Engelhardt runs second-fastest prep mark at Woodward Park by winning Bill Buettner girls championship race in 16:39.3, with JSerra setting Division 4 record 90:32 to secure team title; Fast Horse elevates to No. 7 on boys all-time list by clocking 14:32.5, as Dana Hills edges Great Oak 124-129

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Photos by Ken Martinez and EJ Jackson

FRESNO, Calif. – For all the impactful student-athletes wearing racing kits for their new schools in a varsity competition for the first time Saturday at the 44th ASICS Clovis Invitational, there was also a strong reminder of why Ventura High in California has perhaps the best distance running teammates in the country who have been the foundation of the program for several years.

Although JSerra, Corona Santiago and Ventura all showcased impressive transfers in their respective lineups in the Bill Buettner girls championship race, with Dana Hills also adding to its roster in the Rob Brenner boys championship competition, it was veterans Sadie Engelhardt and Anthony Fast Horse who commanded the spotlight at Woodward Park with their memorable performances.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS | PHOTOS by Ken Martinez

Engelhardt, a junior, covered the 5-kilometer layout in 16 minutes, 39.3 seconds, the No. 2 all-time prep performance at Woodward Park behind only former Malibu standout Claudia Lane clocking 16:30.3 in the 2017 Division 4 state final.

Corona Santiago junior Rylee Blade was runner-up in 16:45.8, elevating her to the No. 5 prep competitor in Woodward Park history.

Fast Horse, a senior, led five male athletes to sub-15 efforts, winning in 14:32.5 to ascend to the No. 7 all-time prep performer at Woodward Park.

Cathedral’s Emmanuel Perez clocked 14:42.6 to elevate to No. 13, Evan Noonan led Dana Hills by taking third in 14:44.3 to improve to No. 17, Sonora’s Broen Holman ascended to No. 21 with his 14:46.9 performance and Templeton’s Joshua Bell moved to No. 28 in prep history by finishing fifth in 14:50.7.

Menlo School’s Landon Pretre also eclipsed the 15-minute barrier, elevating to No. 32 all-time at Woodward Park by winning the boys small school race in 14:52.0, just missing the Division 5 record of 14:51.0 achieved in 2021 by Kenan Pala from Francis Parker.

Dana Hills triumphed in the Rob Brenner boys championship race by a 124-129 margin against Great Oak, as Noonan was supported by Godinez transfer Jayden Hernandez, who secured 11th in 15:17.9 in his first varsity appearance for the Dolphins after patiently waiting during the CIF-Southern Section mandated 30-day sit-out period for transfers in order to gain eligibility.

Oakdale took third with 152 points, San Clemente was fourth at 172 points, Mira Costa finished fifth with 204 points and Fast Horse led Ventura to a sixth-place showing with 219 points.

Garrett Woodruff placed 21st at 15:30.3, Logan Harris achieved 44th in 15:48.4 and Oliver Hunter grabbed 75th in 16:10.6 for Dana Hills, which also had Mike Ayala take 99th in 16:24.8.

The Dolphins moved from eighth at the mile to third following the 2.1-mile split, still trailing Great Oak by a projected margin of 63 points, before making a significant surge in the final kilometer.

Great Oak had six competitors in front of Dana Hills’ fifth scorer, but the Wolfpack only had Gabriel Rodriguez finish in the top 25. Rodriguez clocked 15:26.0 to place 19th for Great Oak.

Albany’s Lucas Cohen secured sixth in 15:03.4, Ponderosa’s Joshua Chu was seventh in 15:04.0, Omar Alsaidi led Oakdale by earning eighth in 15:10.5, Martin Luther King’s Maximo Zavaleta placed ninth in 15:13.7 and Samuel Franco achieved 10th for St. Francis in 15:16.0.

JSerra not only became the first Division 4 program in meet history to win the Bill Buettner girls championship race, but the Lions also eclipsed the all-time division record for team time by clocking 90:32, lowering the 2019 mark of 90:58.6 achieved by Sage Creek.

The Lions trailed Buchanan by a seven-point margin following the opening mile, but produced a decisive move up the hill in the second mile to gain a projected 39-point advantage. Despite a late charge by Ventura to earn runner-up honors, JSerra never relinquished control in the final mile.

JSerra had five athletes finish in the top 30 to triumph with 72 points, with Engelhardt serving as the catalyst for Ventura to place second with 113 points. Ventura also ran 90:45.2 as a team, as the Cougars and JSerra became the eighth and ninth girls programs in state history to run under 91 minutes at Woodward Park.

