Athay and Williams, national qualifiers in San Diego in 2021, also scheduled to race at Mt. SAC, with West athletes looking to complete field for Dec. 9 at Balboa Park’s Morley Field

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

A pair of national finalists in each gender from last season, along with two athletes who competed in the 2021 championship meet, are among the entries scheduled to compete Saturday at the Foot Locker West Regionals at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif.

The top 10 athletes in each gender advance to race Dec. 9 at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships presented by HOKA at Balboa Park’s Morley Field in San Diego.

Chiara Dailey of La Jolla High, who earned All-America honors by placing 14th in her debut at the national final last season, is looking to continue her momentum after winning the California Division 4 state title Nov. 25 at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Dailey, who took third at the West Regional last year, also won the Division 3-4-5 girls sweepstakes race Oct. 20 at the Mt. SAC Invitational.

Cailey Bracken of Mountain Ridge High in Utah, a senior who was 10th at last year’s regional meet and finished 32nd at the national championship event, is also expected to compete after earning seventh in the Class 6A state final Oct. 24 in Salt Lake City.

Olivia Williams, a senior at Acalanes High in California, took 17th at the national final in 2021. Williams did not compete last season and has rebounded in strong fashion after publicly discussing her challenges with an eating disorder, placing fifth in the Division 4 state final Nov. 25 at Woodward Park.

Following impressive efforts Nov. 25 in the California Division 2 state championship race, seniors Grant Morgenfeld of Palo Alto and Trey Caldwell from Concord De La Salle are scheduled to race at Mt. SAC, looking to return to the national final in San Diego.

Morgenfeld placed 18th and Caldwell was 30th last year at Balboa Park’s Morley Field.

Luke Athay, a senior at Idaho Falls who won the Class 4A state title Oct. 28, is looking to earn a second career berth at the national final after placing 20th in San Diego in 2021 in his championship debut.

Joshua Chu, a senior at Ponderosa High in California, was 11th at last year’s regional event and is looking to build off a third-place finish in the Division 3 state final to advance to the national championship meet.

Grayson Milne, a senior at Corner Canyon High in Utah, took 13th in the regional competition last season and Kade Brownell – a senior at Mt. Spokane in Washington – returns following a 19th-place finish at Mt. SAC last year, in addition to senior Max Fields of Palisades High in California, who achieved 25th.

Charlie Hulbert, a senior at Cody High in Wyoming and the Class 3A state champion, is entered, along with Arizona Division 1 winner Ryan Denhof, a senior at Liberty High, in addition to Nevada Class 5A champ Eric Ortega-Gammill of Reno and Class 2A title holder Noah McMahan from Incline, both seniors, as well as North Fremont junior Corbin Johnston, the Idaho Class 2A gold medalist.

Will Carroll, the Washington Class 1A state champion and a junior at Annie Wright, is expected to compete, along with Arizona Division 3 winner Zach Albanese, a senior at Seton Catholic High.

California is expected to have a strong presence at the regional, with all-state honorees Mira Costa’s Owen Franck, Oceanside El Camino’s Omar Reyes, Clovis North’s Teg Pandher, El Diamante’s Devin Ibarra, Clovis East’s Carter Spradling, Tesoro’s Griffin Kushen, Cathedral’s Emmanuel Hernandez, Burroughs Ridgecrest’s Zion Ortiz and Oakdale teammates Jackson Oliveira, Mason Oliveira and Omar Alsaidi also scheduled to compete.

Eleanor Raker, a junior at Galena High in Nevada, is looking to elevate into the top 10 following an 11th-place finish at last year’s regional, as well as senior Lindsay Siebert from Crater High in Oregon, who took 12th.

Claremont’s Denise Chen, Del Norte’s Emily Russo and Newport Harbor’s Marley McCullough are all returning to Mt. SAC after placing in the 25th at the regional meet last season.

Rozlyn Stowe, a sophomore and the Utah Class 3A champion at Carbon High, is entered plus state runner-up Jaylie Jenkins of Union, in addition to Mercer Island freshman Sophia Rodriguez – the Washington Class 3A winner – and Timberline High ninth-grader Ruby Ihmels, the Idaho Class 5A title holder.

Claire Rutherford, the Montana Class AA state champ and a junior at Gallatin High, is expected to compete, as well as Nevada Class 3A winner Lyla Landy, a sophomore from South Tahoe High, plus California Division 5 state champion Elsa Krummel, a senior at Bay School of San Francisco.

California is also expected to be represented in the regional final by Santa Monica’s Phoebe Benun, La Canada’s Maya DeBrouwer, Arcadia’s Reena Hsieh, Campolindo’s Shea Volkmer, Poway’s Tessa Buswell, Martinez Alhambra’s Renae Searls, Corona del Mar’s Melisse Djomby Enyawe, Newport Harbor’s Keaton Robar, Rancho Cucamonga’s Nicole Alfred, Clovis North’s Kaitelyn Emmons, Trabuco Hills’ Skylar Watts, Cathedral Catholic’s Lindsay Zimmer and Santa Rosa Montgomery’s Seelah Kittelstrom.