It’s been 3 months since Palisades senior ZACH COHEN posted his City-best 14:46.8 and some were wondering if he had lost his edge. Not to worry! In a confident performance that eliminated any doubts Zach won the D1 City individual title and helped his team to the D1 team title as well.

Girls All-City XC Team

Elysian Park
November 20th, 2025

City Finals Recap-Girls

D1 -Girls
The Palisades girls won back their City title that had been taken from them in 2024 with a very different team profile that relied on pack running and some new faces. Seniors DAILA HARINCK and LULU MAMMEN led the Dolphins but it was upstarts MARIBEL HNEDERSON-MACLENNON and MAYA BHASIN who secured the win. Palisades top 5 all finished within 56 seconds of each other, third best gap delta across all City teams (SOCES was #1 and San Pedro #2). The Taft girls continued a remarkable journey at City finals, placing 2nd to qualify for State for only the 2nd time, the last being in 2010. ISABELLA SAKALOWSKI led a resolute Toreadors team that had plenty of supporters cheering along the course. Seniors SHANNON FABRO and SADIE CHOW stepped up their game in the 2nd half of the season and continued to shine at Finals finishing as Taft’s #2 and #3. Two sophomores, HUDSON SONG and JULIANA RODRIGUEZ, helped Taft secure the win. Rivals Granada Hills and Kennedy battled it out for North Valley bragging rights which Granada won by 8 points to place 3rd. For the first time since 2015 the Granada Hills girls are not going to State.
ANANYA BALARAMAN claimed her 2nd consecutive City title, winning the D1 championship race in a course record of 19:28.0; the third individual title for North Hollywood since LA City girls began running 3 miles (1983). SAMMY PACHECO, closing with the fastest final 800m on the day to pull within 9 seconds of Ananya, placed 2nd in an impressive final City performance. One of City’s best runners ever Sammy collected her 3rd consecutive 2nd-place City award. Birmingham’s YESENIA VALEDEZ was 6-seconds ahead of Sammy with a mile to go but slipped on the turn coming down off the trail and on to Elysian Park Dr. Yesenia held on for third place, the highest finish by a Birmingham girl at a City Final since 2005. Taft junior ISABELLA SAKALOWSKI placed 4th, five places better than 2024 against mostly the same competition to finish off an impressive ‘25 XC season. Kennedy’s EMILY RODRIGUEZ probably had her best race at the Valley Mission league finals, but she had enough in the tank at City Finals to place 5th, the top D1 sophomore. El Camino Real junior SCARLET HARRIS finished 6th and earns All-City honors.

D2 - Girls
Last year was such a phenomenal year for Canoga Park’s girls XC that this year’s team has unfairly lived in the shadow of the ‘24 team. But with grit and determination they’ve kept their eye on the ball, the ‘25 City D2 City Championship. And on Thursday they achieved their goal against some formidable competition, winning their 2nd consecutive D2 team title. Senior SARAI ROSAS has been the mainstay of the Hunters all year and she continued that role with a 3rd place finish. Junior ABRIANNA ROBLES held strong to finish 6th. Freshman DAISHA CASCO, a nice surprise this year who quickly became Canoga’s #4 during the season, placed 12th in the race and finished as Canoga’s #3. Eagle Rock has made big improvements this year, from a 6th place at the ‘24 City Finals finish to being ranked 2nd in D2 this season. Their Top 2 OLIVIA CORRIGAN and FIONA WALTS, both sophomores, are unapproachable and proved as much placing 1st and 2nd by huge margins. Junior LILLIAN OLIN finished as Eagle Rock’s #3, placing 9th, a nice improvement from last year’s 15th place. But this race was won and lost with the #4 and #5 runners and on Thursday Canoga Park won that battle placing 6 runners ahead of the Eagle’s #4. Senior MARGOT CENDREDA had a big race in attempt to stem the tide, finishing up 2 positions on the team roster as the Eagle’s #4. The Marshall girls impressed, placing 3rd over two talented teams that were ranked ahead of them, San Fernando and Bravo Medical. And, If RUBY COLLIN’s ran at full strength (she last ran a race in the 1st week of October), the Barrister’s had a shot at 2nd place. Marshall’s top 4 finishers placed in the top 15 at the D2 City Champiohnship led by a trio of seniors: ANNABEL ROBERTSON, NICO WEINBERG, and NIAMH DODD. Senior HAZEL ARCE placed 11th to lead San Fernando to 4th place and freshman ELIANEE CHAVEZ led Bravo Medical to 5th place.

D3 - Girls
We knew the girls D3 team championship race was going to be close and that’s exactly how it played out. The top two teams, Sherman Oaks CES and University, scored within 4 points of each other in simulations based on league finals results. Add to the mix some incentive . . . . Sherman Oaks CES had never won a City title and for University the last title was back in 1985 . . . . and you have the makings of a really great race. SOCES won the D3 team championship on Thursday by 2 points led by senior DESTINY LEE who placed 4th but like most City title races this contest was going to be won in the trenches and it was SOCES #4 and #5, sophomores ZOE BEVERIDGE and NONOCA UMEMOTO that gave the Knights the advantage and the win. Verdugo Hills sophomore HANNAH GALLIDORO was the individual favorite, and she executed accordingly winning the D3 title by over a minute in 21:51.1. University freshman NATALIE CHEN placed 2nd in 23:03.4 and Jefferson senior KAYLAH QUIROZ placed 3rd.

