Grit and determination guide Buchanan girls to another section cross country title
Make it 24 Central Section championships for the Buchanan High girls cross country team.
But not without some drama Thursday at Woodward Park.
Prior to the Division I race, Buchanan sophomore Elle Lomeli was experiencing knee pain and the coaching staff decided to sit her out.
Bears senior Grace Hutchison was leading throughout the race but crumpled several times near the finish line before walking across in second place behind teammate Kynzlee Buckley, who offered to help before completing the 3-mile course.
“Everybody is concerned, anytime when an athlete goes down,” Buchanan coach Brian Weaver said. ”It’s always concerning, but she got up and finished. She did what she needed to do. It’s a challenge of racing and now we have time to bounce back and get ready for another meet.”
Weaver said Hutchison told him she fell down several times during the race, but willed herself to finish.
He also noted that senior Sydney Sundgren was coming off an illness. She finished in seventh (18 minutes 34.42 seconds) behind the top three of Buckley (17:39.59), Hutchison (17:46.77) and Sierra Cornett (17:54.52) and fifth-place Avery Hutchison (18:26.39).
Weaver said he expects his team to be ready for the state championship on Nov. 26 at Woodward Park where the Bears hope to make it back-to-back state titles.
“It’s a milestone for these girls in what they’ve done and the teams before them,” Weaver said of another section title. “It’s a great day. We’ve dealt with this before (injuries) and we know what we need to do. We have to address some things and maybe a different race strategy. I think we’ll be ready to go.”
Clovis’ Caudillo wins D-I boys race
Clovis High senior Christopher Caudillo won the D-I boys race in 15:01.98, about a half-minute ahead of runner-up Milo Skapinsky of San Luis Obispo (15:31.13).
Caudillo came in sixth in the state championships last season. His time was 14:59.2.
Despite his first-place finish, he wasn’t happy with his performance.
“I didn’t do as good as I was hoping to,” Caudillo said. “I think I got a little nervous before this because it’s my last section meet, so I really wanted to make it count. But I still got the win.
“My plan was to go pretty easy the first two miles and then just really go quicker that last mile, but I was really kind of winded more than usual so I didn’t really get the time I was hoping to go.”
Yosemite boys dominate
The Yosemite boys swept the D-V race with a 1-2-3-4-5 finish for 15 points, ahead of second-place Central Valley Christian with 84.
Leading the way for Yosemite were twins Ben and Jack Olney, finishing with times of 16:02.15 and 16:17.3, respectively.
Ford Stegge (16:38.60), Noah Graffigna (16:53.70) and Anthony Ruiz (17:03.80) completed the Badgers’ sweep.
“I’m impressed with the boys’ work ethic,” Yosemite co-coach Brad Stegge said. “They’ve worked really hard since June. It’s great to see their hard work paid off. I’m really impressed that our fourth and fifth runners were able to sweep with 1 through 5. That was a huge step and a huge goal for them as a team.”
Yosemite is eyeing the school’s first state title next week.
Last season, the Badgers finished 14th in D-IV.
“This year when they bumped us down to D-V, .at first we were bummed out by it, but just hearing that we were in striking distance of winning, it motivated them so much,” Yosemite co-coach Kim Lawhon said. “They’re a close group of kids. They motivate each other and encourage each other to do well. They want to do well this year.”
Torres rolls to D-IV boys title
Torres won the D-IV boys race behind Benjamin Fernandez’s first-place finish (16:08.65).
Toros coach Jose Herrera said he’s been impressed with his runners all season and is looking forward to how they compete against some of the top teams in the state.
“They’ve been working really hard this whole season,” he said. “I came into the coaching position in late July. I wish I was with them during the whole summer and give them their workouts and training, but it’s OK. Things happen for a reason and they finally got their first ring. The school is new and they have a lot of potential for the future. I know they do.”
Torres finished 18th in the state D-IV race last season.
Results
Boys
Division I
Teams: 1. San Luis Obispo 65, 2. Madera South 68, 3. Clovis 75, 4. Buchanan 95, 5. Clovis East 131, 6. Clovis West 132, 7. Sanger 167, 8. Bakersfield 204, Clovis North 256, 10. Redwood 260
Individuals: 1. Christopher Caudillo, Clovis, 15:01.98; 2. Milo Skapinsky, San Luis Obispo, 15:13.31; 3. Carter Spradling, Clovis East, 15:16.30; 4. Quinn White, San Luis Obispo, 15:265.35; 6. Sawyer Pugliese, Sanger, 15:45.43; 7. Dylan Devine, Madera South, 15:48.20; 8. Adrian Hipolito, Madera South, 15:51.08; 9. Estevean Medina, Madera South, 15:52.83; 10. Sam Dresick, Clovis West, 15:52.96.
