September 21, 2026

Written by Mario Machuca

IRVINE:  The Wolves traveled to Great Park in Irvine this weekend to compete at the Woodbridge Invitational, one of the largest cross country meets in the nation. Coming off two strong weeks of training, the Wolves entered the weekend ready to put their fitness to the test and chase new personal bests.

They did exactly that.

More than half of the team walked away with a new personal record, with big performances coming from every grade level throughout the meet.

The freshman boys continued to show tremendous growth early in their first season. In just his second race, Urijah Castro dropped nearly three minutes from his previous best, showing plenty of promise for the rookie. Andrew Thomas and Marc Martinez made major jumps of their own, improving by 90 seconds and two minutes, respectively.

In the freshman girls race, Jaylin Ibarra led the way, cutting nearly 40 seconds from her best and breaking the 23-minute barrier for the first time. Evany Ruffin also put together a huge performance, taking nearly three minutes off her previous best.

The PRs continued with Sophia Balsells and Isabella Iemsisanith, who each took approximately 50 seconds off their previous bests.

The sophomore boys once again earned the highest team finish of the day for the Wolves, placing 4th overall. Jacob Gamino led the squad as the entire sophomore lineup turned in new personal bests, highlighting the continued growth and depth of the group.

For the junior boys, Ethan Pendleton led the way, recording the sixth-fastest time of the day for the Wolves. Luke Browning made a major leap forward by dropping more than a minute from his personal best, while Jason Garcia broke the 18-minute barrier for the first time with a 30-second PR.

The varsity girls also took another step forward as their pack continues to come together. Hayden Shelton led the improvements with another 45-second PR, breaking 19 minutes for the first time. Leah Goodman followed with a 25-second improvement, while Betsaida Sandoval broke the 20-minute barrier for the first time after taking another 20 seconds off her best.

The varsity boys saw progress of their own. Andrew Moyo broke the 16-minute barrier for the first time and finished as the Wolves’ second runner on the day. Sophomore Abdu Alqaza continued his strong season as well, taking another 20 seconds off his personal best.

With another strong weekend of racing in the books, the Wolves continue to show that the work being put in at practice is beginning to pay off. There is still plenty of room to grow, but the potential throughout the program continues to show with each race.

The Wolves now turn their attention to the Big VIII League Preview Meet, where they will compete at home this Wednesday!