D4 - Girls
The Belmont girls placed six runners in the top 10 and took the top 4 places in the D4 City Championship to win their 2nd team title in a dominant performance that ranked their team-time #6 across ALL divisions. GABRIELLA ZARAT led the Sentinels earning her first City title and JESSICA TECUM, DAISY GUIX and ASHLEY PERRUSQUIA followed placing 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Orthopaedic junior JESSICA VILLAMIL VILLEDA and MaCES freshman MIA VALENCIA were the only runners in the way of a perfect score by Belmont (the ‘97 Belmont boys team is the only City team to score a perfect 15 at the City Championships). GALA earned 2nd place, their best finish yet in the six years they’ve competed, led by junior EMMA PANG-LE who placed 10th in the race.

D5 - Girls
Defending champions New West Charter were looking for their 5th City title on Thursday and they got it! Junior DAISY HUBER placed 4th and was the Eagle’s top finisher followed by senior BRISSIA CRUZ and freshman EMMA MARLOT who both finished in the top 8. KAYLEE KIM and JULIA BEHRSTOCK finished out the scoring for New West. Four of these runners return in 2026. USC-MaST performed ahead of expectations to place 2nd led by junior AUDREY SALAS. And Central City Value, ranked 5th after league finals, placed 3rd led by ELLIE PEREZ. As expected, Larchmont freshman AVERY CAVALIER stole the show winning the D5 individual title with the top City freshman time and the #8 performance on the day, 20:45.5. Stern senior VALERIE PALMA, the ‘23 D5 City champ and last year’s runner-up, placed 2nd. Stella Charter senior ROSALIA SANCHEZ placed 5th.

Boys All-City XC Team

Elysian Park
November 20th, 2025

City Finals Recap-Boys

All things considered not a bad day of racing. The rain held off until the final awards ceremony which provided conditions that were almost perfect for racing. But then there was the course. By almost everyone’s account, the toughest they’ve encountered - tougher than Mt. SAC, Pierce, Peck Park. With few exceptions the top-ranked teams and individuals took full advantage of the course and conditions to impose their will which left little opportunity for the less prepared.

D1 Boys
Palisades took care of business winning both the boys individual and team titles, their 5th team title in a row. ZACHARY COHEN chopped almost a minute off the Elysian course record to win the individual title in 16:24.5. The performance of the day was Palisades’ sophomore ETHAN FUNK, who was running on little more than cross-training since Wodbridge when he lined up at the start of the boys D1 race. Ethan led out the D1 championship race for the 1st mile, was in 3rd with 800m to go and finished in 4th in 16:38.3. An epic performance that converts to a sub-15 minute performance at Pierce. The Taft boys secured their 1st team State bid since 2000 led by HUNTER BENNET who placed 3rd and ETHAN BAROK who had a phenomenal race placing 4th in 16:38.3. Granada Hills earned the final State bid led by JOAQUIN ORTEGA-TOMASELLI, who ran the fastest last 800m on the day to place 2nd, and TRISTAN BOOKMAN, 1 of 7 runners to break 17 minutes all day. Venice senior RYAN PERRELLA placed 7th to earn 1st Team All-City honors with a sub-17 performance of 16:58.6.

D2 Boys
The Marshall team and senior FUASTO NOBOA were favorites coming into City Finals and each got the job done, both winning D2 City titles, the first ever by a Marshall team or individual. The team race was never in doubt with Marshall winning by 52 points over seconds place Bravo Medical! The individual race was much closer as Fausto put away a relentless DAMIAN MENDOZA (Junior-Bravo Medical) in the final 400m to win in 17:21.2; Damian finished 2nd in 17:25.5. Marshall freshman ALEXANDER SWARTZ had a huge day, maybe the 2nd best of the Championships, placing 4th in 17:42.4. Teammate RYE JUNKER, Marshall’s top runner for most of the year, placed 11th in an heroic effort running with a stress fracture. Santee was ranked 2nd based on league finals results with potential to win the race but never were really a factor. Part of this is a testament to the Bravo Medical team that ran an incredible final race of the year. Miguel Contreras junior EDWIN VELASQUEZ-GONZALEZ is on our list for most improved. Last year he placed 25th at City with an Elysian PR of 18:39.5. On Thursday Edwin placed 3rd and a minute faster on the Elysian course, 17:39.2. This will be a runner to watch next year. Eagle Rock sophomore DAVID KANNER placed 6th in 17:51.4, the 9th fastest under classman City performance.

D3 Boys
Sherman Oaks CES easily won the team D3 title and likewise Franklin sophomore YAEL MEZA dominated the individual D3 race, winning by over 14 seconds. SOCES was led by another sophomore, MILES GOHIL, who’s been the Knights top runner all year. ADOLFO RIVERA (Sr-Helen Bernstein) placed 3rd and DAVID CASTILLO (Sr-King Drew Medical) 4th. Panorama ran well to unseat 3rd-ranked Verdugo Hills. ANDY TOBAR was the Pythons top runner; he finished 6th in 18:55.6.

