FOLSOM, CA (MPG) - The Galt Warriors cross country program delivered an impressive showing at the CIF San Joaquin Section Championships on Nov. 15 at Willow Hills, highlighted by a dramatic Division 4 championship victory for the Girls Frosh/Soph team.

The Lady Warriors secured the section title in thrilling fashion, defeating Encina High School in a tiebreaker that came down to their sixth and seventh runners: a testament to the team’s depth and collective effort.

“Our whole team was awesome to work with and improved in so many ways throughout the season,” said Head Coach Bruce Peterson. “We have a large, young and very talented team with most of our runners hopefully returning next year.”

Sophomore Jocelyn Jiminez led the championship squad with an eighth-place overall finish in the 2-mile race, clocking 16:10.0. Freshman Kaylee Meixner followed with a strong 17th-place showing (16:39.6), while sophomore Danielle Aragon placed 23rd (17:23.2). Freshman AnaLucia Alvarado claimed 26th place in 17:30.9, and freshman Jade Garcia rounded out the scoring five with a 35th-place finish (18:12.7). Additional contributions came from freshmen Crystal Lamb (18:24.3) and Allison Miller (19:40.3).

The Boys Freshman team also turned in a commendable performance, placing fifth overall despite facing adversity. According to Peterson, the team battled through illness and injuries during championship week but finished just six points behind the third-place finisher.

 

Warrior Emily Razo runs up a hill during the Cross Country Section Meet.

Christian Juarez paced the freshman boys with a 14th-place finish (13:20.4), followed closely by Aaron Garcia in 15th (13:22.7). Cristian Gomez placed 24th (13:57.3), Damian Miller finished 34th (14:56.1) and Jayden Sirben came in 37th (15:23.0), with Isaac Rodriguez and Trevor Rojas placing 40th and 41st (15:50.7), respectively.

Individual qualifiers also represented the Warriors well at the section meet. Sophomore Daniel Crownover earned a medal with an eighth-place finish in the Boys’ Sophomore 2-Mile Division 4 race (13:01.5). Junior Emily Razo placed 42nd in the Girls Varsity 5k (22:56.3), while senior Alejandro Herrera finished 42nd in the Boys Varsity 5k (18:27.9).

“Sophomore Daniel Crownover, junior Emily Razo and senior Alejandro Herrera also performed very well in their races,” Peterson noted.

Looking ahead, the future appears bright for the Galt cross country program.

 

Daniel Crownover, in red, runs the course for the Warriors.

“These young runners worked extremely hard and improved so much during the season,” Peterson said. “If they continue to work together collectively as a group, the future looks very promising on both the Boys and Girls teams.”

The section championship marks a significant achievement for the Warriors’ program and sets the stage for continued success in the seasons to come.