By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

The 41st Woodbridge Cross Country Classic presented by ASICS is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, Sept. 15-16 at Great Park in Irvine, Calif.

Here are 10 storylines to follow at one of the largest and most prestigious high school meets in the country:

WATCH LIVE RUNNERSPACE WEBCAST OF WOODBRIDGE CROSS COUNTRY CLASSIC PRESENTED BY ASICS ON SEPT. 15-16

Deepest girls sweepstakes could showcase national preview

With 10 teams that competed in the gold race in December at the Garmin RunningLane Championships scheduled to participate at 9:34 p.m. PDT Friday in the Bob Day Sweepstakes Race, in addition to California Division 4 rivals JSerra and Oaks Christian, along with Utah 5A power Mountain View, it could result in the most competitive girls showcase in meet history.

California programs Buchanan, Anaheim Canyon, Great Oak, Mira Costa, Newbury Park and Oak Ridge will reunite with several opponents from John Hunt Park in Alabama, including Colorado 5A champion Arapahoe, North Carolina 4A winner Cuthbertson, Texas 6A title holder Flower Mound and NXR South Regional winner Southlake Carroll, also from Texas.

Newbury Park prevailed by a 124-130 margin last year against Flower Mound, with Buchanan taking third with 136 points. The gap was more than 100 points to fourth-place finisher Desert Vista from Arizona, which is also entered in Friday’s race, although the margin among the top teams is expected to be much closer this season.

Buchanan edged Southlake Carroll on a sixth-runner tiebreaker in 2019 after the teams ran to a 129-129 result. Buchanan also captured sweepstakes crowns in 2005 and 2017.

Flower Mound and Southlake Carroll are both looking to become the first Texas girls programs in meet history to win the sweepstakes title, same with Cuthbertson representing North Carolina and Arapahoe trying to secure the first girls crown for Colorado.

Desert Vista was the last girls program outside of California to secure the sweepstakes championship in 2016.

Buchanan was second at RunningLane, Arapahoe took third, followed by Flower Mound finishing seventh, Oak Ridge earning eighth, Newbury Park placing ninth, Cuthbertson capturing 14th, Anaheim Canyon grabbing 18th, Southlake Carroll securing 20th and Mira Costa achieving 22nd, with Great Oak in 25th place overall.

Both the RunningLane Championships and Nike Cross Nationals are scheduled for Dec. 3 this year, which could result in the only occasion for these elite programs to square off this season.

Great Oak owns the distinction of winning both girls sweepstakes races in 2014 and 2015, the last two years the meet was held at Great Park in Irvine.

No guarantee on another Gold Rush for Golden State

Sweepstakes races were added to the meet schedule for the first time in 2003, and since then, a California boys competitor has won all 18 individual titles, including the past three produced by Newbury Park brothers Nico Young (2018-19) and Leo Young (2021).

With neither Lex Young or Leo Young scheduled to race for Newbury Park at 9:54 p.m. PDT Friday in the Doug Speck Sweepstakes Race, the pressure falls on Clovis senior Christopher Caudillo and Newbury Park’s Aaron Sahlman, or possibly even Long Beach Millikan’s Jason Parra, Palmdale Highland’s Matthew Donis, Sonora’s Broen Holman and West Ranch’s Billie Issa, to extend the streak of California success.

That’s because there is plenty of elite talent traveling to take on the top California athletes, led by Tyrone Gorze and Josiah Tostenson, teammates from Crater High in Oregon, along with Utah standouts Tayson Echohawk from Orem and Liam Heninger from Mountain View, in addition to Rendon Kuykendall from Hope Christian in New Mexico.

Texas will also be well represented with Logan Cantu from Southlake Carroll, Hudson Bennett of Burnet, Straton Miller from Conroe The Woodlands and Alexander Flores of El Paso Eastwood.

Kevin Sanchez, a senior from Austin Vandegrift in Texas, finished fifth in last year’s sweepstakes competition behind a quartet of Newbury Park athletes, but is not returning to race at Woodbridge this year.

Aaron Sahlman was second in last year’s sweepstakes race and Caudillo secured sixth, with Parra the top sophomore in the field, placing 32nd overall.

Caudillo is looking to become the first Central Section athlete to capture the boys sweepstakes crown since former Bakersfield Stockdale standout Blake Haney in 2013. CJ Albertson of Buchanan High was the last male competitor from Clovis to secure the Woodbridge title in 2011.

Anthony Monte of Vandegrift took third in the sweepstakes in 2019, as did Reed Brown of Southlake Carroll in 2016, along with Kenny Klotz of Central Catholic in Oregon in 2005. Those remain the top sweepstakes performances by male athletes from outside of California in meet history.