D4 Boys
The Belmont boys do not get the recognition they deserve. When the dust (or mud) settled on Thursday they owned all of the D4 Elysian course records, freshman to senior. And its that level of talent that earned the boy Sentinels the most dominant win of the championships, a 105-point victory and a score of 28. Junior SERGIO GUARCHAJ was the favorite and he earned it winning in 17:55.0. Teammate EDWIN GOMEZ was close behind to claim 2nd in 18:00.7. MOISES ARANDA (Jr-Orthopeadic) posted a PR of 18:04.1, almost 2 minutes faster than his previous Elysian best, to place 3rd and Mendez senior MICHAEL JUAREZ ESTRADA placed 4th in 18:07.0. Belmont’s GILBERTO CAMPOS was the top sophomore finisher, placing 6th in 18:21.0

D5 Boys
In the upset of the Championships Sun Valley delivered a team performance for the ages. Ranked 5th prior to this week, each of the Pioneers top-5 scoring runners improved by over 40 seconds from converted times at league finals to leap frog over Central City, Rancho Dominguez, Stella Charter and New West at the City Championships. ANGEL SOLORIO led the charge with an emphatic individual title win in 17:20.1, a City section and school course record for D5. Teammate OCTAVIO HERNANDEZ, a sophomore, was 3rd and less than a second behind 2nd place finisher LEONEL HERNANDEZ, another sophomore from Stern. MAXIMILIANO ARCE (Sr-USC-MaST) placed 4th in 18:11.8 and senior AARON LEE was New West’s top finisher placing 5th in 18:15.2. Stella Charter held strong to secure a 2nd place 14-point advantage over 3rd-place New West Charter, led by junior CHRISTIAN NESBITT’s 13th place finish.

Elysian Course Records - Updated 11-20-25

Here are the course records as of November 20th, 2025 for the “new” Elysian course that LA City teams have been running since 2022 (see the “The Elysian Course” section below for a deeper dive Elysian Park). Performances from all City league finals held at Elysian from 2022-2025 and from this year’s City Finals were included in the analysis.

ELYSIAN COURSE RECORDS

Athletes at this year’s City championships rewrote the Elysian course record books. Of the 10 records across 5 divisions for boys and girls, the Mendoz boys’ 2024 league finals performance was the only record from previous years to withstand the onslaught. And, of the records set in 2025 only the Eagle Rock girls came from league finals. Interesting to note that for the girls records neither Eagle Rock nor University won their races though the schools had the fastest team time.

Individual Records

  • Boys - Div 1

  • Boys - Div 2

  • Boys - Div 3

  • Boys - Div 4

  • Boys - Div 5

  • Girls - Div 1

  • Girls - Div 2

  • Girls - Div 3

  • Girls - Div 4

  • Girls - Div 5

Divisional records are denoted by red highlights. Overall course records for boys and girls are denoted by athletes in CAPS.

The Elysian Course

Here are the City course record holders on the “new” Elysian course that City teams began running back in 2022:

In 2021 a modified 2.8 mile course was the venue for that year’s East conference teams and prior to COVID City teams ran an entirely different course for regular season and league finals that was faster than the current course. LACXC.com has measured this year’s City Championships course and the distance is significantly shorter than the 3.1 miles cited by many. When running tangents along the shortest path (that’s the USTAF standard as of 2011) the mileage is approximately 2.94 with an error of +- .02 miles.

Here’s the elevation map for the Elysian course:

Heard on the Trail . . .

  • CONFIRMED: 11/19/25 2:00pm The 2025 LA City Section XC Championships will be at Elysian Park. Currently showing a 20-60% chance of rain starting at 10am on race day. Click here for Elysian Park weather forecasts.

  • At the Valley Mission/Western league finals on Wednesday 11/5 at Pierce College “… there was a display of sportsmanship that absolutely deserves to be recognized. Merced Aguilar Lopez (Hamilton HS Varsity) was about to break 20 minutes for the first time, on track for a time of around 19:40, when she saw a Venice runner (Whitney Derby) crumpled on the ground just before the finish. Rather than securing her massive PR, she knelt down to help Whitney up. Merced supported Whitney, a total stranger, all the way to a 20:11 finish (still a big PR for Merced!). The athleticism and, more importantly, sportsmanship here is nothing short of heroic and deserves to be acknowledged.” (Julia Maddaus)

  • For the first time in the history of LA City Section Cross Country, ELYSIAN PARK will host the 2025 LA City Section Cross Country Championships on November 20th, 2025. There will be no Prelims this year so the League Finals will determine qualifying teams for the finals. Click here for details. Note, the Finals will be held on Thursday, November 20th. See more details below.

