The Woodbridge Classic, a well-known cross country event held annually in Irvine, saw impressive performances from several local high school teams and runners this past weekend. The 44th edition of the race provided a stage for both established athletes and rising stars to shine.
One of the most remarkable stories of the meet was the performance of the Westlake High School girls’ cross country team. Twin sisters Sabina and Anais Cruz led their team to a decisive victory in the Girls Gold Varsity B race. Sabina Cruz secured first place with a time of 16 minutes, 50.7 seconds, setting a new school record and achieving the second-fastest time among local girls at the Woodbridge Classic this year. Anais Cruz finished ninth. Teammates Aria Cinelli, Amelie Ortiz, and Lily Saul also contributed.
Troy Burns, co-head coach for Westlake cross country, praised the Cruz sisters.
Kathleen Lambe and Áine Pitillo, both freshmen from Oak Park High, also made their mark in the Bob Day Sweepstakes, a highly competitive race. Lambe finished 49th with a time of 17:06.5, while Pitillo came in 70th at 17:19. Their performance helped Oak Park secure a ninth-place team finish.
In the Girls Gold Varsity A race, Delaney Napierala from Oaks Christian took home the individual title, clocking in at 17:01.6. Jenna Murray of Moorpark finished closely behind her at 17:03.8. Christina Smith, a freshman from Oaks Christian, also had a strong showing, finishing 26th in 18:16.8. The Oaks Christian girls team earned a third-place finish overall.
On the boys’ side, Dorian Bening from Agoura High emerged as the fastest local runner at Woodbridge, finishing third in the Boys Rated Varsity race with a time of 14:25.2. Vin Krueger and Sterling White from Oaks Christian followed, securing 11th and 14th place, respectively.
Bening expressed his excitement about his performance, noting that he pushed himself and paced the race well.
Noah Sloan from Ventura High finished 21st, followed by Micah Dickran from Newbury Park in 24th. Lucas Gary from Agoura High and Brandon Fischer from Ventura High also secured top-40 finishes.
Foothill Tech’s boys team secured second place in the Boys Rated Varsity race, narrowly missing the top spot by a small margin. Viggo Bortolin led the way for Foothill Tech, finishing 15th. Asher Field and Camden Taylor also had strong performances.
In the Bob Day Sweepstakes race, Ventura senior Aelo Curtis achieved the fastest time among girls cross country runners at Woodbridge this season, finishing 17th in 16:37.2. Sophie Nuckols and Paola Estrada also performed well for Ventura. Tabitha Brown and Sophia Perez led the Oak Park team.
Cecelia Vasquez and Acacia Rojas from Simi Valley stood out as top local finishers in the Girls Rated Varsity race.
Oak Park secured a victory in the Boys Gold Varsity A race, with Ari Kalan finishing 18th. Teammates Jaiden Chan, Bridger Leith, Luke Hodges, and Rafe Andersen also contributed. Zackary Hatch from Moorpark achieved a personal-best time.
Reese Tamburro from Agoura finished sixth in the Girls Gold Varsity B race, while Keera Wallace from Foothill Technology finished 21st.
Gavin Leedy from Foothill Technology led local runners in the Boys Gold Varsity B race, followed by Carson Duce and Allan Cruz from Westlake.
The Channel Islands boys team finished sixth in the Boys Blue Varsity A race, led by Uriel Texis. Oren Hill from Thousand Oaks won the Boys Red Varsity A race. Maggie De la Rionda from Thousand Oaks finished third in the Girls Red Varsity A race.
Dominic de Vicente from Buena won the Boys Red Sophomore race. A trio of Newbury Park freshmen secured the top three spots in the Boys Gold Frosh race. Halle Combe from Newbury Park finished fourth in the Girls Gold Frosh race.
The Woodbridge Classic provided an opportunity for local cross country teams and runners to showcase their talent and hard work. With impressive performances from both seasoned athletes and newcomers, the future of cross country in the region looks bright.
