CIF State XC Championships Preview - Girls Division 5

Girls Division 5

State Rankings (by Finished Results Media)

1. Immanuel

2. Ross Branson

3. Crystal Springs Uplands

4. Lick Wilmerding

5. Menlo School

6. San Francisco University

7. Castilleja

8. El Cajon Christian

9. St. Margaret’s

10. Athenian

Crystal Springs Uplands won back-to-back championships last year in the most dramatic fashion against Immanuel, with the title being decided on a sixth-runner tiebreaker for the first time since the division was added to the state schedule in 1996.

Crystal Springs Uplands won its first division crown in 2022 by a two-point margin against San Francisco University, a program it has the opportunity to join with another title at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Woodward Park in Fresno.

San Francisco University is one of three schools in division history to win at least three consecutive championships, winning four in a row from 2009-12, in addition to three-peats in 1996-98 and 2001-03, as part of its state-record 11 titles.

Flintridge Prep captured four straight division crowns from 2014-17 and Mt. Shasta secured three in a row from 2005-07.

Crystal Springs Uplands also won a girls volleyball state championship last year the week before capturing another state cross country title, an achievement that could be matched Saturday by Immanuel.

The Eagles secured the Division 5 state volleyball crown Nov. 22 at Santiago Canyon College with a sweep of Bell Gardens and have the potential to win their first cross country championship following last year’s heartbreaking runner-up finish, after Crystal Springs Uplands and Immanuel both accumulated 97 points.

Immanuel had all seven athletes in the top 10 to win a third consecutive Central Section title Nov. 21 with 19 points at Woodward Park.

Clara Riddle also secured a third straight individual crown for the Eagles and is among the leading contenders for the division title following a fifth-place finish at last year’s state championship.

Clara Riddle (Immanuel, 10/11/2024)

Crystal Springs Uplands produced seven competitors in the top 25 to win a third Central Coast Section championship in a row Nov. 16 by a 36-55 margin against Menlo School at the Crystal Springs Course.

Brooke Oliveira, a sophomore at Castilleja, held off Crystal Springs Uplands junior Anna Salter to secure the individual crown.

The program with perhaps the greatest potential to knock off Crystal Springs Uplands and Immanuel is Ross Branson, which is returning to the state meet for the first time in three years and seeking its first division title since 2013.

The Bulls overcame Ella Mogannam and Caroline Chang of Lick Wilmerding taking the top two spots at the North Coast Section final Nov. 23 at Hayward High to place five scorers in the top 15 – including Farah Allen finishing third and Audrey Spaly placing fifth – and win the first championship in program history by a 37-56 margin against the Tigers.

Lick Wilmerding held off the Bulls with a 60-63 victory in the 2013 section final, before Ross Branson rebounded at the state meet to prevail with 70 points. The Tigers finished fourth at the state championship that year with 104 points.

Christian High of El Cajon captured its first San Diego Section crown Nov. 16 at Balboa Park’s Morley Field, relying on five competitors in the top 25 – highlighted by a third-place effort from sophomore Elliana Patterson – to halt a three-year championship run by Francis Parker with a 71-92 triumph.

Elliana Patterson (Christian High, 11/16/2024)

Ayanna Hickey of The Bishop’s School in La Jolla won her second San Diego Section individual crown in three years and is a leading contender to win the state title Saturday following a third-place finish at Woodward Park last season.

Ayanna Hickey (The Bishop's School, 10/25/2024)

Ari Llorens of Francis Parker was runner-up behind Hickey in the section final and is looking to improve on a 13th-place performance at last year’s state final.

Olivia Teates is also returning for Francis Parker after taking fourth at the state meet last season, with fellow all-state honoree Lucy Peterson from Bay School in San Francisco scheduled to compete again following a ninth-place performance last year.

The biggest improvement in the division is expected Saturday from Brentwood sophomore Amelia Sarkisian, who finished 24th in her state debut last season, but has the potential to capture the individual title.

Amelia Sarkisian (Brentwood, 11/23/2024)

Sarkisian, who captured the Southern Section crown Nov. 23 at Mt. SAC, won her small school race Oct. 11 at the 45th ASICS Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park by covering the 5-kilometer course in 18:12.1.

Mogannam, who was state runner-up last year in 18:11.7, is the only athlete in the division to have produced a faster mark than Sarkisian at Woodward Park.

Natalie Gonzalez, a senior at Providence who placed runner-up behind Sarkisian at the Southern Section final, returns to the state meet after finishing 42nd in 2022.

St. Margaret’s repeated as Southern Section team champion with a 99-137 victory against Cantwell-Sacred Heart and boasts one of the top freshmen in the division in Heidi Beshk.

Vacaville Christian, which secured the Sac-Joaquin Section championship Nov. 16 at the Willow Hills Course in Folsom, also boasts an impressive freshman in individual winner Elena Vizcay.

Rogue Cutler, a freshman at University Prep in Redding, won the Northern Section championship Nov. 14 in Cottonwood and could have a strong impact in her state debut.

Rose Matheu, a senior at Larchmont Charter, won the L.A. City Section title Nov. 23 at Pierce College and is also scheduled to compete at Woodward Park for the first time in her career.

Senior Jeanna-Marie Lotz of Arrowhead Christian Academy, along with freshman teammate Leah Slagter, are also making their debuts at Woodward Park after finishing fourth and seventh, respectively, at the Southern Section final.

Jeanna-Marie Lotz (Arrowhead Christian Academy, 11/23/2024)

Corinna Schlatter, a sophomore at St. Helena, ran 18:58.5 in her first appearance on the 5-kilometer course Nov. 1 at the Woodward Park Classic and has strong potential to achieve all-state honors.

By Erik Boal