LACXC.com POWER RANKINGS

Girls - Division 1
Palisades Charter is no longer the young team of freshman and sophomores that wowed City 2 years ago. In 2025, the Pali girls are a seasoned team of mostly seniors with loads of talent. We probably won’t see the Dolphins in full flight until State but even at less than 100% the team is impressive. They’ve run as a cohesive group without any major injuries or sickness since early summer and that’ll play well on the difficult Elysian course that will impose a stiff penalty on other teams and runners not matching this level of preparation. That’s all to say that this team will win the D1 title in decisive fashion, no shocker there. The battle for 2nd place and the other bid to State is another story. Three valley teams located within 10 miles of each other will face off in a race that will be part grudge match and part ‘David vs Goliath”. When the dust settled after last week’s league finals the Taft girls had beaten Granada Hills in head-to-head competition fairly convincingly, but Kennedy was just 6 points behind Taft in simulated scoring and ahead of Granada. And unlike the Kennedy boys that may have overextended a bit at League, the girls appeared to have something left for a bigger performance at City Finals. The Kennedy girls are probably a year away from State qualification but it’s also very possible that the Golden Cougars qualify in 2025. That’s not to dismiss Granada Hills. Based on PR’s the Highlanders are the best of the 3 Valley teams and could even make a run at Palisades on a good day. But to a person none of their top 5 ran close to these marks at League (and some of these PRs go back to 2024). So, if they were holding back at League, look out, this team could surprise everyone. But that hasn’t been how they’ve approached previous League Finals. Finally, there’s San Pedro. A team that wasn’t even in the conversation a month ago but some nice improvements by a couple underclassmen and consistent performances by their top 2 have them ranked #4. Much like their boys, they need their #5 to improve by at least 40 seconds to make a run at the top 3. For the individual title, reigning City champion ANANYA BALARAMAN is the favorite but she comes into the Finals with very few races and is likely looking towards State for her big race. That’s not to say she’s losing the race just that it might be closer than imagined. If anyone is going to challenge Ananya it’s likely going to be Birmingham’s YESENIA VALDEZ who looked strong and confident, particularly in the final mile, in winning the West Valley league title. And her time of 18:08.9 is much closer to Ananya’s time at league finals due to the course differences at Pierce on Wednesday and Thursday. Senior DAILA HARINCK has led Palisades since September and was only 10 seconds behind Ananya at League. Depending on how she tapers for City she is definitely a threat as is SAMMY PACHECO who if she runs HER race should see better results. And last but not least, Kennedy sophomore EMILY RODRIGUEZ. After her phenomenal League performance it’s hard to call her a dark horse but of any of the top runners Emily has the potential to pop a big race. She ran exceptionally well at Mt. SAC , has improved in every race she’s run this year, and looked impressive winning the Valley Mission league finals. This girl is really good!

Girls - Division 2
In simulated scoring based on converted league final results Canoga Park beats Eagle Rock by 2 points. So this one is incredibly close. Eagle Rock has the upfront fire-power but overall Canoga is the team that’s been showing better overall improvements throughout the season and proved that at the Valley Mission league finals. Eagle Rock’s seniors will need to get back to their early season form to help the Eagle’s cause and if they’re able to Eagle Rock can win this. In the end, the team that executes perfectly wins the D2 team title. San Fernando should take 3rd but will be pushed by a strong Bravo Medical team. Until a week ago, Eagle Rock sophomore OLIVIA CORRIGAN was the clear favorite to win the individual D2 title. But at the Northern league finals her teammate sophomore FIONA WALTS ran a PR and course record of 19:06.0 on the same Elysian course that is the venue for the City Finals. The individual D3 title race will be incredible but it will be won by Eagle Rock. Another sophomore, Sylmar’s ELIANNA RAMIREZ has shown big improvements this year and could pose a threat but likely will settle for 3rd.

 Girls - Division 3
Sherman Oaks CES will have a fight on their hands to win the D3 title against University. And the winner will likely depend on the performances of each team’s #4 and 5 which are separated by less than 9 seconds. This is SOCES first year in D3 and the University girls have not won a title since moving to D3 since in 2022. Verdugo Hills sophomore HANNAH GALLIDORA is the top ranked SD3 individual and has a 20-second advantage over her competition. Jefferson senior KAYLAH QUIROZ and University freshman NATALIE CHEN will compete for 2nd place.  

 Girls - Division 4
Belmont will win the D4 City title, decisively.  I know I said the same for Belmont’s boys but that’s even more the case for the girls who could sweep the D3 team title (we have them scoring 17 points in simulated scoring). GALA will take 2nd place comfortably and MaCES will place 3rd. Of all the divisions, boy and girls, this race looks to be the most predictable. We’ve talked alot about the Belmont program, and rightfully so. But GALA deserves some recognition as well. The program began competing in City in 2019 and since 2023 has been a top performing team in D4. Last year they placed 2nd to power house Verdugo Hills team and this year they face the same plight against Belmont. Their day will come.

 Girls - Division 5
Maybe the second easiest race to call is the girls D5. New West Charter is on their way to their 5th consecutive City title and it won’t even be close; the Eagle should get all 5 of their scoring runners in the top 10. And if your looking at 2026, make that #6 as 5 of their top 7 should be back next year. Harbor Teacher Prep and USC-MaSt will have an epic battle on their hands for 2nd place; both teams scored 119 points in simulations. The 2nd race on November 20th will be one to watch. Freshman AVERY CAVALIER will look to give Larchmont its 2nd consecutive D5 individual title and if her performances in league competition are any indication she should do this in record time. Avery’s converted time from her Crosstown League title run ranks #9 across all divisions and is the top ranking freshman time in City. Last year’s runner-up VALERIE PALMA (St.-Stern) should keep things interesting but will likely place 2nd and New West Charter’s DAISY HUBER should take 3rd.

