43rd Woodbridge Classic Sees Elite Fields and Big Times
The concluding race day for the 43rd Woodbridge Classic, presented by ASICS America, featured powerful performances. It was evident to see the state of where this season might take California's top runners and teams, as well as results that show the Woodbridge event's successful reach in attracting a wider, deeper entrant field beyond California.
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Considered an important early season test and traditionally a haven for personal-best times on the flat, fast three-mile course at Irvine's Great Park, the results from the sweepstakes races with elite individuals and teams delivered.
Santiago Corona senior and Florida State commit Rylee Blade firmly established herself in 2024 with a race record-setting time of 15:20 to win the Bob Day Girls Sweepstakes race. Blade shattered the all-time meet record time by 12 seconds. She was eight seconds ahead of runner-up La Jolla San Diego junior Chiara Dailey, 16 seconds faster than the previous all-time record holder, Timpview (Utah) senior Jane Hedengren, who was fourth on Saturday and a whopping 20 seconds ahead of Ventura senior and North Carolina State commit Sadie Engelhardt who finished fifth (15:40.2).
| PLACE | VIDEO | ATHLETE | TEAM | MARK | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Rylee Blade | 12 | Santiago Corona (SS) | 15:20.30 | 1 | |
| 2 |  Chiara Dailey | 11 | La Jolla (SD) | 15:28.20 | ||
| 3 |  Lily Alder | 11 | Timpview | 15:28.90 | ||
| 4 | Jane Hedengren | 12 | Timpview | 15:36.70 | ||
| 5 |  Sadie Engelhardt | 12 | Ventura (SS) | 15:40.20 | 2 |
For the Bob Days Girls Sweepstakes team race, it was a loaded race with six of the girls' teams ranked on the COROS CC Girls Team Rankings. Out of those six teams, it was the Flower Mound girls of Texas who prevailed, coming in as the No. 23 ranked team and beating out five higher-ranked teams. They finished with 92 points, 20 points ahead of the Ventura girls. They were led by senior Alexandra Fox who finished 14th overall, leading all of their top four scorers to a top 40 finish.
| PLACE | TEAM | POINTS | SCORERS | TIMES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Flower Mound | 92 | 6+9+11+20+46 (95+96) | 0:53 1-5 Split | 16:40 Avg |
| 2 | Ventura (SS) | 112 | 2+13+15+35+47 (125+146) | 1:40 1-5 Split | 16:40 Avg |
| 3 | Santiago Corona (SS) | 141 | 1+3+26+39+72 (81+99) | 2:17 1-5 Split | 16:36 Avg |
| 4 |  Buchanan (CS) | 161 | 16+27+28+32+58 (76+100) | 0:40 1-5 Split | 16:59 Avg |
| 5 |  JSerra Catholic (SS) | 214 | 22+23+29+65+75 (87+122) | 0:53 1-5 Split | 17:10 Avg |
| 6 |  Air Academy High School | 263 | 4+8+71+78+102 (171) | 1:50 1-5 Split | 17:13 Avg |
Meanwhile, the Doug Speck Boys Sweepstakes race showcased the Woodbridge Classic's out-of-state schools appeal. The top six finishers in Saturday's race were on teams outside of California. The winner was Mercer Island (WA)'s Owen Powell, whose all-time meet record-setting time of 13:30.3 barely edged Crater (OR) senior Josiah Tostenson mark of 13:30.5. Both crushed the previous meet record of 13:38.1 set by Newbury Park's Leo Young in 2021.
| PLACE | VIDEO | ATHLETE | TEAM | MARK | POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Owen Powell | 12 | Mercer Island High School | 13:30.30 | 1 | |
| 2 |  Josiah Tostenson | 12 | Crater | 13:30.50 | 2 | |
| 3 |  Max Cervi-Skinner | 12 | Coeur d'Alene High School | 13:37.00 | 3 | |
| 4 |  Caden Leonard | 11 | Carroll High School | 13:41.80 | 4 | |
| 5 | Tayvon Kitchen | 12 | Crater | 13:43.50 | 5 | |
| 6 |  Jackson Spencer | 11 | Herriman | 13:49.20 | 6 |
In the Doug Speck Boys Sweepstakes team race, it was an utter domination of an effort from the Herriman boys of Utah, winning by 115 points for a score of 58. They were led by 8th place finisher Tayshaun Ogomo who finished with a time of 13:57.30. Overall they placed all five scoring runners in the top 25 overall finishers, and all five in the top 17 scorers. They finished with a minuscule 22-second split and an average of 14:02. Not a bad start to the season for last year's Nike Cross Nationals champions.
| PLACE | TEAM | POINTS | SCORERS | TIMES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herriman | 58 | 6+8+11+16+17 (27+162) | 0:22 1-5 Split | 14:02 Avg |
| 2 | Carroll High School | 173 | 4+23+31+55+60 (92+113) | 1:00 1-5 Split | 14:20 Avg |
| 3 | Crater | 187 | 2+5+35+57+88 (93+189) | 1:24 1-5 Split | 14:14 Avg |
| 4 |  Hamilton High School | 226 | 14+18+44+53+97 (131+175) | 0:53 1-5 Split | 14:29 Avg |
| 5 | Coeur d'Alene High School | 258 | 3+9+15+110+121 (222+248) | 1:32 1-5 Split | 14:23 Avg |