This Weekend in Cross Country - December 10
Updated: Dec 9, 2022
Champs Sports XC Championship - December 10
Balboa Park - San Diego, CA
Where has the time gone? This is the last "This Weekend in Cross Country" of the year and our next preview will be on track season. The last cross country meet of the season is the Champs Sports XC Championship (formerly FootLocker). Here is a preview of the West Coast athletes racing on Saturday.
Girls
The girls race at 9:15 PST and all the West Coast athletes are from California. The top West Coast athlete is Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura who won the west region at Mt. SAC to qualify for Champs Sports. Engelhardt won Woodbridge, CIF Finals and division 2 California State Meet. Engelhardt will be one of the athletes looking to win the title. Gioana Lopizzo of La Costa Canyon won the Asics Temecula Twilight, North County Championships and CIF Finals. Lopizzo was runner up at the division 2 California State Meet and the west regional runner up to qualify for Saturday. Chiara Dailey of La Jolla had big wins at the D3/D4/D5 Mt. SAC Team Sweepstakes, CCA Ravens Fleet Feet SD Invitational, Carlsbad Grit & Grind Invitational and CIF Finals. Chiara was also runner up at the division 4 California State Meet. Lopizzo and Dailey will be hometown favorites on the San Diego course. Katie Kopec of Whitney won the Sierra Invitational, SJS Sub Section and CIF Finals. Ashlyn Leath of Clovis North won the Dennis DeWhitt Invitational, runner up at Clovis North Invitational and Lowell Invitational. Leath finished fifth at Nike Portland XC and fourth at CIF Finals. Holly Barker of Laguna Hills won the Laguna Hills Cross Country Invitational. Barker finished third at CIF Finals and the California State Meet in division 4. Allura Markow of Dana Hills won the Dana Hills Invitational, Iolani Invitational and CIF Finals. Markow finished eighth at the west regional to qualify for Saturday's meet.
Boys
The boys race is off at 10:00 PST and all the West Coast qualifiers are from California and led by Milo Skapinski of San Luis Obispo. Skapinski won the Ojai Invitational, Atascadero HS Richard C Brug Invitational and was runner up at CIF Finals, fourth at the California State Meet and runner up at the west regional to qualify for Champs Sports XC. Grant Morgenfeld of Palo Alto won the De La Salle Nike Invitational (after racing the night before at the Woodbridge Sweepstakes race) and CIF Finals. San Diego area athlete Micah Sanchez of Liberty Charter won the 40th Annual Vaquero Stampede, 34th Annual Coach Downey Invitational, 40th Annual Asics Southern Cal Invitational, CIF Finals and division 5 California State Meet. Joshua Bell of Templeton won the Greg DeNike Big Ditch Classic, Morro Bay Invitational, SLO County Championship, Mt SAC Individual Sweepstakes (D3/D4/D5), CIF Finals and third at the California State Meet. Broen Holman of Sonora won the SJS Sub Section XC Meet, CIF Finals, runner up at the Kim Duyst Twilight Invitational and third at the California State Meet. Trey Caldwell of De La Salle was runner up at the Gaucho Invitational, fourth at the Crystal Spring Invitational, third at CIF Finals and finished 8th at the west regional to qualify for Champs Sports XC Championship.
Look for a photo gallery of the meet!