Division II
Teams: 1. Tulare Western 46, 2. Monache 86, 3. Frontier 98, 4. Mt. Whitney 131, 5. Atascadero 144, 5. Reedley 156, 6. Bullard 161, 7. Roosevelt 211, 8. El Diamante 239, 9. Centennial 246, 10. Shafter 268.
Individuals: 1. Alazar Teffra, Central, 15:58.22; 2. Devin Ibarra, El Diamante, 16:04.20; 3. Carter Mendes, Tulare Western, 16:09.54; 4. Jacob Perez, Frontier, 16:18.02; 5. Santiago Basurto, Tulare Western, 16:32.86; 6. Joseph Flores, Tulare Western, 16:35.58; 7. Alzin Anguiano, Shafter, 16:40.85; 8. Jacob Diaz, Reedley, 16:47.29; 9. Monte Moore, Monache, 16:53.39; 10. Hayden Herstad, Frontier, 16:55.58.
Division III
Teams: 1. Pioneer Valley 102, 2. Lompoc 128, 3. Foothill 129, 4. Edison 137, 5. Porterville 151, 6. Templeton 170, 7. Arvin 208, 8. Righetti 211, 9. Lindsay, 10. Fresno 279.
Individuals: 1. Joshua Bell, Templeton, 15:31.64; 2. Aidan Ransom, Edison, 16:31.21; 3. Tyler Speir, Fresno, 16:36.43; 4. Noel Carrasco, Fresno, 16:39.64; 5. Alesandro Escarzaga, Porterville, 16:42.93; 6. Dominic Welsh, Porterville, 16:55.52; 7. Ozni Boyar, Foothill, 16:59.19; 8. Juan Santiago, Pioneer Valley, 17:00.57; 9. Aidan Burke, Pioneer Valley, 17:01.55; 10. Luis Campos Delgado, Pioneer Valley, 17:09.98.
Division IV
Teams: 1. Torres 19, 2. Garza 93, 3. McFalrand 111, 4. Avenal 166, 5. Del Oro 212, 6. Sierra Pacific 228, 7. Morro Bay 240, 8. Mission Oak 242, 9. Fowler 276, 10. Washington Union 277.
Individuals: 1. Benjamin Fernandez, Torres, 16:08.65; 2. Evan Torres, Parlier, 16:13.76; 3. Noah Felix Andrade, Torres, 16:40.50; 4. Hunter Hannah, Torres, 16:49.17; 5. Ozzy Hernandez, Torres, 16:54.27; 6. Emilio Nunez, Avenal, 16:56.74; 7. Ricardo Guerrero, Delano, 16:57.26; 8. Drake Murrill, Garza, 17:12.52; 9. Zelalem Teffra, Garza, 17:17.72; 10. Alexis Aguilar, West, 17:19.70.
Division V
Teams: 1. Yosemite 15, 2. Central Valley Christian 84, 3. Immanuel 144, 4. Riverdale 150, 5. Mammoth 157, 6. Liberty-Madera Ranchos 169, 7. St. Joseph 175, 8. Tranquillity 177, 9. Kern Valley 211, 10. San Joaquin Memorial 240.
Individuals: 1. 1. Ben Olney, Yosemite, 16:02.15; 2. Jack Olney, Yosemite, 16:17.13; 3. Ford Stegge, Yosemite, 16:38.60; 4. Noah Graffigna, Yosemite, 16:53.70; 5. Anthony Ruiz, Yosemite, 17:03.80; 6. Dane Karch, Mammoth, 17:04.22; 7. Reid Bishel, Immanuel, 17:49.56; 8. Raul Acevedo, Summith Collegiate, 17:54.37; 9. Curran Vaccaro, Mission Prep, 17:57.53; 10. Koen Ensz, Immanuel, 18:26.00.
Girls
Division I
Teams: 1. Buchanan 18, 2. Clovis North 42, 3. San Luis Obispo 112, 4. Clovis 125, 5. Sanger 140, 5. Clovis East 151, 6. Madera South 179, 7. Clovis West 204, 8. Stockdale 219, 9. Arroyo Grande 277.
