unfolded, it has become increasingly clear that Mt. Carmel is not simply a one-man show. The Sundevils are building a pack. This has already made them one of the most dangerous teams in San Diego so far, but we wonder: can they continue building into late November?

A Strong Start

Mt. Carmel opened the season at the Bronco Round Up, where Joshua Bell immediately provided a glimpse of what the team's depth could look like.

Bell ran 9:45.7 for two miles, while Vincent Waid and Saxton Paul both broke 10:25. Isaiah Wilson and Andrew Tse followed to give the Sundevils five runners under 10:50 for the two-mile distance. Two more of their runners would also dip under the 11-minute mark at the meet. National-caliber runner Jaxon Northcutt did not race yet; the Sundevils were talented enough to put together a strong 3rd-place team finish in the Div. I boys race. They were beaten by St. John Bosco of the Southern Section and Cathedral Catholic.

Without Northcutt, Mt. Carmel would end up just one point shy of Cathedral Catholic's Dons, 126-125.

Then came the CCA Ravens Invitational; Northcutt made his season debut and wasted no time showing everyone why he is one of the biggest names in Southern California.

The senior won the three-mile Invitational in 13:55.4, putting more than 30 seconds between himself and the runner-up. 

Behind him, Bell ran 14:40.1, followed by Paul at 15:32.8, Waid at 15:50.4, and Tse at 16:16.5. For good measure, Rontae McFarlin burst onto the varsity radar with his 16:16.6, just one spot behind Tse and a solid #6 runner for Mt. Carmel. Suddenly, the Sundevils had something beyond an elite front-runner. They had a competition-ready team.

Mt. Carmel would place 3rd at the CCA Raven Invitational, behind Torrey Pines and San Clemente (Southern Section) respectively. That being said, the Sundevils did obtain a quicker average time at 15:15 compared to Torrey Pines' 15:23, but Torrey Pines' 5-man spread proved superior to Mt. Carmel's large 2+ minute gap, resulting in the Falcons' victory.

Northcutt Turns Heads at Woodbridge

If the invitational in San Diego was the introduction, Woodbridge was the statement.

Northcutt took on one of the deepest fields of the season in the Sweepstakes race and delivered one of the fastest performances of his career at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic in Irvine. He ran a 13:42.4, placing him fourth in the loaded field and officially establishing him as one of the nation's elite performers.

Once again, the story for Mt. Carmel extended beyond its superstar.

Bell clocked 14:50.8, while Paul and Waid were nearly inseparable at 15:25.9 and 15:26.5. Tse added a 15:54.5. The result? A new 5-man gap of 2:12 versus its former 2:21, plus a new 15:04 average compared to its previous 15:15. 

For a team with a runner capable of challenging for the individual title at the biggest meets in California, that kind of depth is exactly what you want behind him.

The Sundevil Invitational

The team's biggest statement so far came on its home course.

At the Mt. Carmel Sundevil Invitational, Northcutt and Bell went 1-2 in the Division I race. Northcutt crossed the line first in 15:36, with Bell right behind him at 15:42.1. The real excitement, however, came behind the duo.

Waid ran 16:47, freshman Isaiah Wilson clocked 17:14, and Gio Sanfilippo finished in 17:39. Mt. Carmel put five runners together for a 16:35 team average, on an extremely honest cross country course, and scored just 61 points to win the race. This is where this team starts getting interesting.

The Two-Man Front & The Pack

Northcutt and Bell have quickly developed into one of the strongest 1-2 combinations in the San Diego Section, and perhaps Southern California.

Northcutt has already posted 13:55.4 and 13:42.4 over three miles this season, while Bell has consistently established himself as a sub-15-minute threat. That is a huge advantage in a championship race. If Northcutt is fighting for the individual win and Bell is sitting nearby, Mt. Carmel can potentially put two runners ahead of most teams' first scorers. But the Sundevils' success won't be determined by their first two. It will be determined by 3-4-5.

That group is beginning to take shape.

Waid has consistently been in the mix. Paul has shown he can run in the mid-15s. Tse has provided another experienced option. And at the Sundevil Invitational, Wilson and Sanfilippo showed that the next wave of Sundevil runners is ready to contribute. That's what makes Mt. Carmel so intriguing heading toward the postseason.

The team doesn't need everyone to have a breakout race at the same time. It needs the pack to keep moving forward. A few seconds from Waid. A few seconds from Paul. A few seconds from Tse or one of their younger runners.

Suddenly, the Sundevils go from having a great front two to having five runners capable of putting serious pressure on the teams around them.

One Month In, The Picture Is Getting Clearer

Four races into the season, Mt. Carmel has already shown several different versions of itself. The question is simple: How good can this pack become by championship season? Northcutt gives Mt. Carmel the firepower. Bell gives them an elite second scorer. The runners behind them give the Sundevils something potentially even more valuable: options.

The Sundevils might already be the best Div. II team in the San Diego Section to date this season. Their challenge lies ahead on the paths of Woodward Park, where they will look to line up against teams from all sections of the state.

In 2023, Mt. Carmel missed out on the state meet as a team, but Northcutt went as an individual. In 2024, Northcutt led the Sundevils back to Clovis, where they placed 22nd as a team in the Div. II race. Last year, Northcutt led his team back again, this time for a 10th-place team finish.

If their group continues to close the gap, Mt. Carmel could enter the postseason as much more than the team with the fastest runner in the race. They could be one of the teams nobody wants to see lining up next to them when it comes time to fight for a spot on the Div. II team podium at the state meet in November.