Saturday recap from 45th ASICS Clovis Invitational

Whether it was Sadie Engelhardt or Josiah Tostenson, the Beckman High boys team or Buchanan girls program, they all arrived in Fresno for the 45th ASICS Clovis Invitational with extra motivation following their collective experiences three weeks earlier at the 43rd Woodbridge Cross Country Classic Presented by ASICS America.

That added drive, determination, intent and inspiration propelled each of them to memorable victories in their respective championship races at Woodward Park.

There was no greater response Saturday than the race executed by Engelhardt, as the Ventura High senior not only repeated as winner of the Bill Buettner girls championship, but she eclipsed the all-time prep female performance on the 5-kilometer course at Woodward Park by running 16 minutes, 24.2 seconds.

Engelhardt, who finished fifth in the Bob Day girls sweepstakes race Sept. 21 at Woodbridge, broke the 2017 Woodward Park record of 16:30.3 established by former Malibu High standout Claudia Lane at the Division 4 state final.

Engelhardt became the first back-to-back winner of the Bill Buettner girls championship race since Great Oak’s Destiny Collins in 2014-15.

Rylee Blade of Corona Santiago ran 16:31.3 to elevate to No. 3 all-time atWoodward Park, placing runner-up to Engelhardt in the Bill Buettner girls championship race for the second year in a row.

Blade had achieved 3-mile course records at the Pomona Fairplex and Great Park in her previous two races at the ASICS Cool Breeze Invitational and Woodbridge Classic, including the national high school all-time mark of 15:20.3 to secure the sweepstakes victory in Irvine.

Tostenson, a senior at Crater High in Oregon, prevailed in the Rob Brenner boys championship race in 14:41.3, leading a record eight athletes in the field to sub-15 efforts, the most in one high school race ever showcased at Woodward Park.

Tostenson rebounded after being edged by a 0.2 margin against Owen Powell from Mercer Island in Washington in the Doug Speck boys sweepstakes race to elevate to the No. 13 all-time prep competitor at Woodward Park, with Tesoro’s Griffin Kushen the top California athlete with a runner-up finish in 14:43.8 and Crater’s Tayvon Kitchen taking third in 14:44.5.

All three athletes ascended among the top 20 high school performances in Woodward Park history.

Perhaps the biggest turnaround belonged to Beckman, which regrouped following a 25th-place sweepstakes performance at Woodbridge to place five scorers in the top 40 and capture the Rob Brenner championship plaque for the first time in program history with 83 points.

Mason Nguyen led the Patriots by finishing 11th in 15:05.0, as Beckman ran 77:00 as a team to elevate to the No. 7 all-time school at Woodward Park.

Jesuit was second with 97 points and Crater took third at 116 points, producing the fastest team time of any program outside California in Woodward Park history at 76:37.

Crater, the sixth-fastest school to compete on the 5-kilometer course, smashed the 1993 record of 77:22 achieved by Mead High from Washington at the Foot Locker West Regionals.

Buchanan added to its legacy by having four athletes finishing in the top 20, all achieving sub-18 efforts, including Molly Sundgren running 17:44.1 to secure 11th overall as the catalyst for a 65-point performance.

The Bears were victorious in the Bill Buettner girls championship race for the first time since 2021, clocking 89:35 as a team to produce the sixth sub-90 mark in program history, more than any girls team competing at Woodward Park.

JSerra secured second following a 104-point effort, with Corona Santiago taking third at 119 points and Ventura placing fourth with 153 points, despite senior Melanie True not competing for the Cougars.

Corona Santiago also ran 89:35, with Braelyn Combe achieving sixth in 17:23.5 in support of Blade.

Summer Wilson of Irvine took third in 17:08.8, Hanne Thomsen of Santa Rosa Montgomery – the 2022 winner – finished fourth in 17:10.4 and Maya de Brouwer of La Canada achieved fifth in 17:20.3, contributing to 22 athletes in the field producing sub-18 performances.

South Pasadena’s Abigail Errington placed seventh in 17:24.9, Fresno Bullard’s Isabella Ramirez earned eighth in 17:25.2 and Tesoro teammates Mackenzie Forrest (17:31.3) and Amber Dazey (17:38.5) achieved ninth and 10th, respectively.

Broen Holman from Sonora clocked 14:46.4 to finish fourth in the Rob Brenner boys championship race, the identical mark to his third-place effort at last year’s Division 4 state final.

Landon Pretre from Menlo School was fifth in 14:51.5, the No. 2 all-time performance by a Division 5 competitor at Woodward Park.

Aydon Stefanopoulos of Los Gatos, the reigning Division 2 state champion, ran 14:52.4 to secure sixth, with Glendora’s Dylan Flores (14:59.5) and Martin Luther King’s Maximo Zavaleta (14:59.7) both eclipsing the 15-minute barrier for the first time.

Tyler Daillak of Paso Robles also produced a sub-15 performance, winning the boys varsity large school blue division race in 14:53.7, helping him elevate to the No. 5 all-time Central Section athlete at Woodward Park.

Ayala was victorious in the team battle by a 137-152 margin against Saugus.

Alijah Murillo, a junior at Branham High, prevailed in the boys varsity extra large school blue division competition in 15:12.6, helping the Bruins also earn the team win with 181 points.

Lancaster’s Issaiah McCorvey made a big impact in his first appearance at Woodward Park, winning the boys varsity extra large school yellow division race in 15:35.9.

Fresno Bullard took top team honors with 94 points and Oak Ridge was runner-up at 111 points.

Simi Valley’s Elijah Rojas also triumphed in his first career race at Woodward Park with a 15:39.2 effort in the boys varsity large school yellow division.

Pleasant Valley produced the top team performance with 116 points.

Four additional female athletes ran sub-18 in the girls varsity large school blue division race, as Palo Alto teammates Kinga Czajkowska (17:49.4) and Amaya Bharadwaj (17:51.4) took first and third, with Newport Harbor’s Marley McCullough clocking 17:50.4 for second and Santa Rosa Montgomery’s Amrie Lacefield placing fourth in 17:57.4.

Los Gatos held off Davis Senior by a 211-217 margin, with San Clemente taking third at 221 points.

Arcadia’s Charlotte Hopkins opened competition Saturday by winning the girls varsity extra large school blue division competition in 18:04.4, with Kambri Felsted of Spanish Springs High in Nevada securing second in 18:13.2.

Madera South grabbed the team victory with 167 points.

Serenity Fausto of Santa Fe was victorious in the girls varsity large school yellow division competition, running 18:04.0 in her first career appearance at Woodward Park.

Douglas High from Nevada edged Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep on a sixth-runner tiebreaker after the teams both finished with 130 points to earn the team title.

Santa Ana’s Adamara Esparza won the girls varsity extra large school yellow division race in 18:33.2.

Corona Centennial produced a 73-84 victory against La Quinta, with both programs placing a pair of athletes in the top 10.

By Erik Boal