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The 2026 Moore League cross country season picked up where the last one left off, as the city’s top distance runners converged on Heartwell Park for the first league cluster of the year.
The defending champions from last season looked strong once again, as the Millikan boys and the Wilson girls each won the team competition on Wednesday evening. Millikan’s Hector Diaz went wire-to-wire in the boys’ race, while Wilson’s Audrey Buckley took gold in an unpredictable girls’ race to close out the meet.
CLICK HERE to see results from all six races on Wednesday
Boys’ Varsity
Millikan showed off its impressive depth, with six of the first nine finishers in the race. The Rams also placed all seven of their runners in the Top 12.
“I like how they ran. They ran together for most of the race,” said Millikan head coach Pedro Ramirez. “I remember running myself, and it felt good to have my own teammates around me. It’s a good energy, and if the pack goes, you kind of want to go with them also. So I just like the way they ran. They were in a little pack for most of the race, and the training has helped.”
A pair of seniors led the way for the Rams, with Diaz getting out fast and keeping the lead the entire race, finishing in a time of 15:23 to claim the first varsity gold of his career.
“It was a joyous feeling for sure,” said Diaz of getting the win for his team. “We work really hard, we have a strong team, and we plan to go far. At least the CIF finals and hopefully to State. It’s a happy feeling to be able to run this race and win, and follow in the footsteps of the great Millikan runners.”
Fellow Ram senior Jack Walsh took second place in a time of 15:33. He was able to pass Wilson sophomore David Nader, who helped push the pace of the race early on as he kept up with Diaz up top. Nader finished in a PR of 15:34 to take bronze for Wilson.
Millikan junior Ricardo Linarez-Gutierrez was fourth in 15:45, just ahead of Poly sophomore Sawyer Chesnin in 15:46.
Lakewood’s top finisher was Matthew Rangel in 10th, running a time of 16:03. Senior Fidel Perez led the way for Cabrillo in 18:42, and Jordan’s top runner was Diego Moran in 18:48.
Millikan took the team victory ahead of Wilson and Poly, starting their quest for a fourth consecutive Moore League crown.
Girls’ Varsity
Things were less straightforward in the girls’ race, despite another strong performance from the Wilson Bruins–currently No. 8 in the CIF-SS Division 1 rankings.
“I think all the girls know their role, and the top two girls did their job, but so did everyone else, and everyone made an impact,” said Wilson head coach CJ Brewer. “I really like the number six and seven girls who are in front of the top five from some other schools, so they also helped us get to that result. All seven girls did their job.”
The one constant in the race was that Buckley was in contention from start to finish, but unlike Diaz in the boys’ race, she did not lead the entire race. Millikan sophomore Amberly McDowell spent the first half of the race on Buckley’s hip, then took the lead around the two-mile mark.
McDowell maintained that lead on the final straightaway along Carson St. heading into the final half-mile. However, the sophomore took an early turn and got off course. By the time she realized her mistake, Buckley and Wilson teammate Avery Errecart had bumped McDowell back into third.
Buckley was able to win comfortably from that point on, finishing in a time of 17:42 to claim the first varsity gold of her career.
“Honestly, since I was a freshman, I wanted to do this,” said Buckley of crossing the finish line first. “I’ve seen Nadia (Mejia) do it a bunch of times, and I’ve seen so many people that I look up to do it. So now to be the girl that’s winning is amazing.”
Errecart completed the 1-2 punch for the Bruins, finishing in 17:54. McDowell held on for third place in 18:24, but should feel confident in her ability to challenge for a win on this course. She’ll get that chance at league finals on Nov. 4. Coach Ramirez said that the absence of a bike leading the runners made things a little more difficult for McDowell, but hopes that her misstep will motivate her the rest of the season.
“The bike would have helped, but you’d think for varsity you don’t really need it,” Ramirez admitted. “But she is a sophomore, so I think she wasn’t thinking and she wasn’t following anybody, and she just took a wrong turn … I think she’ll be hungry now. I’m gonna make sure it fuels her a little bit. This is our adversity right here.”
Wilson sophomore Ella George ran a PR of 18:32 to give the Bruins three of the top four finishers on their way to a team victory over Millikan and Long Beach Poly.
Sienna Young was the top finisher for the Jackrabbits, clocking an 18:37 for fifth place.
Millikan freshman Sophie Rivera took sixth in 18:41, followed by Wilson’s Leticia Tovar who just edged out Millikan’s Jocelyn Jimenez by .3 seconds for seventh. Both runners recorded a time of 18:46.
Wilson’s Shirayah Lewis-Williams ran 18:52 for ninth and Poly’s Poppy Wells was 10th in 18:57.
The Moore League will host its second cluster of the season on Oct. 14 at El Dorado Park before returning to Heartwell for league finals.
