FRESNO -- Gunn High's Gillian Meeks rode a wave of emotions to the CIF Division 2 girls state title at the cross country championships Saturday.

Meeks took the lead with approximately 200 meters left in the race, but the Woodward Park finish line could not come soon enough for the Harvard-bound senior.

"I was really locking up," Meeks said. "I just wanted to make sure nobody passed me at the end."

Meeks took a quick peek back in the final meters, but it wasn't needed. She won the race by 5.3 seconds with a time of 17:16 for the 3.1-mile course.

"I'm in disbelief," Meeks said after the race. She placed ninth in the CIF Division 1 state championship race last season.

"Perfect race execution," said Gunn coach Patti Sue Plumer, summarizing Meeks' performance. "She even took the lead at the right spot.

"She's just generally very steady. That is a huge advantage in this sport."

Meeks was close to the lead at the one-mile mark, then passed through the two-mile mark in 11:10, second in a lead pack of three. But she bided her time and made her winning move late in the final mile.

Lynbrook's Justin Robison also made a key move in the final mile of his Division 2 boys state championship race. In approximately the last 600 meters, the senior passed two runners to finish second in 15:06.4, a time that would have won the past three CIF Division 2 boys state championship races.

"I'm so happy, just pure elation right now," Robison said after the race.

Robison seized the opportunity to finish second with less than 100 meters left in the race, as he kicked past a runner.

"I saw a guy slowing down and I said I'm going to try to beat him," Robison said.

Robison was second at the one-mile mark (4:49.5) and third at the two-mile point (10:25.4), and he was within half-a-second of the lead at both points.

Harker's Niki Iyer was sixth at the one-mile mark of the Division 4 girls championship race at approximately 5:27 and passed the two-mile mark in fourth with a time of 11:19. The junior stuck near the front and placed fifth with a time of 17:50.0.

"I feel really good. It was a PR," Iyer said. "I expected the race to go out slower than it did."

Bellarmine placed sixth as a team in the Division 1 boys race with a score of 195. Its top runner was Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau, who finished 38th in 15:50.2. It had an excellent gap of only 14.2 seconds between its first and fifth scorers.

Crystal Springs Uplands also placed sixth as a team in the Division 5 boys race. Its top runner was Nicholas Medearis (40th, 16:38.1).