Individuals: 1. Kynzlee Buckley, Buchanan, 17:39.59; 2. Grace Hutchison, Buchanan, 17:46.77; 3. Sierra Cornett, Buchanan, 17:54.52; 4. Ashlyn Leath, Clovis North, 18:15.85; 5. Avery Hutchison, Buchanan, 18:26.39; 6. Kaitelyn Emmons, Clovis North, 18:27.11; 7. Sydney Sundgren, Buchanan, 18:34.42; 8. Tayler Torosian, Buchanan, 18:36.79; 9. Miya Maltos, Clovis North, 18:55.42; 10. Erika Nyberg, Clovis East, 18:58.27.
Division II
Teams: 1. Highland 107, 2. Paso Robles 118, 3. Redwood 122, 4. Frontier 124, 5. Tulare Western 134, 6. Bakersfiled 135, 7. Liberty-Bakersfield 181, 8. Madera 194, 9. Bullard 201, 10. Edison 244.
Individuals: 1. Mia Torrecillas, Highland, 18:15.31; 2. Sydney Moore, Paso Robles, 18:58.92; 3. Aubrey Thompson, Liberty-Bakersfield, 19:04.98; 4. Bianca Scott, Madera, 19:25.80; 5. Nicole Bridges, Liberty-Bakersfield, 19:26.92; 6. Abigail Spain, Bullard, 19:33.99; 7. Abby Trujillo, Frontier, 19:40.42; 8. Carly Herrera, Tulare Western, 19:44.35; 9. Isabella Ramirez, Bullard, 19:45.49; 10. Lianna Guerra, Highland, 19:48.51.
Division III
Teams: 1. Independence 74, 2. Wasco 82, 3. Atascadero 102, 4. El Diamante 108, 5. Pioneer Valley 145, 5. Santa Maria 183, 6. McFarland 207, 7. Shafter 233, 8. East 255, 9. Cabrillo 263, 10. Hanford West 269
Individuals: 1. Frannie Perry, Atascadero, 19:12.10; 2. Natalie Flores, Independence, 19:15.44; 3. Nieves Alvarez, Wasco, 19:23.44; 4. Elena Baltazar, Independence, 19:29.83; 5. Brooklyn Bawanan, El Diamante, 19:36.79; 6. Leslie Aquino, East, 19:43.18; 7. Sophie Ramirez, Cabrillo, 20:16.98; 8. Keira Sorenson, Central, 20:28.40; 9. Kaimely Bawanan, El Diamante, 20:35.74; 10. Makayla Gonzalez, Pioneer Valley, 20:39.77.
Division IV
Teams: 1. Kerman 47, 2. Orcutt Academy 94, 3. Roosevelt 135, 4. Morro Bay 180, 5. Tulare Union 194, 5. Mission Oak 207, 6. Fresno 219, 7. Torres 228, 8. Corcoran 248, 9. Lemoore 258. 10. Taft 276
Individuals: 1. Ashley Villafana, Kerman, 19:22.52; 2. Alyana Chavez, Roosevlt, 20:09.34; 3. Gabrielle Gutierrez, Garza, 20:26.10; 4. Rhiannon Walker, Fresno, 20:46.27; 5. Elizabeth Urquilla, Farmersville, 20:54.78; 6. Baylee Melgoza, Kerman, 21:00.76; 7. Maya Katz, Taft, 21:02.21; 8. Dana Ruiz, Tulare Union, 21:07.70; 9. Noleena Fahy, Morro Bay, 21:11.50; 10. Milani Gutierrez, Kerman, 21:13.12.
Division V
Teams: 1. Immanuel 29, 2. Fresno Christian 70, 3. Central Valley Christian 85, 4. Liberty-Madera Ranchos 94, 5. Bakersfield Christian 107, 6. Mammoth 143, 7. St. Joseph 171
Individuals: 1. Claire Riddle, Immanuel, 19:10.80; 2. Julia Gray, Fresno Christian, 19:51.68; 3. Genevieve Miller, San Joaquin Memorial, 20:03.42; 4. Caitlin Chea, Central Valley Christian, 20:34.60; 5. Tenaya Keogler, Mammoth, 20:37.82; 6. Lexi Schartmann, Immanuel, 20:06.50; 7. Sydney Friesen, Immanuel, 21:02.58; 8. Sarah Larger, Immanuel, 21:05.54; 9. Norah Kostelyk, Central Valley Christian, 21:20.74; 10. Emma Connolly, Fresno Christian, 21:17.80.
This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 6:26 PM.
