CIF San Diego Section Cross Country Championships
When: Saturday
Where: Morley Field at Balboa Park (3 miles)
Schedule: Division 1 girls start at 8:30 a.m.; Division 2 girls 9:05 a.m.; Division 1 boys 9:40 a.m.; Division 2 boys 10:10 a.m.; Division 3 girls 10:40 a.m.; Division 4 boys 11:15 a.m.; Division 5 girls 11:45 a.m.; Division 3 boys 12:20 p.m.; Division 3 girls 12:50 p.m.; Division 5 boys 1:25 p.m.
Boys overview: A new individual champion will be crowned in all five divisions. Rancho Bernardo’s Camden Luecht and Poway’s Cooper Castleberry have battled all season and in the Palomar League finals. Those two, along with Del Norte’s Cameron Yarbrough, appear to be the ones to beat in the Division 1 individual race. Scripps Ranch juniors Benjamin Stephens and Nathan Bamford were impressive in the Western League finals, and in Division 2 the Falcons will be looking to defend their team title. Cathedral Catholic’s Nathan Wilber is the one to watch in Division 3, with his team also looking strong. Division 4 is wide open, but look for La Jolla’s Keegan Durfee and Crawford’s Leo Lorenzano to battle up front. Santa Fe Christian’s Evan Smith, runner-up last year, is a solid favorite in Division 5.
Girls overview: There are plenty of front-runners returning. Jaelyn Williams of Eastlake won Division 1 a year ago, and after capturing the Metro title, appears ready to go after missing every invitational this season. Canyon Crest’s Katja Dunayevich, the Mt. SAC champion and North County Coastal titlist by 80 seconds, presents a major challenge; so does Del Norte’s Emily Russo, who is looking to lead the Nighthawks to the team title. La Jolla’s Chiara Dailey, who won the Eastern League by almost 2 minutes before going on to win the section and state, is the prohibitive favorite in Division 4. Defending Division 2 champion Olivia Campos of Mt. Carmel is the headliner, while the Scripps Ranch girls are looking to make noise in the team race. With Cathedral Catholic’s Lindsay Zimmer out with an ankle injury, look for Santana’s Harper Diaz and La Costa Canyon’s Hannah Gordon to battle in the Division 3 individual race. Another returning champion, Francis Parker’s Ari Llorens, is the prohibitive favorite in Division 5.
STEVE BRAND