Engelhardt ready for return to spotlight

Although California female competitors have not enjoyed the same perfect run experienced by their male counterparts in sweepstakes races during the past two decades, there have been four consecutive victories by girls from the Golden State, including Mira Costa’s Dalia Frias achieving the fastest 3-mile effort in meet history last year by clocking 15:43.5 at the SilverLakes Sports Complex.

Despite a seventh-place performance last year in 16:04.6, sophomore Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura High in California enters Friday’s sweepstakes competition as the favorite, especially on a flat 3-mile layout.

Former Great Oak standout Destiny Collins holds the record for the fastest female performance at Great Park by running 16:04 in 2014.

Four of the eight sub-16 girls performances in meet history were run last year and seven of them have occurred at SilverLakes Sports Complex from 2016-21. The only sub-16 effort achieved outside of SilverLakes Sports Complex was Simi Valley High graduate Sarah Baxter clocking 15:57 in 2013 at Estancia High in Costa Mesa.

Engelhardt appears primed to produce the first sub-16 girls race at Great Park and will look to become the first sophomore to secure a sweepstakes victory since former Buchanan standout and two-time Woodbridge winner Corie Smith prevailed in 2017.

Junior sisters Nicole Humphries and Samantha Humphries from Flower Mound High in Texas could also challenge for the victory, along with Mia Hall from Flagstaff High in Arizona, Stella Kermes and Charlotte Bell of Cuthbertson High in North Carolina, Emily Lamontagne and Ava Mitchell of Arapahoe in Colorado, in addition to Julie Moore and Mari Konold of Mountain View High in Utah.

Engelhardt will also encounter several familiar faces from California, especially Payton Godsey from Oaks Christian, Sydney Sundgren of Buchanan, Anna Chittenden from Mira Costa, Aishling Callanan of Peninsula, Allura Markow of Dana Hills, Rylee Blade from Corona Santiago and JSerra teammates Anastasia Snodgrass, Brynn Garcia and Summer Wilson.

Sundgren is the top returning finisher from last year’s sweepstakes race, placing fifth in 16:03.3.

The last female sweepstakes champion from outside California was Grandview High of Colorado graduate Brie Oakley in 2016, the same year she won Nike Cross Nationals.

Allie Chipman of Mountain Vista High in Colorado won at Great Park in 2015, with Sarah Andrews of Conroe The Woodlands in Texas capturing back-to-back sweepstakes crowns in 2008-09 at Woodbridge High.

Can Soles steal headlines in homecoming with Herriman?

While it is still uncertain exactly which lineup Newbury Park will run in the boys sweepstakes race, the Panthers will for sure be racing without Stanford commits Lex Young and Leo Young.

With the top-ranked team in the country not being at full strength, it could create a window of opportunity for Herriman High from Utah to challenge for the boys sweepstakes championship, especially with former Great Oak coach Doug Soles guiding the Mustangs.

Soles, who led Great Oak to several boys and girls sweeps of the Woodbridge sweepstakes titles, returns to Southern California in his first cross country season with Herriman.

The Mustangs are riding the momentum of an impressive victory Sept. 3 at the Timpanogos Invitational in Orem, and boast a veteran lineup featuring seniors William Horne, Noah Jenkins, Ryland Garner and Luke Briggs.

The showdown involving Herriman and Great Oak, led by Mark Cortes, Ramses Cortes, Gabriel Rodriguez and Nick Gaffney, is one of several compelling matchups in a sweepstakes race that also includes impressive lineups from both Southlake Carroll and Conroe The Woodlands in Texas, Crater High in Oregon and Mountain View in Utah, along with California programs Livermore Granada, Trabuco Hills and San Clemente.

Mountain Vista from Colorado remains the only boys program outside California to capture the sweepstakes championship in 2016. Soles led Great Oak to four boys sweepstakes crowns in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018, before Newbury Park prevailed in 2019 and last season.

Arcadia was the last boys program to win at least three in a row, securing sweepstakes victories from 2010-13.

JSerra hoping to put Orange County back on map

Not only has a girls cross country program from Orange County never captured the Woodbridge sweepstakes title, but the last time a team from the area where the meet originated placed in the top three in the marquee race was 2013 when Capistrano Valley secured second behind Simi Valley.

JSerra, the reigning California Division 4 state champion, was eighth overall in last year’s sweepstakes competition at SilverLakes Sports Complex.

But the Lions are motivated to roar louder than ever this season, with a strong performance Friday much closer to home potentially elevating the girls cross country program to the same elite national level as JSerra’s track and field team.

Coach Chase Frazier has continued to develop depth in the JSerra lineup with the addition of freshmen Summer Wilson and Kaylah Tasser, supporting an experienced group that features Anastasia Snodgrass, Brynn Garcia, Brooke O’Brien, Georgia Jeanneret and Ellie Johnson.

