76th Mt. SAC Invitational: Saturday Sweepstakes Preview

Trey Caldwell has thrived on multiple Mt. SAC courses throughout his impressive prep career at Concord De La Salle, whether it was winning the Division 1-2 individual sweepstakes race on the 2.93-mile layout last season or twice navigating the 5-kilometer circuit at Foot Locker West Regionals in order to advance to the national final in San Diego.

Caldwell and thousands of other high school cross country runners will have the opportunity to experience a new 3-mile course Saturday that concludes on the track inside Hilmer Lodge Stadium at the 76th Mt. SAC Invitational Presented by Nike in Walnut, Calif.

Although Concord De La Salle is scheduled to participate at 9:42 a.m. PDT in the Division 1-2 team sweepstakes race this season, Caldwell has the opportunity to become the first male athlete to win Saturday sweepstakes titles in consecutive years at Mt. SAC since former Rubidoux standout Kevin Ramos Leyva was victorious in Division 1-2 individual sweepstakes races in 2017-18.

Caldwell, a Colorado commit, made his mark Oct. 12 on another historic course in California by achieving the fastest all-time high school mark of 14 minutes, 27 seconds on the 2.95-mile layout at the Crystal Springs Invitational.

Caldwell leads an exceptional field Saturday that is expected to showcase Martin Luther King junior Maximo Zavaleta – runner-up last season in the Division 1-2 boys team sweepstakes race – and his teammate Bradley Quezada, Dylan Jubak and Ziyad Abdallah from Trabuco Hills, Issac Faynsod and Krish Desai of Mira Costa, as well as Glendora senior Dylan Flores, Woodbridge sophomore Aidan Antonio, Beckman junior Mason Nguyen, Great Oak senior Jack Paradise, Redondo Union senior Adam Divinity, Riverside Poly junior Jace Deledonne, Ayala freshman Bryson Caganap and San Clemente sophomore Yohan Anderson.

Concord De La Salle will also have an opportunity to challenge itself against several of the elite programs in the state, with last year’s Division 1-2 boys team sweepstakes winner Great Oak being joined by Beckman, Mira Costa, Martin Luther King, Glendora, Redondo Union, Crescenta Valley and three-time L.A. City Section Division 1 champion Palisades all scheduled to be part of the lineup.

Great Oak won seven consecutive Division 1-2 boys team sweepstakes titles at Mt. SAC from 2014-21, before San Clemente snapped the streak in 2022, with the Wolfpack regaining the crown last season.

Although the Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes competition, scheduled for 10:02 a.m., isn’t expected to showcase Corona Santiago senior and reigning CIF-Southern Section Division 1 champion Rylee Blade – one of the top athletes in the country, with the Florida State commit achieving sub-16 performances on three different 3-mile courses this fall – the Sharks’ lineup will be highlighted again by junior Braelyn Combe, last year’s race winner.

Although Simi Valley star Sarah Baxter was the last female competitor to win consecutive Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes titles at Mt. SAC, winning all four years of her prep career from 2010-13, Combe has the opportunity to join additional elite company with another victory Saturday.

Claudia Lane of Malibu, who holds the Mt. SAC all-time mark of 15:49 on the 2.93-mile course, was the last female athlete to win Saturday sweepstakes races in consecutive years with her victories in the Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes competition in 2016-17.

Fiona O’Keeffe, a graduate of Davis Senior, prevailed in the Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes in 2013, then triumphed in the Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes field in 2014.

Corona Santiago and Trabuco Hills, winner of the girls sweepstakes race Oct. 19 at the 57th Orange County Championships, are scheduled to square off for the second time this season, including Sept. 21 in the Bob Day girls sweepstakes field at the 43rd Woodbridge Classic, although neither matchup has showcased both lineups competing at full strength in a preview of the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 final Nov. 23, also at Mt. SAC.

Millie Bayles, Holly Barker and Anna Desormeau are all entered for Trabuco Hills, seeking its first Mt. SAC Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes title in program history.

Claremont, last year’s Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes winner, is led by junior Isla Bulmer and freshman Grace Smith, with the Wolfpack looking to become the first program to repeat since Great Oak captured six consecutive titles from 2014-19.

Del Norte, featuring Eliza Hong and Emily Russo, is also expected to participate, as well as Mountain View St. Francis – led by Sabrina Zanetto and Lauren Draper – along with Alana Clarke leading Mira Costa, plus Scripps Ranch, Ayala, Woodbridge, San Clemente, Great Oak, Martin Luther King and reigning L.A. City Section Division 1 champion Palisades, featuring last year’s title holder Zoey Morris.

With Caldwell focusing on the Division 1-2 boys team sweepstakes competition Saturday, La Serna senior Grant Miller is the top returning athlete after finishing fifth in last year’s Division 1-2 boys individual sweepstakes race.

Rancho Bernardo’s Camden Luecht was eighth in the Division 1-2 boys individual sweepstakes field last season and is also expected to be part of the lineup, as well as Lancaster’s Issaiah McCorvey, Del Norte’s Luke Jin, Venice’s Paul Tranquilla, Chaffey’s Daniel Reza, Gilroy’s Joshua Guzman, Camarillo’s James Rieckewald-Schmidt, Canyon Crest Academy’s Luca Caruso, Northwood’s Logan Shaw, Roosevelt’s Luke Lopez, Steele Canyon’s Micah Senn, Valley View’s Evan Nahuat, Ventura’s Blake Harris and Brady Keller from Lacombe High in Alberta, Canada.

Despite Ventura senior Sadie Engelhardt – the two-time CIF-Southern Section Division 2 champion at Mt. SAC – not scheduled to be part of the Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes field, the race is still expected to showcase significant depth, led by Westview senior Kaitlyn Arciaga, last season's third-place finisher.

Ventura is still scheduled to have Aelo Curtis, Melanie True, Tiffany Sax and Sophie Nuckols as part of its lineup Saturday.

Santa Monica’s Phoebe Benun and Vista Murrieta’s Erica Kirk, who took third and fourth, respectively, at Mt. SAC last year in the Division 1-2 girls team sweepstakes competition, are scheduled to participate Saturday in the Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes instead.

Cameron Macias, a junior at Clovis West, won the Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes in 2022 and finished fourth last year. She is expected to return again Saturday, as well as fellow race veterans Emilia Greenway from Crescenta Valley and Etiwanda’s Alyssa Wyatt.

Arcadia’s Charlotte Hopkins and Reena Hsieh, Canyon Crest Academy’s Katja Dunayevich, Temescal Canyon’s Megan Crum, Peninsula’s Alexandra Himebauch, Long Beach Poly’s Avery Peck, Santa Ana’s Adamara Esparza, Patrick Henry’s Hannah Aguirre, Rancho Bernardo’s Riley Biddle and Lucy Peterson from Bay School of San Francisco, an elite Division 5 athlete, are also scheduled to participate in the Division 1-2 girls individual sweepstakes race.

One of the state’s top competitors, Paso Robles senior Tyler Daillak, is expected to compete at 4:38 p.m. in a Division 2 boys varsity race, which also includes El Toro High.

The Chargers are also scheduled to participate at 4:22 p.m. in a Division 2 girls varsity field that is scheduled to include Saugus and Tesoro.

Samantha Pacheco of Granada Hills, last year’s L.A. City Section runner-up, is entered at 11:49 a.m. in a Division 1 girls varsity race.

By Erik Boal