The experience was even more significant for reigning Division 2 state champion Engelhardt, who finished second as a freshman behind Newbury Park’s Samantha McDonnell in the Bill Buettner girls championship race by a 17:02.03 to 17:02.28 margin, and took on the role of spectator during last year’s competition because of illness.

Sophie Polay, a Santa Margarita transfer, was 10th for JSerra in 17:52.2, with Kaylah Tasser finishing 12th in 17:54.5, freshman Reese Holley capturing 19th in 18:07.4, Brynn Garcia achieving 24th in 18:16.7 and Xavier Prep transfer Chloe Elbaz taking 30th in 18:21.2 for the Lions, who also had Brooke O’Brien place 61st in 19:17.7 and Anne Elise Packard overcome a fall to recover and grab 98th in 20:12.0.

Along with Engelhardt, Ventura had Aelo Curtis place 13th in 17:56.5, Newbury Park transfer Tiffany Sax earn 28th in 18:19.6, Melanie True secure 39th in 18:33.8 and Violet Hurguy capture 58th in 19:16.0.

Buchanan, which had not lost to another California program multiple times in the same season since 2018, followed its third-place finish Sept. 16 behind Air Academy of Colorado and JSerra in the Bob Day girls sweepstakes race at the 42nd Woodbridge Cross Country Classic presented by ASICS America by matching Corona Santiago for third Saturday with 128 points.

Buchanan had five athletes in the top 45, with the Sharks’ five scorers in the top 56. But the Bears prevailed on a sixth-runner tiebreaker, as Stefania Sesock was 52nd for Buchanan in 19:04.8 and Rancho Cucamonga transfer Madilyn Siana took 63rd for Corona Santiago in 19:21.0.

Los Altos, last year’s Bill Buettner girls championship race winner, finished fifth with 165 points and St. Francis Mountain View secured sixth with 218 points.

Payton Godsey, the reigning Division 4 state champion, took third in 17:05.5, with La Jolla’s Chiara Dailey finishing fourth in 17:07.3 and two-time Division 3 state winner Hanne Thomsen of Santa Rosa Montgomery clocking 17:23.1 to place fifth.

Scotts Valley’s Ashlyn Boothby secured sixth in 17:25.8, La Canada’s Maya DeBrouwer was seventh in 17:38.8, Rancho Cucamonga transfer Braelyn Combe earned eighth for Corona Santiago in 17:49.8, Murrieta Valley’s Arielle Avina took ninth in 17:51.9 and Eleanor Raker from Galena High in Nevada eclipsed the 18-minute barrier for the first time in a 5-kilometer race in her prep career by achieving 11th in 17:54.1.

Arcadia’s Reena Hsieh (17:56.8) and Clovis West’s Cameron Macias (17:59.7) were among 15 athletes who produced sub-18 performances in the Bill Buettner girls championship race.

South Pasadena’s Abigail Errington also joined the group of sub-18 efforts by winning the medium school girls varsity race in 17:44.1, the No. 8 performance overall for the meet. The Tigers also prevailed with 97 points.

Crescenta Valley’s Emilia Greenway triumphed in the girls extra large school varsity race in 18:07.2, with Oak Ridge High from California edging Carson of Nevada by a 120-124 margin.

Newport Harbor’s Marley McCullough rallied in the girls large school varsity race to prevail in 18:21.5, with freshman Gweneth Williams clocking 18:28.0 for El Toro, which secured the team victory with 68 points.

Elsa Krummel from the Bay School in San Francisco emerged victorious in the girls small school varsity race in 18:31.7, with Ella McGillis taking third in 18:40.2 for Central Catholic High in Oregon, which earned the team title at 82 points.

Along with Pretre clocking 14:52.0 to win the boys small school varsity race, Woodcrest Christian’s Eyan Turk ran 15:04.8 and Everett Capelle from St. Margaret’s took third in 15:05.1.

Foothill Technology had five scorers in the top 45 to achieve the team victory with 132 points.

Zion Ortiz from Burroughs Ridgecrest clocked 15:22.9 to prevail in the boys medium school varsity race.

Aiden Aldana finished fourth in 15:35.7, leading St. John Bosco to the team title with 148 points.

Tesoro’s Griffin Kushen clocked 15:30.7 in the boys large school varsity race to secure the win, with Hart producing five athletes in the top 50 to take top team honors with 162 points.

Sebastian Peraza of Saugus ran 15:42.4 to triumph in the boys extra large school varsity race, with Bellarmine Prep holding off Amador Valley by a 147-161 margin to capture the team plaque.