By Rich Gonzalez
Editor, DyeStatCal.com
            (--)  As the curiosity factor continues kicking in, one of the nation's largest cross-country invitationals continues to explode in quality as well as quantity.
         The 25th annual Woodbridge Cross-Country Invitational, scheduled for Saturday the 17th of this month, has attracted leading squads and athletes from five states in an inter-regional clash of prep talent that has secured among the best expected meet turnouts across America in the 2005 calendar season!
         The big new lure in recent years? Night-time cross-country! That's right -- in the most popular change on the Golden State scene since the new millennium, teams have flocked to the flat, three-mile layout to compete "under the lights".
          But the 2005 field at the nation's third-largest meet might be better than ever!
          National superpowers and Nike Team Nationals title contenders Royal of California and Central Catholic of Portland, Ore. headline a sensational 22-team field that includes seven programs on the national radar! Individually, three returning FootLocker Nationals finalists and as many as eight additional super heavy hitters also grace the boys' start line, a burnin' affair which surely have the packed crowd in attendance cheering them all the way to the tunneled-down, roped-off-but-packed-to-the-gills finish area!
           On the girls side, four teams in the Nike Team Nationals regional rankings are set to clash for top scoring honors while a pair of returning FootLocker finalists and as many as nine top-rate All-American hopefuls will go stride-for-stride across the Irvine landscape on another likely cool evening where electricity fills the air in America's first high-end competition of the 2005 season!
           BOYS SWEEPSTAKES: A titanic showdown occurs here as Central Catholic of Portland touches down in "The OC" for an early-season date with three other nationally ranked programs! Royal, the defending California state champions headed in 2005 by Michael Cybulski and Jason Pedersen, are ranked third in country and will be opening their season this weekend. Central Catholic's lineup is spearheaded by FootLocker Nationals finalist Kenny Klotz and a deep cast of rising starts that has the group ranked eighth nationally this Fall. Additionally, national-ranked squads from Murrieta Valley (ranked #16 and paced by Patrick Milloy and Mike Munoz) and #24 El Toro (ranked #24 in the U.S. and relying on the pack attack) round out the 22-team field.
           Individually, West Covina's Diego Mercado (20th at FootLocker Nationals), Central Catholic's afroementioned Klotz (24th at FLN) and University City's Riley Booker (30th at FLN) are the #7, 8 and 9 returnees in the nation this Fall. Keep an eye on Royal High's Cybulski, the reigning 3200m state champion who pinned a very rare postseason loss on eventual national two-mile champion Mark Matusak last Spring.
           GIRLS SWEEPSTAKES: Defending champions will not be a factor here in 2005, with last year's individual titleist (Alma Escobar of Corona) nursing injury and the defending team champions (Maria Carrillo HS of the North Coast Section) bringing only two runners this weekend after a recent spate of injuries.
            Teamwise, Murrieta Valley is the heavy favorite here and courts a #11 national ranking behind Liana Boucher and an extremely deep wealth of supporting talent. Royal of Simi Valley is another very deep collection of talent on the Southern Section landscape, along with powerhouse squads Buchanan of the Central Section and Ayala of the Southern Section also gracing the field.
            The real highlight of the girls' competition should be the battle for individual honors, with Buchanan's Lauren Saylor and Serrano's Kauren Tarver leading the entry list after ranking as the fastest sophomore and fastest freshman, respectively, at last year's FootLocker Nationals!
            The girls sweepstakes race is set to begin at 9:05 p.m. PST, followed by the Biys' Sweesptakes affair at 9:30 p.m. All told, close to 7,000 high school athletes from 181 schools are expected to compete throughout the day at Woodbridge, with nearly 9,500 runners registered.

List of the Boys/Girls Sweepstakes races at the 2005 Woodbride Invitational, listed alphabetically:

The Invited 22 Boys Teams To Sweepstakes:
Arcadia - #9 in CIF-Southern Section Division I
Ayala - #9 in CIF-Southern Section Division II
Big Bear - #3 in Southern Section Division IV; Chad Hall 14:56 at Long Beach Invite
Central Catholic, OR - #2 in Northwest Region NTN
Chino Hills - #7 in CIF-Southern Section Division II
Clovis - #1 in CIF-Central Section Division I
Damien
Don Lugo - #10 in California Region NTN; #2 in CIF-SS DII
El Rancho - #5 in CIF-Southern Section Division I
El Toro - #3 in CIF-Southern Section Division I
Los Alamitos
Madera
Maria Carrillo - #1 in CIF-North Coast Section Division II
Mira Costa
Murrieta Valley - #3 in California Region NTN; #2 in CIF-Southern Section Division I
Orange Lutheran - #1 in CIF-Southern Section Division IV
Royal - #1 in California Region NTN
San Pasqual - #2 in CIF-San Diego Section Division II
Torrance - #5 in CIF-Southern Section Division II
Upland - #7 in CIF-Southern Section Division I
West Covina - #8 in CIF-Southern Section Division I
West Torrance - #10 in CIF-Southern Section Division II

