The562’s cross country and track & field coverage is sponsored by Joe Carlson & Debbie Hughes.
For the last three seasons, Moore League girls’ cross country has been largely defined by the friendly rivalry between Avery Peck and Nadia Mejia. That talented duo will be going head-to-head once again this season, setting up a compelling final chapter for the city’s two fastest three-milers.
Peck’s Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits have ruled the league in her three seasons on campus, and are hunting a fifth consecutive title this fall. But Mejia and the Wilson Bruins are hoping to knock them off and win their first Moore League crown since 2019.
Long Beach Poly
Head coach Mandy Wainfan has overseen a nice run of success at her alma mater, and has a relatively young group this year running behind Peck. She said there’s a handful of 10th graders who will be battling to be in Poly’s Top nine runners this year, representing the present and future of the program.
“I’m really excited about that sophomore group. They’re all close friends, too, so it’ll be good to see what they can do as a group,” Wainfan said. “One of my big goals, even when I began coaching, was to get the depth back to the historic Poly group, where there’s a million people who could be varsity. Seeing that sophomore group come and embrace that, and then being all friends and competitors, I’m really excited to see what that whole group does.”
It’ll be great for those young Jackrabbits to have a leader like Peck to follow. She won the Moore League title as a freshman, then came back to win for a second time as a junior last season. She’s battled injuries on and off in her high school career, and has also had Mejia there for competition throughout.
Wainfan is trying to take the focus off of the head-to-head results and just wants Peck to embrace the competition, run her best races, and let the chips fall where they may.
“For both the girls, but especially Avery, I would hope that what comes out of that is the love for the competition and the acknowledgement that the competition makes you better, no matter who’s on top,” Wainfan said of the rivalry. “So I’m looking forward to seeing that. Avery’s really taken that to heart in the last year especially, and that’s what’s going to make her successful as an NCAA athlete.”
Of course, league titles are not one with just a single runner, and Peck has some quality runners behind her to make Poly a top contender. Sophomore Sienna Young is back on varsity after a strong freshman season, and is the fastest among Poly’s sophomore class. She was the top 10th grader at Poly’s annual Bun Run to start the season, winning by about 20 seconds.
Next in line for the sophomores is Tessa Thompson, along with Lucy Holmen, Rosie Morishita, and Sohl Vadecha to make up that group of five.
Perhaps the runner who has improved the most since last season is junior Poppy Wells, who was already a varsity contributor for the Jackrabbits but has hit a new level. Wainfan said her offseason training was “fantastic” and she’s already seen a 30-second drop in time from last year’s Bun Run until now.
Wilson
The Bruins were the top contenders to knock off the Jackrabbits last season and they look poised to make another run at the league title in 2025. With every scoring runner back in the lineup for head coach C.J. Brewer, there’s reason for optimism at 7th & Ximeno.
In 2024, Nadia Mejia missed the first part of the cross country season as she waited out the transfer sit-out period following her move from Millikan. That won’t be an issue for her senior year, and she’s got some familiarity with her squad as she looks to cap her career with a bang. She set the course record at Heartwell Park as a sophomore on her way to the Moore League individual title, and she’s no doubt got that same goal for her senior campaign.
“If she continues to put pressure on herself at practice, the races will get easier and easier for her,” said Brewer of Mejia. “And I am confident that she will drop even more time as she focuses on being a champion at the little things on a daily basis.”
Fellow senior Ashlei Aguayo is hoping to convert her massive improvements from track season into cross country. She dropped almost three minutes off her PR in the 3200, and adds valuable depth to an experienced Bruins lineup.
Junior Avery Errecart is back after a promising sophomore season. She finished runner-up at the opening Moore League meet at El Dorado Park, setting a Wilson course record in the process. She’s part of a loaded junior class that also includes track standouts Audrey Buckley, Riley Jones, and Shirayah Lewis-Williams, plus hill course specialist Olivia Jones.
Brewer also has another half dozen runners–Leticia Tovar, Patricia Tovar, Sydney Heath, Isabelle Gabisan, Juanita Shotwell, and Ella George–who have a shot at cracking that Top 7 for Wilson as the season progresses.
The Bruins finished ninth in Division 1 at the CIF-SS finals last season, just two spots shy of earning qualification to the CIF State meet. With so much returning experience and a bona fide star leading the way, it could be a memorable season for the Bruins.
Millikan
The Rams have had really young squads recently, and that will continue in 2025. Head coach Pedro Ramirez is in his second season coaching both the boys’ and girls’ programs, and acknowledged there may still be some growing pains for the Rams this fall.
“I had two seniors last year. This year I’ll have one on varsity, that’s it,” said Ramirez. “So another young team, and it’s been a process with the girls. This is only my second year working with them. It took me a few years with the boys, so I know it’s gonna take a few years with the girls, but we’re making progress little by little. We’ve got to get our numbers up. Our numbers are not as high as the boys, so if we have more numbers we can find more success I think.”
The lone senior is Madison Caceres, who is in the mix to be the top runner for Millikan. She’ll be joined by juniors Jocelyn Jimenez and Dali Ramirez as contenders for that No. 1 spot in the lineup.
Incoming freshman Amberly McDowell is new to running, but Ramirez said she’s been impressive in offseason workouts and appears poised to crack the varsity lineup. Anahi Arellano is another promising freshman who will look to contribute this season.
Lakewood
The Lancers are looking to take a step forward under the guidance of head coach Daniel Sorenson. He said that junior Delilah Beristain and senior Zxytlaly Prieto should be the top runners for Lakewood this season.
“Both of them have had a really strong summer of training working together to make themselves better,” Sorenson said. “This summer I have focused on coaching our athletes to start racing themselves, less about placement. I think our athletes will see big improvements in their times this season.”
The Moore League cross country season starts on Sept. 24 at El Dorado Park. League finals are scheduled for Nov. 5 at Heartwell Park.
