All State - 2012

Freshman Boys

#1 Frosh: Phillip Rocha, Arcadia HS – Fastest frosh time at NXN (18:09), state meet (15:27), CIF-SS Finals (14:19 on rain course) and Mt. SAC Inv. (15:14). Earned all-state honors in power-packed Division I. Avenged only losses to another frosh (to Dana Hills’ Ogden at the Laguna Hills and Mt. SAC Invitationals) with head-on wins at CIF-SS Finals and CIF-State. Clearly became Arcadia's crucial #3 team performer down the stretch to give the Apaches a much-needed edge against their top rivals. Now ranks as #2 California frosh ever at Woodward Park. He's even better in track! #2 Frosh: Austin Tamagno, Brea Olinda HS – A rare true frosh pacesetter on a quality varsity team, Tamagno handled the role beautifully to also earn All-League, All-CIF and All-State accolades. Blazed to frosh #2 15:34 at state meet, 15:17 at CIF-SS Prelims and 15:24 at Mt. SAC Inv. Also race victories at Woodbridge Inv (15:07) and Dana Hills Inv (14:55). Placed seventh at Orange County Championships. Suffered from a head cold to be slightly off his game at CIF-SS Finals, but showed his true grit at state. Now ranks as #4 California frosh ever at Woodward Park. #3 Frosh: Jacob Ogden, Dana Hills HS – Only runner to beat Frosh Runner of the Year Phillip Rocha, doing so at the season-opening Laguna Hills Invitational and the Mt. SAC Invitational. Also won his division at the Dana Hills Invitational. Ranked as third-fastest frosh at the state meet (15:38), ran 15:12 on the regular Mt. SAC course, and placed 11th (15:10) at Orange County Championships. Often was the fastest runner on race day for one of the nation’s better-known programs. Now ranks as the #6 California frosh ever at Woodward Park. #4 Frosh: Tucker Welker, West Ranch – Being in one of the toughest leagues in California kept Tucker out of the CIF postseason meets, but he clearly and repeatedly proved his worth during the course of the season. The best frosh not to be in Fresno in November, he placed 11th at the Foothill League Finals in finishing 33 seconds behind state runner-up A.J. Yarnall. Among Tucker’s biggest races were 16:09 at the Clovis Invitational (fourth-fastest of the year among frosh), 16:03 at the Mt. SAC Invitational and a race-winning 15:56 effort at the Woodbridge Invitational. #5 Frosh: Eduardo Herrera, Madera South – Opened season with impressive race win (16:34) at Earlybird Invitational. Placed 11th at Central Section Finals, clocking personal best 16:12 at the Woodward Park course. Ran 16:17 nine days later at the state meet in Division I. Best frosh in the Central Section and a key component to team’s success. #6 Frosh: Jack Van Scoter, Flintridge Prep – Emerged as a vital key to the Rebels’ late-season rise in the team reaching the podium at both CIF-SS Finals and CIF-State, where he placed 16th (15:24 on rain course) and 14th (16:19) at state, respectively, the latter showing being his best race of the year. Also emerged as a race winner (16:55) at the Mt. SAC Invitational in a by-grade race. #7 Frosh: Chance Lamberth, Canyon-Ana. – Most of Chance’s top races came late in the season, including a strong sixth-place finish in the Century League Finals, a 15:48 effort at Mt. SAC at CIF-SS Prelims, and a 15:04 time on the Mt. SAC rain course at CIF-SS Finals. Also ran a solid 15:54 at the Orange County Championships. Did not fare as well at Woodward Park, however, clocking 16:53. #8 Frosh: Ben Zaeske, Los Altos – Leading performance came at the Central Coast Section Finals when he threw down a 15:56 effort at the Toro Park course, Also placed second for his grade race at the Monterey Bay Invitational and third at the Earlybird Invitational. Did not run as well at the state meet, however, where he clocked 16:33 in the Division II race. Best frosh in the CCS as a whole. #9 Frosh: Kevin Lehr, St. Ignatius – Improving steadily as the season played out, Kevin was in peak form for the state meet in a 16:28 effort, coming on the heels of a Top 10 finish (16:26) at the Central Coast Section Finals. His time at state was the fastest of any CCS 9th grader. Also won his grade race at the Lowell Invitational. #10 Frosh: Matt Salazar, Casa Grande – His race of the year came at the North Coast Section