Held at historic Woodward Park in Fresno, the site of the CIF State Cross Country Championships, the Clovis Invitational is the perfect opportunity for teams across the state to see what lies in store for them at the state meet in November.
It’s also a chance to throw down the gauntlet, to prove one’s mettle against the best runners in California.
Nobody made more of that opportunity than Ventura High senior Aelo Curtis, who stormed to victory in the Bill Buettner Girls Championship race in 16 minutes, 44.5 seconds. It was the fastest time of the day, the ninth fastest in course history and the fourth fastest in meet history.
“I had no idea I would be able to break 17, let alone go 16 seconds under,” Curtis said of the performance. “It was a pretty incredible feeling, crossing the line and seeing that time on the clock.”
Curtis is no stranger to Woodward Park.
She had already run on it six times heading into Saturday’s race, but had never gone faster than her 17:42.1 performance from the state meet as a freshman. Last year, teammate and phenom Sadie Engelhardt set a meet record on the course in 16:24.2.
With Curtis’ big run, a runner from Ventura has won the girls championship race three years in a row.
A mile in, she knew it was going to be a special day.
She went out just behind the leaders, Braelyn Combe and Summer Wilson, before reeling them in by the time they had reached Woodward Park’s iconic Killer Hill.
“I was feeling really calm and confident in my abilities, so I decided to make my move then,” Curtis said. “I passed them going up that hill and from there on out it was just like, ‘Let’s see how fast I can go, and try not to get caught.’ ”
Nobody came close. Curtis won by nearly 13 seconds. The big run caught even her coach, Josh Spiker, by surprise.
“I knew she was fit, like really fit, but I didn’t know she was that fit,” Spiker said. “That was just amazing. I am beyond excited for her … today everything came together in an amazing, fantastic way.”
It’s been quite the week for the senior.
Just six days ago, Curtis announced her commitment to run cross country at track at Harvard University. Now, she’s one of the top-10 fastest runners ever on California’s state meet course.
“For me, it’s something that only happens in movies, so the fact that it is happening to me is kind of incredible,” Curtis said. “I want to make my future teammates proud, my future coaches proud and showcase the pride I have in my school.”
It was a special Clovis Invitational for another West County program. Foothill Technology relied on a 13-second spread between its first and fifth runners to place second in the Steve Ward Boys Championship race.
Asher Field finished 22nd in 15:43.1, Camden Taylor was 25th in 15:46.1, Baker Carlisle placed 30th in 15:52.3, Viggo Bortolin was 32nd in 15:53.7, and Eli Billings was 35th in 15:56.1 to help the Dragons beat top Ventura County programs in Oak Park (3rd), Agoura (4th) and Oaks Christian (8th).
“The goal is, if they are next to each other in a race or if one is passing the other, it’s like, ‘Come with me,’ ” Foothill Tech coach Carol Leandro said. “That has been the beauty — the fact that they all really connect.”
Agoura senior Dorian Bening’s 15:11.8 for sixth place was the best time of any local runner. Arizechukwu Nwosu was eighth in 15:22.3, followed by Oaks Christian teammates Vin Krueger (11th, 15:25.0) and Sterling White (18th, 15:35.1).
Oak Park finished fourth in the Carlo Prandini Girls Championship, averaging 18:40 for its top-five runners. The Eagles were led by freshman Kathleen Lambe, who finished 17th in 18:10.4, and senior Sophia Perez, who was 19th in 18:15.1. Oaks Christian’s Delaney Napierala was the top local finisher in the race, finishing in 18:05 for 14th place.
The Ventura boys team edged Newbury Park, 169-177, to win the Division 3 Boys Varsity race — a cumulative margin of two seconds. The Star’s No. 1-ranked boys runner, Derek Luna of Rio Mesa, made his first big splash of the season. He finished second in 15:12.0.
“They all competed for every place and that is what we wanted to see,” Spiker said of his boys team. “They battled.”
Newbury Park prevailed in the Division 3 Varsity Girls race, thanks to a strong showing from Sophia Grant (3rd, 18:12.4) and Helena Rieckewald-Schmidt (22nd, 19:23.5). Ventura’s Sophie Nuckols finished fifth in the race in 18:25.5.
Thousand Oaks finished second in the Division 4 Girls Varsity race, powered by a first-place finish by Maggie De la Rionda in 18:11.0. Layla Ward finished a eighth in 18:50.4 for the Lancers. Agoura’s Reese Tamburro was sixth in 18:49.6.
Thousand Oaks’ Zackary Hatch was the top local finisher in the Division 4 Boys Varsity race, placing 11th in 16:10.1.
Buena finished seventh in the Division 5 Boys Varsity race, led by junior Sebastian de Vicente’s ninth-place showing in 16:07.7. His brother, Dominic de Vicente, was 25th in 16:33.0, and the Bulldogs had their third through fifth runners in the top 85.
Dominic Massimino is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at dominic.massimino@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcsdominic on Twitter and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura’s Aelo Curtis takes center stage with big run at Clovis Invitational
Reporting by Dominic Massimino, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