Boys - Division 1
Though the Pali boys looked vulnerable at league finals that was probably as bad as it gets. ZACH COHEN was sick the prior week and their #2 ETHAN FUNK and MAKO HOLT didn’t run. Mako who you ask? He hasn’t run much this year but at his best Mako’s a phenomenal talent and he’s in top form now; inside scoop says he’s training with Pali’s top 2 runners. If Mako’s eligible for City finals he’ll be dangerous. If things really go well for Palisades, ERNESTO JALOMO, the transfer they’ve been trying to get approved all season, will run at Finals as well. Ernesto’s probably a long shot but if he’s eligible he has the ability to win the D1 title. That said, even if Ethan, Mako and Ernesto don’t run Palisades still has the fire power to win the D1 City team championships. They’re that good! The #2 ranking is a much less obvious pick. Four teams can easily place 2nd including perennial powerhouse Granada Hills, red-hot Kennedy, San Pedro and Taft. Taft’s ascension to West Valley league champions this year is part of a roadmap that begin 3 years ago. In that time, Coach Mario Castillo has taken the Toreador’s out of the marais of middle-of-the-table standings to D1 elite status. But the map doesn’t end at league finals rather with a State berth and the Taft boys will have their work cut out for them to get to State. Granada Hills has a lot to prove after a league finals that went about as bad as it gets; they’ll have plenty of incentive to show their true potential at City Finals. At their best, Granada’s top 5 has the better times this year and this program knows how to run at Finals. That is a very dangerous combination if your Taft. Three of Kennedy’s top 5 posted PR’s at league finals and one a season best, unprecedented performances across all D1 varsity teams on a course that is an honest 3-miles, with hills. The open question is can they repeat at this level (or better) at Finals. If the answere is “Yes”, the Golden Cougars are going to State for the first time ever. If recent history is any indication, San Pedro will deliver unlike they have all year. Starting in 2019, they have been mostly out of the conversation leading up to the finals only to remind everyone with short memories that they are a big-race program. Lots of talent and a well-coached team that will need a strong 5th-man performance to get to State. And speaking of State, Kennedy’s never been and Taft last ran State in 2000 so a lot at stake for the #3 spot at City Finals. Do not miss the D1 boys race - it should be epic!
Any one of five boys has a legitimate shot at the D1 individual title and the winner will likely be the athlete that nails their taper and runs a smart race.  ZACH COHEN has the top City time and is the presumptive favorite but there are at least 4 others, including 2 on the Palisades team, that can win.  Most recently, Taft’s HUNTER BENNETT and Granada Hill’s JOAQUIN-ORTEGA TOMASELLI have shown their ability to post top times in big races. Joaquin posted the top City time at Mt. SAC while Hunter won the West League title last week. Both of these runners have shown an uncanny ability to pop big performances at City Finals. Palisades sophomore ETHAN FUNK had an amazing Woodbridge performance, the best by a City sophomore ever! Based on that performance alone he’s a contender for the title. But he’s been working on some hip issues since Woodbridge so his fitness for the Elysian course is unknown. Teammate JACKSON TAYLOR has shown he can run with the best, and win, and looks to be improving more than others in the latter part of the season. Much like the team contest, the D1 individual title race should be a barn burner!

Boys - Division 2
Based solely on league final results last week, Santee would be the favorite in the boys’ D2 City Finals. BUT, Marshall ran without there #1 and #3 at league finals and both should be back for the City Championships. And with these two Marshall should be a clear winner.
Bravo Medical’s top 3 runners keep the team in the conversation but they will need some help from their #4 & #5 to make inroads on Santee who should place 2nd comfortably. The San Fernando program continues to impress as consistent top-level performers in D2 ranking 4th; a nice improvement over their 9th place finish in 2024. 
Marshall’s top 2 FAUSTO NOBOA and RYE JUNKER are the favorites for an individual D2 title but they’ll see stiff competition from Bravo Medical’s DAMIAN MENDOZA and Santee’s ADRIAN AGUIRRE, who edged out Rye in last year’s City Final and should be 100% by November 20th.  This will be a fun one!.

Boys - Division 3
Three teams are in the running for the D3 title and newly promoted Sherman Oaks CES is the favorite.  An unheralded program for everything they’ve accomplished in that last 2 years, the Knights show up for big invitationals (a rarity in D3 and D4) and consistently have top runners at City Finals.  This year the Knights are led by sophomore MILES GOHIL and senior DAVID BOUSSI.   But resurgent King Drew and perennial powerhouse Verdugo Hills are dangerous and within striking distance and a win by King Drew would be their first ever at City Finals.  Franklin sophomore YAEL MEZA is the top ranked D3 runner from league finals and should win the individual title going away.  DAVID CASTILLO (sr-King Drew), ANDY TOBAR (sr-Panarama) and ADOLFO RIVERA (sr-Helen Bernstein) are threats but will likely be competing for 2nd place.

