If senior standouts Aydon Stefanopoulos and Shea Elmore can finish the season the way they started it, the Los Gatos High boys and girls cross country teams are on pace for a truly spectacular season.
Stefanopoulos and Elmore both won their first two races of the season in impressive fashion, collecting first-place finishes in the Jackie Henderson Memorial Invitational on Sept. 7 and a week later in the Ed Sias Invitational.
Stefanopoulos continued his early-season surge in the prestigious boys sweepstakes race in the Woodbridge Classic on Sept. 21. He finished the three-mile course at Irvine’s Orange County Great Park in a personal-record (PR) 14:00.4, good for 14th place in a field featuring some of the top runners in the nation.
Stefanopoulos bettered his previous best by 23 seconds in one of the most competitive meets in the Western U.S. In the Ed Sias Invite at Hidden Valley Park in Martinez, Stefanopoulos broke the course record, covering two miles in 9:58.93.
At the Jackie Henderson Invite at North Monterey County High, Stefanopoulos ran away from the field for a 27-second victory.
“Aydon had some injuries in the track season that put him back a little bit, but he’s back in true form,” said Ibet Allan, who along with Geoff Elmore are the Los Gatos High coaches. “Aydon’s win at Ed Sias was the first time in nine years someone broke nine minutes, so that was wonderful.”
Elmore won the season-opening Jackie Henderson Invite girls race in 17:32, a competition that featured some of the best runners in the CCS, including Prospect’s Kylie Hoornaert and St. Francis’ Sabrina Zanetto. A week later in the Ed Sias Invite, Elmore finished first in 12:13.61, 11 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
“Shea is in exceptional form,” Allan said. “She’s dominating at practices, dominating at races. Shea has been committed and so ready for the season. Jackie Henderson was a convincing win for her, ahead of some of the strongest competitors in our area. I think it was a bit of a surprise for her. She finished strong and did amazing.”
Both Stefanopoulos and Elmore look to lead their respective squads to a top-three finish in the CCS Championships, which would secure a berth in the CIF State Championships.
The girls team advanced to State last year while the boys team came up just short, finishing only eight positions behind Branham High for third place in the Division II race. The boys have plenty of depth, with seniors Ben Klarich and Adam Wang posting fast times coming off a strong 2023 season. Klarich had a 10th-place finish in the Jackie Henderson Invite and ran 14:57.3 in the Woodbridge Classic.
Wang’s time of 10:52.3 in the Ed Sias was a full minute faster than last year’s race, proof of the work he put in over the off-season. Before a recent practice, Allan asked the boys and girls teams what they wanted to share after being notified they’d be featured in the Los Gatan.
“Adam said you have to tell the reporter we’re a very strong team, we work very hard and we have a lot of potential,” Allan said. “And he’s completely right. They know this is their year.”
Sophomore Peter Malone, senior Cooper Codding and brothers Kevin and Ryan Sacco round out the varsity lineup, but Los Gatos has a couple of younger runners who could crack the lineup by season’s end.
“That battle between (numbers) six, seven, eight, nine runners is very strong in a very healthy way,” Allan said. “The boys are so close in terms of times, and it depends on whose day it is in any given race. Some are stronger on the hills, some are stronger on the flats. They are on fire for sure.”
The girls squad has high aspirations as well, though it did suffer a setback with injuries to sophomore Elise Greenstreet and Sarina Salzer-Swartz, the team’s Nos. three and four runners, respectively.
“Sarina has lost the whole season so far and she’s talked with a sports doctor to determine what is holding her back,” Allan said. “Elise is in PT (physical therapy) and started back up (last week), so we are hopeful we can have her healthy for the end of the season.”
Despite not having Greenstreet and Salzer-Swartz in the lineup this season, the Wildcats have had other runners emerge with solid performances. Their second fastest athlete, senior Taylor Chesarek, has springboarded a tremendous 2024 track and field season last spring into the cross country campaign.
Chesarek finished 14th in the Jackie Henderson, fifth in the Ed Sias and went sub 18 minutes in the Woodbridge Classic.
“Taylor is looking fantastic,” Allan said. “She is very good in the longer distances and is looking phenomenal. She’s very fit and in the next month I think she’ll gain even more sharpness.”
The Pyle sisters, sophomore Piper and senior Tatum, are off to a solid start. In the Ed Sias Invite, Piper finished in 10th place in 13:45.2, bettering her previous best by 1 minute, 38 seconds.
“Piper is one of our captains and is very well respected,” Allan said. “Her organizational skills are phenomenal and she’s completely CEO material. She’s starting to play a very strong role as a leader on this team. And Tatum is in phenomenal shape and has been running well.”
Seniors Erika Snell and Zoe Williamson are stalwarts in the program, while sophomores Aleida Nunn and Tahlia Jones have emerged as cornerstone pieces going forward.
“Our sophomores are learning what is expected at the varsity level,” Allan said. “One of the things we’re focusing on is developing the newer girls to take over for the senior girls so by next year they’ll be ready to help lead the team.”
