A lot of posts on here have been reported as "factually incorrect" but we have not deleted them as we don't follow the CA HS scene and don't know what is factually incorrect. If you want to email us about something you know to be factually incorrect, please do so at letsrun@letsrun.com.
10. Trey Caldwell De La Salle (CA) - - - Last year was the first time Caldwell gained national experience. After finishing ninth at states with a 5K personal best of 15:21, Caldwell finished eighth at the Champs Sports West Regional. From there, he was 30th at the Champs Nationals Cross Country Championships. Outdoors, Caldwell produced times of 4:25 for 1,600m and 9:14 for 3,200m. The experience gained in 2022 can propel Caldwell's career forward.
5. Broen Holman Sonora (CA) - - - Holman made some strides this season as the third-place finisher at the CIF State Cross Country Championships and qualified for nationals in his second season of running. After finishing seventh at the Champs West Regional, he came away with a 22nd finish at nationals with a 15:35 at Balboa Park. Holman was the top underclassman and he put together a race that earned a 191 speed rating for his efforts. That shouldn't come as a surprise as Holman clocked all of his cross country performances under 16 minutes for 5K and his fastest performance was at the state championships where he crossed the finish line in 15:12. His strength this year was in the 3,200m, as he was California No. 22 with a 9:01. To end his season, Holman finished ninth at states with a 9:03. The rising junior clocked personal bests of 2:02 in the 800m and 4:16 in the 1,600m.
2. Evan Noonan Dana Hills (CA) - - - While he had a slow start to the beginning of his season, everything clicked when it mattered most. After finishing 100th at the CIF State Cross Country Championships two years ago, Noonan turned around this fall and became the Division III champion with a 5K personal best of 15:04. Combined with all the divisions in the state of California, Noonan, the 24th-ranked recruit in the Class of 2025, would have finished the championships as the fifth-fastest competitor. Noonan capped off his cross season with a 46th finish at Nike Cross Nationals with a 15:47. During the spring, he ran 4:09 in the 1,600m, 4:17 in the mile and 8:49 in the 3,200m, which was the 23rd-fastest time in the U.S. this season.
10 Of The Best Junior Girls Talents To Watch In XC
2. Hanne Thomsen Montgomery (CA) - - - Thomsen is fast approaching Engelhardt in California. The rising junior from Santa Rosa ran the fastest 5K in the state last year in 16:49.20, clocking that time in September of 2022 at the Nike Portland XC Invitational. She went on to win the Asics Clovis Invitational in 17:04.20, the CIF Division 3 state final in 17:12.77 and finished 16th at Nike Cross Nationals in 17:35.20. She won every single one of her races up through nationals, accumulating seven wins across the campaign.
1. Sadie Engelhardt Ventura (CA) - - - Engelhardt hasn't quite figured out the race formerly known as Foot Locker Nationals just yet. But perhaps third time's a charm for the California ace. Other than her 10th-place finish at Champs Sports last year, there was not a single result over the prior fall that did not go her way. She won the 3-mile race at Woodbridge in 15:42.60, clocking a sophomore record and a new national best time for the distance; she won the CIF SS Division Finals and the CIF Division 2 Championships in a new 5K best of 16:57.84; and she won the Champs Sports West Regional. All in all, Engelhardt won all eight of her races before her final one. This year, you can bet she will have her sites on a national win.
Did you remove those that graduated? Doesn't look quite right. Are these based on 3200s?
That was the goal, but I did this entirely by hand, so there is a chance I missed something. Here is a saved copy of a slightly earlier projection (on 5/15), so these would be the runners I used, but the numbers may show a slight variation from the totals I posted. Let me know if you see some runners that shouldn't be included.
And yes, the calculations the best result of the highest of:
A) Best Tully XC Speed rating I could find (I didn't try to rate any races myself)
B) Best 3200m on athletic.net, converted to a speed rating using Tully's tables. I made slight adjustments to that, based on the past 2 years data of Cal 3200m times and how that runner did in the Cal XC merge on average.
C. Given the best of A&B, I do the same for the 1600m, but if the 1600m is better rated, I only allow it improve the "(best of A&B)" by a limited amount.
The Top 10 Sophomore Girls To Watch This XC Season
10. Cameron Macias Clovis West (CA) - - - Macias could be the biggest breakout star among sophomores this cross country season. She enters the fall as one of the top combined athletes across 5K and three miles thanks to stellar PRs of 17:28.50 and 16:41.00 set in 2022. Those marks also came on two of the biggest stages in California, earning her a fourth-place finish at the ASICS Clovis XC Invitational and a top 25 honor at the Woodbridge Classic. However, Macias did not compete at the CIF State Championships in November. If her track fitness is any indication of what to expect from her this fall, it could be a special season from the sophomore. She logged solid marks of 2:15.78 for 800m and 4:55.52 for 1,600m and even advanced to the CIF State Championships in the 800m.