 Boys - Division 4
Belmont will win the D4 City title, decisively.  And that statement says a lot about the program that coach Julian Parada has developed over the last several years. Their top 4 compete way ahead of their weight class, easily matching most D1 and D2 teams.  EDWIN GOMEZ is their top returner from last year’s 2nd place team and he has the best time this year at Elysian but it was junior SERGIO GUARCHAJ who led the Sentinels to victory at the Central league finals at Elysian Park and is the favorite for the individual title.   Look for Mendez senior MICHAEL JUAREZ ESTRADA to challenge.  He placed 2nd last year with a huge PR; expect more of the same this year from another superlative XC program.  Junior MOISES ARANDA (Orthopeadic) is certainly capable of winning and like Michael has shown an ability to set massive PR’s at Finals.

 Boys - Division 5
New West Charter is without a doubt the most successful D5 program in LA City Section history and they’ll continue that tradition in 2025.  Senior AARON LEE leads the Eagles who should win the D5 title over Stella Charter Academy and Rancho Dominguez Prep, who’ll fight mightily for 2nd place.  Sun Valley Magnet senior ANGEL SOLORIO is the presumptive favorite for the individual title.  He has school and City D5 records on most courses and will look to accomplish the same at Elysian Park.  Elysian Park is MAXIMILIANO ARCE’s (sr, USC-MaST) is the #2 ranked D5 runner and Elysian is his home course which he’ll use to his advantage to hold off Aaron Lee and LEONEL HERNANDEZ (so-Stern) for 2nd place.

The Process: Individual league final times were converted to ‘standard-based’ times in order to rank and score runners’ results from the 3 different league final venues: Elysian Park, Pierce College and 22nd St Park. These standard times were used to determine divisional scoring based on simulated competitions from the top 7 runners from the top 12 schools in each division. These simulated scores provided the initial rankings which were then amended based on analysis and interviews to produce the LACXC.com Power Rankings presented above.

PIERCE COLLEGE - LEAGUE FINALS

Wednesday, November 5th, 2025

Zach Cohen (1581)- Sr. Palisades 15:38.5
Josiah Castro (1429) - Sr. Kennedy 15:41.3

Emily Rodriguez - So. Kennedy
1st Place - Valley Mission - 18:18.3

Jackson Taylor (1586)- Sr. Palisades 15:38.5
Felipe Perez (1433) - So. Kennedy 15:45.3
Kensuke Ohshima - So. N. Hollywood 15:48.4

Elianna Ramirez - So. Sylmar
2nd Place - Valley Mission - 18:54.1

Ryan Perrella (1861)- Sr. Venice 15:47.4
Alejandro Escobar (1857) - Sr. Venice 15:58.1

Maya Bhasin (1561)- Sr. Palisades 18:55.2
Daila Harrinck (1562) - Sr. Palisdes 18:05.9

PIERCE COLLEGE - LEAGUE FINALS

Thursday, November 6th, 2025

Isabella Sakalowski - Jr. Taft
3rd Place - West Valley - 18:51.4

Tristan Bookman - Sr. Granada Hills
3rd Place - West Valley - 15:38.9

Scarlet Harris - Sr. El Camino Real
4th Place - West Valley - 19:02.9

Ethan Barok - Sr. Taft
4th Place - West Valley - 15:53.7

Alexis Huerta - Sr. Birmingham
5th Place - West Valley - 15:59.5

Hudson Song (2488)- So. Taft 6th 19:32.1
Shannon Fabro (2484) - Sr. Taft 5th 19:04.3

Trinidad Montenegro - So. Granada Hills
7th Place - West Valley - 19:51.9

Congratulations

Your 2025 City Section League Final Champions

Over 3,000 athletes from 21 leagues competed in the 2025 XC City Section Finals competitions (the biggest showing by over 30%) and the teams and athletes below are the cream of the crop, the LA City Section League Champions

Team Champions & State Qualifiers:

The top 3 teams from each LA City Section league final automatically qualify for the LA City Championships on November 20th at Elysian Park. To see a complete list that includes ‘at large’ teams that have petitioned to run at City Finals click here.

Individual City League Final Champions:

CITY SECTION LEAGUE FINALS RECAP

22nd St Park, San Pedro - Thu. Nov 6th
There is exactly one City athlete that is undefeated in varsity competition this year and that’s Larchmont freshman AVERY CAVALIER. She continued that streak at the LAUSD League Cluster Championships* where she posted her 4th PR of the season to win the Crosstown League title and the combined race in a time of 19:09.2. Converted, Avery’s time ranks as the #9 performance by a City athlete across all league finals last week. Not bad for a D5 freshman! Santee junior DESTINY GALVAN won the section 2 varsity race in 19:53.3.
In boys’ competitions Santee junior ADRIAN AGUIRRE looks to be almost 100% after sustaining a thigh injury at Rosemead. He won the Exposition league title and ran the top time at 22nd St. Park in the section 2 varsity race of 16:13.9. Adrian and San Pedro runners ZACARY MCGRATH and CAMILO VISESSIRI-PETITE all posted times that convert to sub-16 Pierce performances. Just seconds behind was teammate TRISTAN LOMEDICO and Roosevelt’s ANDREW ALBA ROMERO. Andrew won the section 1 race by 30 seconds over 2nd place finisher AARON LEE of New West Charter.