The Invited 26 Boys Individuals Into Sweepstakes (rest of their team runs in the day session):
Blair, Scott (Trabuco Hills)
Booker, Riley (University City) 30th at FootLocker Nationals
Church, Erik (Jefferson, WA)
Clifford, Daniel (Lakewood) 15:38 at Mt. SAC
Eaton, Jeremy (Laguna Beach)
Guzman, Gabriel (Monroe)
Henry, Jeree (Rancho Buena Vista) sub 4:22 for 1600m; SD Bronco Invite winner in 9:43
Jones, Nick (San Clemente) - Large Schools Seniors Winner at Long Beach
Knight, Dylan (La Sierra) 9:56 course record at Fastback Shootout
Knight, Spencer (La Sierra) 10:02 for third overall at Fastback Shootout
Leibovitch, Kyle (Calabasas) 15:33 for second in Jrs race at Seaside Invite
Lloyd, Alan (Burroughs/Ridge.) 15:35 at Mt. SAC in Division III
Matthews, Jake (Folsom) #5 returnee in State Division I
Mesa, Caleb (Etiwanda) 15:47 at Mt. SAC in Division I
Mullender, Max (Laguna Beach)
Nightengale, Dane (Capistrano Valley) 15:17 to win Great Cow Run Invitational
Osman, Ahmed (San Diego) #25 returnee in State Division I; Seaside Invite winner in 14:56
Pondella, Anthony (Oak Park) #16 returnee in State Division III; 15:31 as Jr class winner at Seaside
Price, Ted (Camarillo) #6 returnee in State Division I
Primm, Cory (Westlake) #9 returnee in State Division II
Robie, Peter (Servite) #11 returnee in State Division III
Sellers, Nathan (Crescenta Valley) 15:45 at Mt. SAC in Division I
Smith, David (Northview) 15:41 at Mt. SAC
Sullivan, John (Trabuco Hills) 4:21/9:22 track in Division I
Wolde, Michael (Mission Viejo) 15:51 at Mt. SAC in Division I
Wozniak, Conrad (Woodbridge)

180 runners in the field.

The Invited 23 Girls Teams To Sweepstakes:
Ayala - #2 in CIF-Southern Section Division I
Bonita - #3 in CIF-Southern Section Division III
Buchanan
Crescenta Valley
Esperanza - #9 in CIF-Southern Section Division I
Green Valley-NV - #1 in Southern Nevada Region
Harvard/Westlake - #2 in CIF-Southern Section Division IV
Jefferson-WA -
Maria Carrillo - #1 in CIF-North Coast Section Division II
Mira Costa -
Murrieta Valley - #1 in CIF-Southern Section Division I
Newport Harbor- #8 in CIF-Southern Section Division II
Oak Park - #4 in CIF-Southern Section Division III
Orange Lutheran - #1 in CIF-Southern Section Division IV
Peninsula
Royal - #2 in CIF-Southern Section Division I
Santiago-GG
Saugus - #10 in CIF-Southern Section Division I
Serrano - #6 in CIF-Southern Section Division II
University City
Westlake - #3 in CIF-Southern Section Division II
West Torrance
Woodbridge - #9 in CIF-Southern Section Division II

The Invited 19 Girls Individuals Into Sweepstakes (rest of their team runs in the day session):
Dayna Anderson (University City)
Erin Baird (Agoura)
Tani Brown (Brentwood)
Lauren Campfield (Great Oak)
Alex Crawley (Laguna Beach)
Ashley Daniels (Los Osos)
Jasmine Day (Costa Mesa)
Kyla Flores (Costa Mesa)
Amanda Johnson (Clovis)
Lindsey Kirschmann (Enterprise)
Nicole Matera (Vista Murrieta)
Bridie McCarey (Clairemont)
Brieanna Morris (Quartz Hill)
Katherine Nielsen (Irvine)
Rocio Pelayo (Bolsa Grande)
Rincon, Priscilla (Diamond Ranch)
Meredith Robie (Redlands)
Anna Sperry (Simi Valley)
Rowena Tam (University City)

180 runners in the field.