The Lions know the path to postseason success continues to go through reigning California Division 1 state champion Buchanan, which is also expected to showcase promising freshmen Kynzlee Buckley and Tayler Torosian, bolstering a veteran lineup led by Sydney Sundgren and Grace Hutchison, along with featuring Caroline Mendyk, Elle Lomeli and Sierra Cornett.

JSerra has the ambition to become the first Division 4 program in California history to qualify for Nike Cross Nationals, with an impressive effort against a deep sweepstakes field creating a foundation to build on in preparation for the Nov. 26 state meet at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Anaheim Canyon, which ran to a 331-331 result against JSerra at last year’s event before being edged on a sixth-runner tiebreaker to take ninth overall, is another Orange County program seeking a strong showcase Friday.

More in store for Division 4 (and Division 5)

It’s not just California Division 4 girls teams JSerra, Oaks Christian and Bishop Amat that are looking to make an impact in sweepstakes competition Friday, but the boys race is expected to showcase Division 4 program Cathedral and Menlo School, which has now moved to Division 5 this season.

Cathedral, led by Emmanuel Hernandez and Emmanuel Perez, was second to Great Oak in its season-opening performance Sept. 3 in the Sundown Showdown race at the Cool Breeze Invitational at the Pomona Fairplex.

Menlo School had siblings Justin Pretre, a senior, and sophomore Landon Pretre take the top two spots in the second boys varsity race Sept. 10 at the San Francisco Lowell Invitational at Golden Gate Park, producing the fastest 2.93-mile performances in meet history by both running sub-13:30.

Cathedral has continued to take on tougher challenges under the guidance of coach Martin Farfan and is looking to ascend to the top of the division after placing second in the CIF Southern Section last season behind Laguna Hills and finishing fourth at the state final.

Menlo has elevated to one of the elite programs in the state under the direction of coach Jorge Chen, with the boys team being edged by one point by Scotts Valley at last year’s CIF Central Coast Section finals and placing seventh overall at the Division 4 state meet.

But Menlo’s success during the spring track season, especially the Pretre brothers, has propelled them into the spotlight ready to race against the top competitors in the state and across the nation, establishing the Knights as a leading contender for the Division 5 championship, along with Central Coast Section rival Crystal Springs Uplands.

Neither team competed in the boys sweepstakes last year, with Cathedral prevailing in a white division varsity race by an 80-93 margin against Menlo.

Hernandez won the 3-mile race in 15:09.1 and Justin Pretre placed second in 15:18.6, with both athletes looking to benefit from a faster pace Friday to produce sub-15 performances.

Big opportunity for small school stars

The girls sweepstakes race Friday will also serve as a potential preview of the Division 5 state final Nov. 26 at Woodward Park in Fresno, with reigning champion Revere Schmidt of Santa Fe Christian squaring off against Athena Ryan of Sonoma Academy and last year’s CIF Southern Section winner JiaLian Mackey of Viewpoint.

Mackey, who finished fourth Sept. 3 in the Sundown Showdown at the Cool Breeze Invitational at the Pomona Fairplex, placed second in a white division varsity race last season at Woodbridge with a 17:18.9 performance.

Schmidt competed in a gold division varsity race last year and clocked 18:09.0 to finish fourth. She opened her season Aug. 20 with a 2-mile victory at the Vaquero Stampede and placed ninth Aug. 27 in another 2-mile competition competing against athletes from all divisions at the Bronco Roundup at Kit Carson Park.

Sonoma Academy didn’t attend last year’s Woodbridge event, but Ryan opened this season by securing second in a varsity race at the San Francisco Lowell Invitational, clocking 16:00.96 on the 2.93-mile layout.

Harper McClain of St. Helena remains the only Division 5 athlete to place in the top five of the girls sweepstakes, finishing fourth in 16:23.9 in 2019 at SilverLakes Sports Complex.

Former St. Joseph Notre Dame standouts Emily Perez and Keira Marshall also achieved sub-17 performances as Division 5 competitors. Perez clocked 16:43.3 in 2017 and Marshall ran 16:49.9 in 2016.

Along with McClain, they are the only other Division 5 standouts to produce sub-17 efforts at any venue in meet history.

Friday the 13s: Revenge on Great Park

There have been 10 male athletes to eclipse the 14-minute barrier in meet history, including five competitors from Newbury Park alone in the past two editions of the event in 2019 and last season.

But for all the success enjoyed at SilverLakes Sports Complex and Estancia High during the past decade, Great Park has yet to produce a sub-14 performance.

Brea-Olinda graduate Austin Tamagno still boasts the top effort at Great Park, clocking 14:04 in 2014, which ranks as the No. 16 all-time mark across all venues.