*48 schools and 809 athletes from 7 leagues (Coliseum, Crosstown, Exposition, Imperial, Marine, Metro, Ocean) competed in the LAUSD League Cluster Championships. Varsity races were run in 2 sections (heats) for both the boys and girls and each section had 119-145 runners.

Elysian Park - Wed. Nov 5th and Thu. Nov 6th
In the two days of competition at Elysian park, 44 teams and 1,170 athletes competed for league team and individual titles. In the boys’ races, 3 juniors posted the top times that all convert to sub-16 Pierce performance: FAUSTO NOBOA (Marshall), JEOVANNY RODRIGUEZ (Roosevelt), and DAMIAN MENDOZA (Bravo Medical). Northern league runners posted 4 of the top 5 performances at Elysian. Eagle Rock’s DAVID KANNER was the top sophomore across both days but Franklin’s YAEL MEZA was only a second behind in 18:08.1. Both David and Yael will be runners to watch from programs that have produced superlative runners over the last 5 years. SERGIO GUARCHAJ from D4 Belmont ran the 7th fastest time at Elysian, 18:11.9. Marshall’s ALEXANDER SWARTZ was the top freshman placing 6th in the Northern league varsity race.
In the girls races, Eagle Rock sophomore FIONA WALTS crushed a 20:31.7 to take top honors in the Northern league and the best time over the 2 days at Elysian. Her converted time ranks as the #5 performance across all City leagues performances that includes 1,373 girls! Fiona’s teammate OLIVIA CORRIGAN was 5 seconds behind placing 2nd in the league and 2nd overall at Elysian. The City girls sophomore class is absolutely stacked! Belmont senior GABRIELA ZARAT won the Central league finals and ran the 3rd best time overall at Elysian, 20:55.7. All 3 of these girls’ converted times are sub-19 performances. Bravo Medical’s ELIANEE CHAVEZ posted the top frosh time of 23:25.2 to place 5th in the Northern league varsity race.

Pierce College
Thursday, Nov 6th
Amazing performances on both Wednesday and Thursday with new course records set for both boys and girls, a precocious Kennedy program showing their stuff, and Taft sweeping all 6 team contests in the hotly contested West Valley. The girls’ varsity kicked off Thursday’s West Valley competitions and as expected Taft and Granada Hills came to play - No trainers and thresholds today! For the 3rd time in 3 weeks YESENIA VALDEZ (Birmingham) and SAMMY PACHECO (Granada) toed the same starting line and, so far, Sammy was undefeated. But unlike Mt. SAC where Yesenia went out too hard on an unforgiving course, on Thursday she held back until the final lap where she surged to an almost 30-second advantage to win the race and the West Valley title. Her time of 18:08.9 was the 3rd fastest* on the new Pierce course. Sammy placed 2nd in 18:37.6 and junior ISABELLA SAKALOWSY (Taft) finished in 3rd in 18:51.4. And for the 1st time in over 15 years the Taft girls’ varsity won the West Valley team title that Granada has owned since 2016. Taft senior SHANNON FABRO was a big part of the Toreadors’ success running a PR of 19:04.3 to place 5th followed by sophomore HUDSON SONG who placed 6th. UNICA GUERRERA had the top freshman time on the new Pierce course placing 9th in 20:01.2. El Camino Real junior SCARLET HARRIS placed 4th in 19:02.9 which has her ahead of schedule of ‘24 when she placed 7th in the City Finals. The next race was the boys West Valley varsity race which promised to be equally as exciting. Taft senior ETHAN BAROK led out the race in a blistering 4:50 1st mile with a chase pack 40 meters back that included JOAQUIN ORTEGA-TOMASELLI (Granada), HUNTER BENNETT (Taft), ALEXIS HUERTA (Birmingham) and TRISTAN BOOKMAN (Granada). The race was on! Ethan’s pace was not sustainable and by the final lap two runners led, Joaquin and Hunter. Joaquin made a big move up the final hill that appeared to be lethal but when the lead runner turned the corner to enter the final 300-meter straightaway to the finish it was Hunter Bennett for his 2nd consecutive West Valley title in a course record 15:15.1. Joaquin held on for 2nd place in 15:28.8, the 2nd best time on the new course this year, and Tristan placed 3rd in 15:38.9. The Toreadors also took the team title, their 1st in the West Valley in 25 years, thanks to strong performances by their #3-5 JOANH SIMKIN, INDIE HYMAN and MARK BANUELOS. Expect the competition between Taft and Granada to be fierce at Elysian Park on November 20th in a rematch that will introduce an interloper into the mix (that would be Kennedy).

*Due to the difference in course markings on Wednesday and Thursday’s course theres is approximately a 5-10 second difference (Thursday’s course runs longer) between the 2 days.

In afternoon racing Sun Valley senior ANGEL SOLORIO ripped a 15:51.7 in the Central Valley League finals, the 11th fastest City performance on the new Pierce course (when adjusted for course differences, probably closer to the 6th fastest time, with no competition, and much hotter temps).