Meet of Champions, placing a surprising second (16:06) at the Hayward Park course to qualify for state. Also ran 15:57 at the Mt. SAC Invitational. Had an obvious off day at state, clocking 17:01. Best frosh in the North Coast Section. #11 Frosh: Logan Beteta, Newbury Park – Best showing came at CIF-SS Prelims when he clocked 15:52 on the Mt. SAC course to place 16th in his heat. Also posted 16:06 effort at the M. SAC Invitational and sixth-place finish in frosh/soph 5k race at FootLocker West Regional. Seasonal best on state meet course was 16:39 at the Clovis Invitational. #12 Frosh: Colby Penn, Long Beach Poly – Among top showings were his 15:53 effort at the Mt. SAC Invitational to win his grade race, a 14:57 performance on the Mt. SAC rain course at the CIF-SS Finals and a 16:10 finish on the regular Mt. SAC course at CIF-SS Prelims. Did not run as well on the state meet course at either the Clovis Invitational or the state meet, where he clocked 16:30. #13 Frosh: Justin Robison, Lynbrook – After running solid at his league final, ran out of his mind at the Central Coast Section Finals, ripping 15:56 at Toro Park to place sixth in Division II and advance to state. Was unable to match that performance at state, however, running 17:04 in performing as a talented freshman experiencing some nerves likely would. Plagued by injury in early season, which might have played a role in his mild inconsistency. #14 Frosh: Spencer Dodds, Torrey Pines – Emerged as the San Diego Section’s top 9th grader after an 18th-place finish (16:53) in the SDS Division I Finals, which was followed up by a 16:34 effort at the California State Meet. Also timed in 16:15 at the Mt. SAC course and recorded runner-up race finishes at both the Bronco and Mt. Carmel meets. #15 Frosh: Andy Ehrenberg, Redwood – After an impressive early-season runner-up finish at the Earlybird Invitational, Andy kept on humming to repeated solid performances. Three of his best showings occurred when the competition was its toughest, including the Stanford Invitational (16:56), the North Coast Section Meet of Champions (10th in 16:32) and the California state meet (16:45). He qualified to state as an individual, a rarity for frosh runners.

Freshman Girls

#1 Frosh: Maggie Bell, Granite Bay HS – Maggie wasn't on our radar screen as one to watch before season's start, but she began glowing brightly one month later, then shined brightest at season's end. The breakthrough started at the Stanford Invitational, where Bell won the Division 2 race in the second-fastest frosh time of the day. She reached new levels in winning the Sac-Joaquin Section Finals on California's toughest state-qualifier course, then was the fastest ninth grader at the state meet (17:29) to win the state Division II title by four seconds. Bell then placed 60th among 199 runners at Nike Cross Nationals, which boasted the strongest and deepest field of talent imagineable. #2 Frosh: Mikayla Sodersten, Clovis HS – Sodersten was tearing up the scene before a fracture in her foot sidelined her as postseason approached. She settled for posting the year's fastest frosh time on the Mt. SAC course (17:22) and the second-fastest (17:41 at the Clovis Invitational) on the Woodward Park course. Her time there ranks #2 in Central Section history, trailing only the phenomenal Jordan Hasay. #3 Frosh: Fiona O'Keeffe, Davis HS – O'Keeffe was an immediate solid fixture for a program with a wealth of success over the years. She recorded among the fastest times in the state at both Mt. SAC (17:27) and Woodward Park (17:42) and also clocked 18:08 on the tough WIllow Hills Reservoir course. Also qualified for the FootLocker Championships meet but sustained a hip flexor injury on the Mt. SAC course at the West Regionals in the process. As a result, she did not finish the race in San Diego. #4 Frosh: Bianca Tinoco, Golden Valley – A star performer while competing in one of the toughest leagues around, Tinoco evolved as a tough competitor who excelled in her biggest challenges. Her best race of the year occurred at the state meet, where she rolled to an 18:09 performance — a spectacular 38-second improvement over her performance on the very same course seven weeks earlier. Also