Metro cross country finals setting up for fantastic finish

The 2026 Metro Conference cross country championship meet is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 6, at Rohr Park. The San Diego Section championship meet follows Nov. 14 at Balboa Park’s Morley Field.

Two more highlight meets close out the season: the California state championship meet Nov. 28 in Fresno and the Brooks Nationals Dec. 12 in Balboa Park.

It should be a great build up to the end of the season.

The Metro finals will crown individual champions in both gender fields in the Metro-Mesa League, Metro-South Bay League and Metro-Pacific League. Team championships will also be awarded in all three leagues.

The section finals are open entry, meaning there is no qualifying meet. The Metro and section finals are both standalone events.

However, the section finals are a qualifying meet for the state championship meet. Teams qualify by division along with a select number of individual qualifiers.

The top three teams in both the Division I and Division II fields advance to the state meet while the top three boys and top four girls teams in Division III do so. Only the top two boys teams and top three girls teams in Division IV qualify while the top three boys and girls teams in Division V advance.

For individual qualifiers:

If two teams qualify for the state meet in a race, the top five highest-placed individuals not on a qualified team must finish among the top 12 place-finishers.

If three teams qualify for the state meet in a race, the top five highest-placed individuals not on a qualified team must finish among the top 14 place-finishers.

If four teams qualify for the state meet in a race, the top five highest-placed individuals not on a qualified team must finish among the top 16 place-finishers.

There are no alternates for the state meet.

Boys team champions from last year include Poway (Division I), Mt. Carmel (Division II), Cathedral Catholic (Division III), Sage Creek (Division IV) and Francis Parker (Division V).

Girls team champions from last year include Canyon Crest Academy (Division I), Point Loma (Division II), Cathedral Catholic (Division III), Sage Creek (Division IV) and Santa Fe Christian (Division V).

Eastlake and Olympian are both contending to qualify for the state meet in the Division I boys field. They were scheduled to match up in a high profile dual meet Friday at Eastlake.

Top individual boys this season in the Metro-Mesa League include Olympian senior Micah Schenko, Eastlake juniors Anthony Manquero-Mendez and Padraic Kerns, Otay Ranch senior Santiago Blanco, Olympian junior Jaeden Arvizu, Bonita Vista junior Elias De Anda, Otay Ranch junior Noah Shorey, Eastlake junior Sergio Propst, Eastlake seniors Owen Anderson and Chayse McNamara, Eastlake junior Carlos Montenegro, Otay Ranch freshman Andre Hlucka, Eastlake sophomore Noah Cante, Bonita Vista senior Julian Mason, Bonita Vista sophomore Dustin Mack and Olympian sophomore Caleb Schenko.

Top individual girls this season in the Metro-Mesa League include Bonita Vista sophomore Betty George, Olympian junior Andrea Carrasco, Otay Ranch junior Sayen Osorio, Otay Ranch sophomore Eva Molano, Eastlake freshman Melanie Sanchez, Olympian freshman Kristy Rincon, Bonita Vista Nora Traba, Otay Ranch senior Sofia Carrillo, Eastlake junior Madeline Mahoney, Eastlake senior Asha Mohamed, Otay Ranch junior Ilana Devore, Eastlake senior Charlize Cruz, Bonita Vista sophomore Mila Arreola, Otay Ranch junior Lexi Hluckova and Otay Ranch sophomore Mina Vuong.

Manquero-Mendez finished 20 seconds ahead of Kerns and 27 seconds ahead of De Anda in the varsity boys field at the Eastlake-Bonita Vista dual on Oct. 22 while George topped the varsity girls field by a whopping 55 seconds ahead of runner-up Sanchez.

Metro Conference league championships are weighted one half on dual meet finishes and one half on conference finals performance. Ci-championships are not uncommon.

The Brooks Invitational is seeded by invitation.