Wednesday, Nov 5th
On Wednesday, ANANYA BALARAMAN ran in her first race since Woodbridge and didn’t miss a step. Competing in the same race as Palisades, Kennedy and Venice, Ananya took the lead early and held on for a perfunctory win in the combined race (East Valley, Valley Mission and Western leagues) and a course record of 17:55.4. Her teammate, sophomore KENSUKE OHSHIMA, also won the boys East Valley varsity title and placed 6th overall in a time of 15:48.4. On most days that would rank as the top sophomore time but Kennedy’s FELIPE PEREZ took that honor by 3 seconds with the 4th best time of the day 15:45.3. And in most years, Felipe’s performance would have ranked as Kennedy’s best but in one of the gutsiest performances of the race his teammate senior JOSIAH CASTRO went out with the City’s top runners and led the combined race going into the final mile, ultimately winning the Valley Mission title and posting the 3rd best time on the day. In the girls’ race, EMILY RODRIGUEZ performed similar magic for her Kennedy team also winning the Valley Mission title and posting the 3rd best time on the new Pierce course this year. GEORGIA ILLINGWORTH placed 2nd in the Valley Mission contest and 7th overall; a wonderful race for sure but the performance of the day was her incredible sportsmanship in attempting to assist an ailing competitor 20 meters from the finish. Really magical stuff from Kennedy! Both Palisades varsity teams won the combined and Western league contests handedly. In previous years Palisades has swept these races in trainers. This year Kennedy, Venice, North Hollywood and Sylmar provide some worthy competition. DAILA HARINCK led the Palisades girls with the 2nd best time this year on the new course to win the Western league individual title. In the category of ‘Most Improved’ runner, teammate MAYA BHASIN placed 2nd in league with the 5th best time overall, 18:55.2. And, maybe the biggest surprise, another sophomore, Sylmar’s ELIANNA RAMIREZ posted a 54-second PR of 18:54.1 to place 2nd in the Valley Mission league and the 7th best time on the Pierce course this year. Palisades senior ZACH COHEN led out the boys combined race but it was teammate senior JACKSON TAYLOR who stole the show in the final mile surging from 5 seconds behind the lead pack to win by 10 seconds in a new course record (for a day) of 15:29.6. Another “Most Improved” award to senior LAJUS COLLINS who finished as Palisades #3. The Venice boys’ varsity kept Palisades honest with big performances by seniors RYAN PERRELLA and ALEJANDRO ESCOBAR, who both broke 16 minutes.

Twenty-two leagues will compete at 3 venues on Wednesday, November 5th and Thursday, November 6th to determine qualifiers for the City Championship on November 20th. Unlike most years, there will be no Prelims so the league finals will carry additional import. The qualifications for City Finals are as follows:

1. The top three teams from each League Finals meet based on team finish at that meet will qualify for City Finals
2. Any individuals who finish in the top ten at their respective League Finals meet will qualify as an individual for City Finals
3. At-large teams will also be considered based on league final team time and converted times via peitition to LA City Section

The 3rd condition should provide remedy in situations where a team competes in a league with teams from other divisions and doesn’t qualify based on condition #1. We don’t see any specific recourse for individuals who fail to qualify based on condition #2 and are running against teams from other divisions.

The Venues for league finals are:
Elysian Park - 5k
Pierce College - 3 Mile
22nd Street Park, San Pedro - 3 Mile

Here is the schedule for all City league finals:

Click on the table above to see the league final schedule for each school and the top performance for each school as of 10.31.25.

ELYSIAN COURSE INFORMATION

For the first time in the history of LA City Section Cross Country, ELYSIAN PARK will host the 2025 LA City Section Cross Country Championships on November 20th, 2025. There will be no Prelims this year so the League Finals will determine qualifying teams for the finals. Click here for details.

The courses are fairly similar. Like the Pierce hill course, Elysian’s 1st mile has the biggest elevation gain but of the key metrics that impact performance Elysian Park reads as the more difficult course - Elysian is longer, has steeper hills and greater overall elevation gain, though not as many hills as Pierce. Results substantiate the theory. Based on comparisons LACXC.com has done over the last 4 years on same-runner performances on Pierce and Elysian, Elysian runs approximately 12.3% slower than Pierce (that % is closer to 10% for the top runners). The difference in distance between the 2 courses accounts for approximately 8%, and without a doubt runners on average perform their best at City Finals so that contributes to the difference as well, but there is the remaining 2-3% that is course difficulty. For reference, 3% for a 16-minute runner is 28.8 seconds.

City Division Assignments - 2025

For the 2025 season, there are 10 fewer City team registered for Cross-Country, all from divisions 4 and 5.  Last year was a high-water mark by a long shot so hard to say that interest in cross-country is waning but the trend is concerning. Likely though that some notable teams such as Academia Avance and Westchester will ultimately run so the final numbers may be better.

Here are the City XC teams that moved divisions in 2025:

The most surprising change is Monroe’s move from D2 to D1. It’s only the 3rd time in the last 5 years that a team has moved up to D1, the other 2 being Robert F. Kennedy and Venice back in 2023. This move may be a year late for Monroe as last year’s boys varsity team likely would have been chomping on the bit to compete in D1; this year not so much.

A shame to see Mendez back in Division 4 this year. They moved up to D3 in ‘23 and in 2 years usurped the perennial city champs Verdugo Hills last year to win the individual and team boys City titles. This is a program that has shown consistent improvement, both boys and girls, and really should be competing in D2.

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