Aaron Sahlman of Newbury Park clocked 13:42.3 last year at SilverLakes Sports Complex and would be the only entry in the sweepstakes field, should he compete, to produce a sub-14 performance.

Christopher Caudillo of Clovis and Rendon Kuykendall of Hope Christian in New Mexico, along with Oregon competitors Tyrone Gorze and Josiah Tostenson of Crater High, as well as Utah standouts Tayson Echohawk of Orem High and Liam Heninger of Mountain View High are all capable of challenging the 14-minute barrier.

Caudillo clocked 14:09.3 in last year’s sweepstakes race and ranks No. 27 in meet history, across all venues.

But his 9:07.7 performance Aug. 13 at the Fleet Feet Summer Sizzle on the 2-mile course at Woodward Park indicates Caudillo is capable of joining Newbury Park athletes Leo Young, Lex Young, Nico Young, Aaron Sahlman and Colin Sahlman, along with Bakersfield Stockdale’s Blake Haney, Arcadia’s Estevan De La Rosa, Armijo’s Luis Grijalva, El Camino Real’s Justin Hazell and St. Joseph Notre Dame’s Cooper Teare as a sub-14 performer at Woodbridge.

Seeing how they rate

Although competition in the Friday rated races will showcase the depth of some programs that will race their “B” teams ahead of the marquee sweepstakes events, there are plenty of impressive entries from other schools as well expected to participate.

In the 8:54 p.m. girls rated race, teams from Alamosa High in Colorado, Las Vegas Centennial in Nevada, El Paso Eastwood in Texas – although sophomore standout Adelynn Rodriguez is scheduled to compete in the sweepstakes race – Southlake Carroll in Texas, as well as Utah programs Herriman and Orem are all entered.

They will square off against California entries Agoura, Chino Hills, Dos Pueblos, El Toro, Etiwanda, La Canada, La Costa Canyon, Menlo-Atherton, Moorpark, Oak Park, Redondo Union, Viewpoint and Westlake.

Tatum Olesen and Katie Lorenz lead Menlo-Atherton, which placed second in its girls varsity race Sept. 10 at the San Francisco Lowell Invitational.

La Canada, led by Maya DeBrouwer and Katelyn Matarese, took third Sept. 3 in the Sundown Showdown race at the Cool Breeze Invitational at the Pomona Fairplex.

Yorba Linda’s Sydney Rome and St. Margaret’s Liesel Blau are among the top competitors in the race as well.

The boys rated race, scheduled for 9:14 p.m., includes teams from Campo Verde and Desert Vista in Arizona, along with Faith Lutheran in Nevada, as well as lineups from Herriman High in Utah and Southlake Carroll in Texas.

They will match up against California schools Brea-Olinda, Clovis West, Dos Pueblos, El Segundo, El Toro, Harvard-Westlake, Moorpark, Redondo Union, St. Francis, Thousand Oaks, Vacaville and West Ranch, although Billie Issa is competing in the sweepstakes race.

Newbury Park is also expected to field a team in the rated competition.

Carson Noecker, a senior at Hartington-Newcastle in Nebraska and the reigning Class C state champion, is looking to challenge himself against out-of-state competition.

Logan Scott, a sophomore at Faith Lutheran, is primed for a strong performance, along with Aaron Thomas of Redondo Union and Colton Walker of Vacaville.

Thursday night lights

The national interest of racing under the lights at the popular event has helped the Woodbridge Classic evolve into a two-day meet, only this year, there will be a rare schedule of competition Thursday and Friday.

Two of the most prominent schools expected to race Thursday are Palos Verdes and Saugus, often fixtures in sweepstakes races in past years.

The final eight races on the Thursday schedule are all varsity fields, with the Saugus girls looking to build off a second-place finish in its race Sept. 10 at the San Francisco Lowell Invitational, led by freshman Lucia Pearson.

Palos Verdes, led by sophomore Michelle Nikmehr, prevailed in its Sept. 1 home opener and could potentially welcome the return of junior standout Natalie Wang.

Saugus took third behind Livermore Granada and Larkspur Redwood in its boys varsity competition at the San Francisco Lowell Invitational. The Centurions are led by seniors Gavin Dion and Jacob Fredericks.

Alex Naehu, a junior, hopes to help Palos Verdes improve following a fourth-place finish Sept. 1 in its home opener.

Arielle McKenzie of Calabasas, a transfer from La Canada, is also expected to race Thursday, along with Marjourie Lopez of Shadow Hills, Samira Kennedy of Castilleja and Addie Johnson of Branson, as well as Ava Lane from Basalt High in Colorado and Amaya Aramini from Bishop Manogue High in Nevada.