8. Kynzlee Buckley Buchanan (CA) - - - It's not everyday that you see a freshman earn a top finish at one of the most competitive cross country meets in the nation. That's exactly how Buckley fared at the Woodbridge Classic last September. Not only did the newest member of the star Buchanan (CA) squad earn 13th overall in the sweepstakes race, but she clocked 16:19.60 for three miles, earning the fastest mark at the distance for the Class of 2026 last season. The time also ranks as the sixth-best 3-mile time ever recorded by a freshman in U.S. high school history. But that wasn't the only accolade Buckley added to her young resume. She also logged a 17:36.10 best for 5K as she finished sixth at the ASICS Clovis XC Invitational and then helped Buchanan to a third-place team effort at Nike Cross Nationals in December. Buckley returns this fall as the top combined 5K/3-mile runner among rising sophomores.
6. Jaelyn Williams Eastlake (CA) - - - Williams went on a tear during her freshman year of high school. Not only did she finish fourth against prominent names at the CIF Division I State Cross Country Championships in a PR of 17:38.84, but her greatest efforts came on the track as she clocked a class-leading 10:11.01 for 3,200m at the CIF State Championships in May, taking fourth overall. She also ranked among the top freshmen this spring in the 1,600m (4:46.26) and 2-mile (10:28.92). Williams returns to the course in 2023 as one of the top athletes in California and one of the top sophomores nationally.
3. Chiara Dailey La Jolla (CA) - - - As the 14th-place finisher and the lone freshman competitor at the Champs Sports National Championships last fall, Dailey made a big statement to end her debut season. It was a season full of highlights, including a runner-up finish at the CIF State Cross Country Championships -- in a 5K PR of 17:27.22 -- and a stellar second-place effort in the rated race at the Woodbridge Classic. She ran 16:34.80 for three miles. But then came track season and Dailey logged class-leading marks in a variety of events. She led freshmen in the 1,500m (4:23.67), 1,600m (4:42.43) and mile (4:44.47) during the outdoor campaign and also posted stellar efforts of 2:09.23 for 800m at Nike Outdoor Nationals and 10:24.48 for 3,200m. Expect to see Dailey contend for top placements at the national championships this fall.
3. Payton Godsey Oaks Christian (CA) - - - Godsey broke through in a big way last year. The runner from Westlake Village, California, won her first CIF State Cross Country Championships title with a lifetime best of 17-minutes flat in the 5K race. Godsey showed her resilience when she faced muddy and rainy conditions at the Garmin RunningLane Cross Country Championships and she won the 5K title in 17:28, earning a six-second margin on the rest of the field. Outdoors, Godsey finished second in the 3,200m at the CIF Track and Field Championships. She produced personal bests of 2:11 in the 800m, 4:44 in the mile and 9:57 in the 3,200m throughout the season.
We met Oakdale Cross Country on the last week of summer practice before they started school the following week. The freshman were inside the school for orientation and some of the older cross country runners were leading fres...
Newbury Park invited us to their summer practice at Peppertree Park near the high school. The day of our visit was an easy day of loops in the park or run in the surrounding neighborhood. The emerging runners finished the run...
Listen to this episode from The XC Report on Spotify. The California region has always been one of the top contenders vying for at large bids from the NXN Selection Committee. Today, I'll be going over a handful of the top bo...
Top D1 and D2 teams qualify automatically? I don’t think this is true. In 2018 both top 2 D2 boys teams (Newbury Park and LaCosta Canyon) were selected as an at large, because the top 2 teams in the merge were both from D1 (Great Oak and West Ranch).
I like that Oakdale was mentioned as one of the teams that can fight for a NXN spot. I think Cathedral will surprise a lot of people with the transfer(s) coming in, but the guy that made the podcast said he wasn’t going to take account any transfers.
Dana Hills is another team to watch, although they don’t have as good of a chance to make it as Trabuco Hills, Ventura, and San Clemente do. But DH returns a lot of talent and they have been to NXN many times
I think Cathedral will surprise a lot of people with the transfer(s) coming in, but the guy that made the podcast said he wasn’t going to take account any transfers.
In the other episodes he is more clear about how transfers are hard to track without definitive inside information, and so while he included some things (like an incoming stud freshman in the NW) it appears that he doesn't track that stuff super closely.
Top D1 and D2 teams qualify automatically? I don’t think this is true. In 2018 both top 2 D2 boys teams (Newbury Park and LaCosta Canyon) were selected as an at large, because the top 2 teams in the merge were both from D1 (Great Oak and West Ranch).
He's not quite educated on CA. You can tell by all the teams he's mispronouncing. Also someone should tell him that Tiffany Sax is transferring.
Did anyone else MileSplit CA started a series of “Top 30 teams to watch” and they gave up after two? It’s not that easy.
They didn’t give up, National Milesplit pulled the plug on California Milesplit and let go of the staff that was providing all the content. Unfortunately, it means less coverage for California and almost no coverage for anyone besides top teams and individuals that make national headlines.
Did anyone else MileSplit CA started a series of “Top 30 teams to watch” and they gave up after two? It’s not that easy.
They didn’t give up, National Milesplit pulled the plug on California Milesplit and let go of the staff that was providing all the content. Unfortunately, it means less coverage for California and almost no coverage for anyone besides top teams and individuals that make national headlines.
Oh man that sucks. So they didn’t give up on the storyline they gave up on MileSplit CA altogether
