Photos from Albert Caruana’s video
9:30am Division II Girls’ Race
This was the toughest division to make it on to state.
Took 19:02.0 individually and 1:36:55 (team) to move on with 19:05.3 1:38:06 not making it on.
Claire Moore (52nd, 21:08.2) led the Napa team to 14th place finish.
10:00am Division III Girls’ Race
Four locals will be going on as the Maria Carrillo team was one place short of advancing with a 5th place finish.
Their 1:41:19 team time was 18th best in the NCS and second in the Empire.
Vintage (7th), Windsor (8th) and Casa Grande (10th) gave the Empire four of the top ten teams here.
Individually Maria Carrillo’s Joslyn Tribbey (5th, 18:46.1, 32nd in NCS) tied for our best place of the day.
Tribbey is the Puma’s first to state since Ashlin Mallon in 2023.
Windsor’s Emily Williams (8th, 18:54.0, 38th NCS) had one of our five top ten finishes. She is making her second trip to state.
Vintage was able to qualify two with Kendall Bawden (11th, 19:00.3, 44th NCS) and Skylar Waite (16th, 19:13.3). Vintage’s last girl state bound was from 2019.
11:00am Division V Girls’ Race
It may be the division for the smallest schools but division V was as stong as any of the other larger divisions.
Lick Wilmerding’s Ella Mogannam won here with a time faster than any other division at 17:18.8.
Sonoma Academy will probably be ranked in the top ten after this performance taking 3rd with the 12th fastest team time in all the NCS at 1:38:33, #1 of all the Empire teams.
Josie Hill made the difference for them as she ran the fastest Empire time of the day placing 5th in 18:20.6.
It was the 13th best time in the NCS and 9th among the underclassman. Hill will be All-NCS 2nd team.
Hill ran at state for Technology in 2023.
Also qualifying on with top ten finishes were St. Helena’s Corinna Schlatter (7th, 18:29.4, 20th NCS), All-NCS 3rd team and Cardinal Newman’s Ashlin Mallon (8th, 18:30.5, 22nd NCS) All-NCS Honorable Mention.
Schlatter is also making a return trip to state after making it last year.
Mallon ran at state for Carrillo in 2023 while Newman’s last girl was also that year.
Sonoma Academy’s Annie Leyba was a strong factor in the teams success as she placed (13th, 18:51.2, 34th NCS) and was the 4th fastest freshman in the whole meet.
Sonoma Academy’s last state meet competitor was Lucy Gott in 2021. The same day as this meet Gott helped her college team to the NCAA Division III National Championship.
12:00pm Division IV Girls’ Race
Archie Williams showed why they are the #2 state ranked division IV team as they averaged 18:33 with the best team time of 1:32:44.
Justin-Siena had our top team and individual placing 9th led by Piper Chafen in 16th at 19:52.0.
1:00pm Division I Girls’ Race
The Empire has no schools this large.