Sac Joaquin Section Championships mark the finale for all race divisions, except for varsity, which vies for a chance to extend the season if able to earn a berth to the state meet. When the day was done, the Wildcats would walk away with two section team titles, a section team runner-up, and yes, representation at the state meet, as Whitney continues a decade-long streak of qualifying a team to the State Championships.
Varsity women won their 4th consecutive D2 Section Title. On all 4 of those teams were 3 seniors: Sophie Hutchinson, Addi Ewers, and Jane Landon. These 3 ladies were freshmen on the 2022 team which shocked the section. That year, Whitney was expected to compete for a 3rd and final berth to state, behind powerhouse teams Granite Bay and St. Francis, who were predicted to duke it out for the D2 title. Well, they did duke it out, but for runner-up as our girls not only rose up to win, but by a whopping 40 points behind a 1-3-6-7 effort in the top 10 that day. That launched Whitney into #1 ranking since, and our girls took care of business Saturday without a lot of flair. Sophie placed 2nd, while Addi and junior Eva Soto also finished in the top 10. Sophomore Kaylee Smith, as well as Jane and fellow senior Ava Hurren all cruised across the line in the top 25, with sophomore Isabel Leal not far behind. A team only gets so many rounds to fire, and with a team this good, these young ladies were able to secure yet another section title, while still able to preserve that round for the state meet, where, this year, the goal is to do more than make it to the podium.
The frosh soph girls, like their varsity teammates, seized a repeat D2 Section Title. Gemma Scamporrino and Nina Williams were on both last year’s and this year’s title teams. The rest comprised a new roster in a clinic on how to race Willow Hills’ very challenging terrain. Our young gals settled in for the first loop, showing a lot of patience–an absolute must as an approach for any team hoping to compete in the exhausting back hills of the course. This race combined all D2 and D1 frosh soph teams, which was a total of 12. And at the first mat reading, Whitney’s place was … 12th! So, dead last place, but poised and confident to attack the difficult phase of the course. Our key competitors looked to be Vacaville, which went through mid-pack, in 6th place; so they were also showing patience and had some climbing to do as well, but would be very tough to beat. Gemma Scamporrino, Nina Williams, and Roslyn Hurren were running 18th, 19th, and 20th in the separate D2 readings, with Josalyn Hinkson and Gwen Powers in 26th and 28th. Mira Annaparredy was sick, but able to pace with Gwen, and Lauren McMillan was just 5 positions behind. Each of our 7 girls passed multiple runners to put Whitney in winning position. Here’s each girl’s place at the first loop, then their actual finish…
- Nina = 20th → 4th
- Gemma = 18th → 6th
- Roslyn = 19th → 8th
- Josalyn = 26th → 12th
- Gwen = 28th → 18th
- Mira = 29th → 23rd
- Lauren = 33rd → 24th
In the end, it was a Whitney victory by a mere 2pts over Vacaville. Congratulations to Whitney’s frosh soph girls team, placing 1st and claiming the title of Repeat Section Champions!
JV women placed 2nd, gaining significantly on D1 Davis, and outdistancing St. Francis by over 40 points. Rae Britton led the way, placing 4th with an impressive sub-22-minute performance. Abigail Speck and Camryn Mougeotte nearly broke 22, crossing together in 22:06, and ensuring three Whitney runners finishing in the top 8. Congratulations seniors Rae Britton and Inessa Maldonado, and juniors Camryn Mougeotte, Abigail Speck, Zoey Rigdon, Kylee Barrett, and Sophia Jovanoski, for earning D2 Section Runner-ups !!
Congratulations to all of our girls’ squads: Two section titles and one section runner-up!
Varsity men went into the D2 Section Finals with a chance to grab that ever elusive 4th berth to the state meet in the increasingly rigorous D2. Everyone knew #2 in the nation Jesuit and #3 in the state Vacaville would claim the top 2 spots. Bella Vista figured to be next, and then Whitney was among 5 teams in a scrum for that final spot. The two teams still ahead of Whitney going into the postseason were Atwater and Vista Del Lago, and our varsity men knew they had to bring a special performance to leap over all these teams for a top 4 finish. But after closing the gap, the Wildcats still came up short. The pace from the start was frenetic, and our runners went with it, which put our runners off their game, as the inevitable result on that course was to have no legs nor lungs to gain advantage in the latter stages. Whitney still managed to muster up strength and gain on Bella Vista, Vista Del Lago, and Atwater over the very strenuous 2nd loop at Willow Hills, coming within 26 points of 3rd place, but settling for 6th place. A valiant effort by seniors Davis Little and Johann Gothold, plus juniors Evan Leman, Luka Roganovic and Zachary Downing, as well as outstanding sophomores Josh Landon and Rylan Whitmore.
Our sophomore boys placed 5th, which is impressive by itself, but especially impressive when considering a couple key details. Last year as freshmen, this squad was the one Whitney team that did not advance to section finals to even race. Furthermore, four of the top runners from last year either were moved up to varsity or not on the team this year. And finally #3 man from subsections, Marcus Clinciu, was unavailable due to illness. So, a bunch of reasons to point to as excuses to put up a mediocre result, but instead these 7 guys raced the way they trained all season–with full commitment. Usual lead runner Luke Martin managed top 20, and then our depth came through as every half minute another Wildcat was flying onto the grass to the finish chute… Dante Ferretti, much-improved Mohammad Ayyad, Liam O’Malley, Brian Hanks, Kellen Levine-Flandrup, and Braeden Cochenour all showed out in this race, despite the excuses within arm’s length, and came within 7 points of 4th place.
For the freshman boys, Vista Del Lago was the clear frontrunner, leaving top programs Vacaville, Jesuit, and Whitney battling it out for who would be next on the podium. Lucas Rolin ran a solid 7th place effort to begin the scoring for Whitney. A trio of ‘Cats following him into the top 20 was just as key… Ovi Rodrigo and Mason Deeble each choosing the right meet to run their best race of the season, and Ary Swamy, with Brandon Gooden placing 23rd just 15 seconds later, ensured 5 scoring runners in before Vacaville’s 4th, and before Jesuit’s 3rd. Sam Calabrese and Joseph Piersante displaced even more of our primary competitors. And in the end, Whitney beat Jesuit by 16 points, and came within 4 points of 2nd place Vacaville. Congratulations to our freshman boys team, who made the podium with a 3rd place performance at Section Championships.