Among the many Golden State athletes entered into Saturday's AAU National Cross Country Championships in Florida are, from left, Victor Jaimez-Solorio, Riley Chamberlain and Harper McClain. (Archive photos)
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Two CIF-State cross country divisional champions lead a large contingent of California high school and youth cross country runners entered to compete at the AAU National Cross Country Championships scheduled for Saturday in Tallahassee, Florida.
Riley Chamberlain, a junior at Loomis Del Oro HS outside of Sacramento, has already won two CIF-State Division III titles. She leads a list of 10 athletes traveling to the Sunshine State for club Loomis Elite.
Harper McClain, a senior at St. Helena HS in the Napa Valley, won the State Division V title in November (2019) and recently signed to continue her education and running career at the University of Oregon. McClain, also, will run for Loomis Elite in the Girls 15-18 age group.
The Loomis Elite team also includes Sacramento St. Francis junior Cate Joaquin, fourth at CIF-State in Division II and a Foot Locker National finalist; Chamberlain's Del Oro teammates Hannah Wirth, a senior, and Emilie Merz, a junior, who placed 2-3 at the 2019 CIF-Sac Joaquin Section finals.
More than 30 boys and girls representing a handful of clubs from CA have been identified among the entries in the 15-18 age group competition.
Others include boys Alex Mainvielle (West Torrance/SS), Bryce Granillo (Cathedral/SS) and Tyriq Granillo (Cathedral/SS) from the Pacific Coast Shockwaves; and girls Anna Weirich (Harker/CC) from the Los Gatos Track Club; Tiani Goeson (Serrano/SS) and Daniela Quintero (Harvard Westlake/SS) from Pacific Coast Shockwaves. Weirich is a UCLA recruit and the defending Central Coast Section Division 4 champion.
There are nearly 40 athletes from CA entered to compete in the 13-14 age group representing the Long Beach Flyers, Loomis Elite, Los Gatos TC, Pacific Coast Shockwaves, San Diego Waves and So Cal Comets.
Another Golden State standout to keep an eye on is Victor Jaimez-Solorio of Pacific Coast Shockwaves in the boys 9-10 age group. Jaimez-Solorio, from Apple Valley, has been a summer AAU star, setting multiple age-group records in the distances.