clocked 16:42 on the rain course at Mt. SAC. #5 Frosh: Chloe Pigg, Arcata – The age-group star's eventual arrival on the prep scene was a notable one. Her best races occurred at the Stanford Invitational, where she placed fouth in the Division III race, and the CIF-State Meet, where she finished third in Division IV. Appeared to be unbeaten otherwise, including blowout victories at the North Coast Section Finals and the Humboldt-Del Norte League Championships. #6 Frosh: Amanda Gehrich, Tesoro – A solid season throughout, but enjoyed her biggest race at the Mt. SAC Invitational when she clocked 17:29 to move onto the national stage. Also was timed in 16:41 on the rain course at Mt. SAC for the Southern Section Finals and 18:24 at Woodward Park in Division II action at the state meet. #7 Frosh: Lauren Jacob, Los Altos – Although enjoying a respectable start to her season, she really cranked up her performance level in the closing weeks of the season. Lauren's signature effort came at the Central Coast Section Finals, where she blazed across Toro Park in 17:49, then blasted an 18:31 performance at the state meet, improving her time by 58 seconds at Woodward Park over her previous outing there seven weeks earlier. #8 Frosh: Kelly Fairchild, Serrano – Unleashed a killer 17:51 performance at the Mt. SAC Invitational in her strongest showing of the fall. Also posted an 18:35 effort on the Woodward Park course at the state meet, where she placed 22nd in her race. Also placed 22nd at the Southern Section Finals on the Mt. SAC rain course. Opened up her season with a runner-up placing at the Don Bosco Invitational in early September. #9 Frosh: Nicole Beaudoin, South Torrance – Boasting a wealth of top-ten finishes in her maiden voyage on the prep scene, she was at her best at the Mt. SAC Inviational, when she unleashed a sensational 17:55 effort. Clocked 16:49 on the rain course at Mt. SAC at CIF-SS Finals, six seconds away from qualifying for state as an individual. Placed third at the Pioneer League Finals to aid the team's title effort. Squad also placed 10th at the CIF-SS Finals. #10 Frosh: Megan McCandless, Granada – Was a consistent performer down the stretch, including a fourth-place finish at the North Coast Section Finals (18:12 at Hayward HS) and a 33rd-place performance at the CIF-State Championships in Division I (18:35 at Woodward Park). Played a key role for one of the stronger squads in Northern California. #11 Frosh: Brooke Starn, Monte Vista – Clearly among the most consistent performers in the northern half of the state, she placed fifth in the North Coast Section Finals (18:16 at Hayward HS) and 37th at the state meet (18:37 at Woodward Park). Also placed second in the Division I (non-seeded) race at Stanford and was timed in 18:10 on the Mt. SAC course. #12 Frosh: Sydney Tullai, Ayala – Best performance came at the Clovis Invitational, when she flew through Woodward Park in 18:10 to place 10th in the seeded race. Won the Sierra League's individual title and also won both of the league's cluster meets. Also a race winner at the Laguna Hills Invitational in her high school debut and was timed in 18:00 at the Mt. SAC Inviational. #13 Frosh: Courtney Brenner, Serrano – Best performance came at the Mt. SAC Invitational, when she placed 11th and posted a fine 17:48. Also a Top 30 finisher in her division at the state meet thanks to her 18:46 performance. Claimed top 10 finishes at the Don Bosco and Apache invitationals as well as the Mojave River League Finals. #14 Frosh: Chloe Hansel, Las Lomas – Placed fourth at the North Coast Section Finals meet in 18:47, then rose her game to record the exact same time a week later at the state meet at Woodward Park, a 25-second improvement over her performance there during the Clovis Invitational seven weeks earlier. Also a Top-10 race finisher at the Woodbridge Invitational. #15 Frosh: Destiny Collins, Great Oak – Could have easily ranked even better on the list based on excellent showings late in the season at the Apache Invitational and the Southwestern League Finals, but a so-so showing (for her, at least) at the Mt. SAC Invitational and postseason injury robbed her chances to affirm for position on championship courses.