Aydon Stefanopoulos might’ve not gotten the time he wanted in the Woodbridge Classic—one of the largest and most prestigious high school cross country invitationals in the country—but it doesn’t mean the Los Gatos High junior had a terribly disappointing race.
Far from it. Stefanopoulos entered the boys sweepstakes race in Irvine on Sept. 16—the premier event in the Classic—with an aim to finish sub 14 minutes on the 3.0-mile course. While his result of 14 minutes, 23.6 seconds was far off his goal time, it was good for 30th place out of 267 competitors, and best among all runners from the Central Coast Section.
The latest result simply affirmed the Los Gatos running ace is on track for a special and potentially historic season. Prior to the Woodbridge Classic, Stefanopoulos won the competitive Ed Sias Invitational on Sept. 9 and three days later took first to capture the Lynbrook Center Meet.
The Ed Sias Invite separated the boys varsity runners into two divisions, a large school and small school division. Both fields were highly competitive, featuring some of the Bay Area’s top runners. Stefanopoulos won the large school race in 10:08 on the 2.0-mile course in Hidden Valley Park in Martinez.
Stefanopoulos decided to utilize a different tactic for the race, gunning it from the start. As a result, he led wire to wire, holding off a fast-charging runner from College Park High. Stefanopoulos usually likes to sit in or just off the lead pack before unleashing his superior kick in the final 800 meters.
This time, it was someone else who was coming on strong at the end.
“I decided to try something new to lead from the start and it didn’t work out for me,” Stefanopoulos said, referring to running a positive split [the second mile being slower than the first mile]. “But you come out stronger with every failure.”
Stefanopoulos covered the first mile in 4:50 and the second mile in 5:18, running a positive split rather than the desired negative split.
“I got through in 4:50 and didn’t feel great,” he said. “My goal was to hold it and that’s what I did.”
Fellow Los Gatos High junior Ben Klarich finished seventh in 10:38 and senior Jensen Bidmead was 21st in 10:58. Juniors Cooper Codding and Adam Wang have also been terrific in solidifying the Wildcats’ top five scoring runners.
Even though Stefanopoulos is faster, he said his teammates provide competition which makes training fun.
“Ben and Jensen have been running so consistently,” he said. “They’re both great athletes, and I train with them a lot of time, really. They’re getting better, their form looks great, and they’re great athletes. Keep an eye out for them.”
Stefanopoulos is coming off a stellar track and field season last spring, when he established himself as the top distance runner in the CCS, finishing fourth in the 3200 meter run and eighth in the 1600 meters in the CIF State Championships.
Running tends to be specialized and some athletes are stronger in cross country while others are faster on the track. It’s rare to have a runner who is a potential contender to win state titles in both disciplines, but that’s exactly the position Stefanopoulos has put himself in.
“It definitely gives me a little bit of confidence [going forward],” he said. “There’s still some people that can beat me, obviously, but making State [in cross country and possibly winning it] is a little more realistic knowing the times I’ve run and what I should be doing.”
Stefanopoulos placed fifth in the Division II race in last year’s CIF State Cross Country Championships, one of the toughest divisions out of the five. The top three finishers from that race all graduated, leaving Ventura’s Anthony Fast Horse—who finished second in the Woodbridge in a blistering time of 13:48—as the top D-II state-finishing returner for 2023 with Stefanopoulos behind him.
Stefanopoulos said he’s basically on the same training program as last year, which gives him great encouragement because he’s doing less volume than most of the other elite distance runners.
“I’m in the low to mid 30s [miles per week],” he said. “But this year I’m beating all my previous times and doing the exact same work. I know my body, I’m developing and once I start going up in mileage, I’ll have a lot more in my wheelhouse.”
Stefanopoulos said he needs to improve his overall endurance—the final mile of a 3.0-mile race is where state races are often decided—and his ability to attack and gain time on the hills.
“I think my endurance is good, but I don’t think it’s good enough yet to be competing for the top spot at State,” he said. “But I’ll work to get there.”
The Los Gatos girls team has also had a solid season, including an impressive showing at the Firebird Invitational at Fremont High on Sept. 7. In an utter display of dominance, the Wildcats took the first six spots. Shea Elmore won in 13:14, while Elise Greenstreet, Sarina Salzer-Swartz, Taylor Chesarek, Tatum Pyle and Zoe Williamson finished in that order.
Erika Snell took 12th, meaning Los Gatos had its entire seven-member squad in the top 12.
