APU Meet of Champions – March 25
Azusa Pacific University – Azusa, CA
Last year’s meet posted incredible times and based on the entries for Saturday’s meet, there will be much of the same this year.
800
Here are some of the entries in the girl’s 800. Georgia Jeannerret of JSerra won the Sound Running The Ten 800 earlier in March and has the top 2023 time of 2:11.91. Sophie Biesinger of La Costa Canyon ran 2:13.55 last weekend at the Laguna Beach Trophy Invitational. Keaton Robar of Newport Harbor has run 2:14.19 this season and won the 1600 last weekend at the Arcadia Distance Challenge. Anastasia Snodgrass of JSerra has run 2:14.74 this season. Allura Markow of Dana Hills has run several fast 1600-meter times this spring and will race the 800 on Saturday. Hillary Studdert of Palo Alto has run 2:10.41 in 2022 and will challenge athletes from southern California.
Aaron Sahlman of Newbury Park ran 1:48 at this meet last year and is entered in the boy’s 800. He ran 1:50.25 earlier this March at Sound Running. Ambodai Ligons of Cathedral finished second at the Sound Running 800 with a 1:53.38 time and is entered. Noah Ray of Buchanan ran 1:53.62 earlier this month. Long Beach Poly's Xai Ricks has a time of 1:53.91. Sophomore Mateo Allen-Aguirre of Portola has a 1:54.78 personal best from this spring and is entered in the 800. Shane Auci (1:54.67) of JSerra, Harrison Lavery (1:54.40) of Loyola and Gabriel Rodriguez (1:54.19) of Great Oak ran in the Sound Running 800. Chris Caudillo of Clovis is the defending state champion in the 1600 and will race in the 800.
1600
Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura won the New Balance Indoor Nationals mile a few weeks ago in 4:38.65 to establish the sophomore national indoor record. Allura Markow of Dana Hills won the Sound Running 1600 in 4:48.95 in early March. Payton Godsey of Oaks Christian and Gioana Lopizzo of La Costa Canyon are entered in the race and both ran a stellar fall cross country campaign. Buchanan girls finished third at NXN in December and have Tayler Torosian, Grace Hutchinson, Elliana Lomeli, Sierra Cornett and Sydney Sundgren entered in the 1600.
Manny Perez of Cathedral and Brayden Seymour of Newbury Park battled to the finish at the Sound Running 1600 a few weeks ago. They both ran 4:09 and will be face each other at APU. NXN athlete Anthony Fast Horse of Ventura ran 4:13.41 at his home invitational, Ventura Invitational. Other NXN alums Chris Caudillo of Clovis, Matthew Donis of Highland and Evan Noonan of Dana Hills are in the elite 1600.
3200
Several of the girl’s athletes entered in the elite 3200 haven’t run a 3200 in this young season. Some NXN alums are entered in the 3200 including Anna Chittendon of Mira Costa, Kynzlee Buckley of Buchanan and Brynn Garcia of JSerra. Abigail Errington of South Pasadena had a break out 3200 last week at the Arcadia Distance Classic.
Donis and Perez double back in the 3200 and are joined by Carter Spradling of Clovis East who won last weekend’s Gateway to Track and Field at Buchanan High School. Royal High School’s duo of Noah De la Rionda (9:07.16) and Jonah Bazerkanian (9:08.13) posted solid times on the first weekend of March. Parker Simmons (9:07.88) of Crescenta Valley and Bille Issa (9:07.20) of West Hills can certainly dip under nine minutes this weekend. Landon Pretre (9:07.06) of Menlo and Grant Morgenfeld of Palo Alto (9:08.39 – 2022) head south from the Bay Area to race in the 3200.
Big 5 Invite – March 25
Walla Walla High School – Walla Walla, WA
The “Big Five” Washington schools of Arlington, Central Valley, Kamiakin, Mt. Spokane and host Walla Walla meet for an early season battle. Female distance athletes to watch include Arlington’s Madison Griffith, Walla Walla’s Emmalyne Jimenez, Meredith Stavenger of Kamiakin, Charlotte Pederson of Mt Spokane and Nicole Bissell of Central Valley, who finished fourth in the 4A XC state meet last fall. Male athletes expected to shine include 3A Washington XC runner up Brody Hartley of Walla Walla, Arlington’s Kellen Langford, Kamiakin’s super sophomore Ezra Teeples, who finished fifth at 4A XC state meet, Mt Spokane’s trio of Ben Sonneland, Ben Smith, and Kade Brownell and Central Valley’s Colin Wright.
Look for a photo gallery of the meet!
Thunder Invitational – March 25
Rocklin High School – Rocklin, CA
Athletes from northern California and parts of Nevada meet at the newly resurfaced track at Rocklin High School in the Sacramento area. There will be several distance runners of note. Amaya Aramini of Bishop Manogue (NV) is listed in all three distance events and has a 4:57.89 entry time in the 1600, Quinn Walker of Oakridge has a 5:00.11 personal best and Isabel Anglero is close with a 5:05.94. Karissa Chamberlain of Del Oro has a personal best of 10:57.7 in the 3200. Aramini will push the pace too with Angeline Gutierrez of Del Oro. Grace Baxter of Granite Bay hopes to dip under 2:20 in the 800 with Arimini and Ava Luczkow of Bishop Manogue to help the pace.
The boy’s 1600 will have a competitive race with Carson Karr (4:25.07) of Oak Ridge, Jeffrey Overgaard (4:26.02) of Lincoln-Stockton, Jack Sindt (4:28.24) of Del Oro, Jansen Gillig (4:28.29) of Lincoln-Stockton, Luke Carroll (4:29.39) of Oakridge and Jackson Elliott (4:29.39) of Damonte Ranch. Overgaard doubles from the 1600 and will be in the 800 with a personal best of 1:58.12. Teammate Keith Mertz of Lincoln-Stockton will be in the front with a PB of 1:58.78. William McCoy of Laguna Creek, Liam Malley of Reed and Jack Sindt of Del Oro have 2:00 personal bests in the 800.
Look for a photo gallery of the meet!