FOLSOM, Calif. – Senior Ashlyn Smith and freshman Emilia Ryan won the girls' 3,400-meter junior varsity and frosh-soph small-school races, respectively, while sophomore Sunny Schranz paced 11th of 153 runners in the varsity 5K, helping St. Francis win all three of its team competitions at the Tom Laythe Invitational cross country meet at Willow Hill Reservoir Saturday.
The meet takes place on the same course as the Sac-Joaquin Section championships. The Troubadour varsity squad edged Placer by a 69-72 margin, with Vacaville Christian (113) and Roseville (115) battling for third and fourth places. The SF frosh-soph nearly achieved a perfect score, taking a 1-2-3-4 superfecta at the top of the standings for 19 points. Finally, the Troubie jayvees placed five among the top nine overall finishers en route to a winning total of 19 points.
Schranz crossed the finish line in 20 minutes, 48.87 seconds, with freshman Halle Welch three places back in 14th with a 20:55.17. Two more ninth graders, Miya Menza and Sophia Kadel, finished 16th (21:09.49) and 17th (21:15.55), respectively. Junior Chloe Harrison rounded out the SF scoring in 30th overall at 22:14.75. Seniors Lucie Pickering Pick (35th) and Kyra Lueras (37th) displaced for the Troubies.
In the varsity team competition, Pickering Pick and Lueras outraced the No. 5 runner from Placer, and the No. 4 and 5 runners from Vacaville Christian. Thus, even though the Hillmen had four of the top 10 finishers, including overall winner Olivia Passafiume, the Troubies outscored their SJS Division III rivals by three points due to depth in the lineup. In fact, St. Francis edged Placer by the same margin – 58 to 61 – at last year's section championship meet, despite Placer boasting the individual champ.
In the frosh-soph race, Ryan, Sophia Hernandez, Lily Fowler and Morgane Bertrane were the only runners to beat the course in less than 15 minutes. Lydia Stralen placed 13th overall to complete the scoring, then a four-pack of Troubies in Rey Becerril, Alyssa Tafoya, Skye Smith and Mackenna Miller claimed 15th through 18th place. Including the displacers, St. Francis finished with a scoring table of 1-2-3-4-9-10-11 to dominate the three-team competition. Elk Grove and Christian Brothers each had two runners in the top eight toward their scores of 54 and 59 points, respectively.
Finally, Ashlyn Smith's 14:44.90 was more than a minute faster than the nearest competitor, teammate Ashley Sexauer (15:58.33). SF senior Zoe Smith made it a Troubie trifecta atop the leaderboard, with Stella Davenport (9th) and MacKenzie Olmstead (12th) adding to the scoring punch. The Troubies only fielded six of the 58 runners, meaning only Olivia Charles displaced in 22nd place. St. Francis' 19 points won easily ahead of Christian Brothers (42), Whitney (79) and Spanish Springs (89).
The Tom Laythe Invitational was renamed in memory of a beloved coach who served nine years at St. Francis prior to stints at El Camino and host Bella Vista. Laythe died from complications from COVID-19 on New Years Day 2020. The following season, the Bronco XC Invitational was renamed in his memory.
St. Francis enters a short week of practice before returning to action for the Friday portion of the ASICS Clovis Invitational. The 45th installment of the high-profile meet takes place on the same Woodward Park course as the CIF State Championships.
2024 TOM LAYTHE INVITATIONAL
Willow Hill Reservoir (Folsom, Calif.)
Events with SF entrants only • Winner plus SF finishers listed
GIRLS' VARSITY SMALL SCHOOLS 5K TEAM SCORING - 1. St. Francis, 69; 2. Placer, 72; 3. Vacaville Christian, 113; 4. Roseville, 115; 5. El Dorado, 122; 6. Hope, 147; 7. Tracy, 164; 8. Colfax, 220; 9. Ripon, 243; 10. Central Catholic, 271; 11. Mira Loma, 301; 12. St. Mary's, 306; 13. West Campus, 232; 14. Orestimba, 328; 15. Millennium, 420; 16. Lincoln (Lincoln), 434.
GIRLS' VARSITY SMALL SCHOOLS 5K INDIVIDUALS - 1. Olivia Passafiume, Placer, 19:16.61... 11. Sunny Schranz, 20:48.87; 14. Halle Welch, 20:55.17; 16. Miya Menza, 21:09.49; 17. Sophia Kadel, 21:15.55; 30. Chloe Harrison, 22:14.75; 35. Lucie Pickering Pick, 22:35.44; 37. Kyra Lueras, 22:43.86.
GIRLS' FROSH-SOPH SMALL SCHOOLS 3.4K TEAM SCORING - 1. St. Francis, 19; 2. Elk Grove, 54; 3. Christian Brothers, 59.
GIRLS' FROSH-SOPH SMALL SCHOOLS 3.4K INDIVIDUALS - 1. Emilia Ryan, St. Francis, 14:21.57... 2. Sophia Hernandez, 14:29.72; 3. Lily Fowler, 14:49.31; 4. Morgane Bertran, 14:59.80; 13. Lydia Stralen, 15:56.33; 15. Rey Becerril, 16:01.81; 16. Alyssa Tafoya, 16:04.89; 17. Skye Smith, 16:15.30; 18. Mackenna Miller, 16:24.20; 27. Emmelyn Cheatham, 17:26.25; 32. Robyn Peralta, 18:20.97; 34. Julia Wallace, 18:24.07; 39. Eva Bugatto, 19:02.16; 45. Cheyenne Swyers, 19:31.91; 48. Ariana Lugo, 19:44.08; 64. Makenzie Porter, 21:24.75; 73. Isabella Uribe, 25:18.0.
GIRLS' JUNIOR VARSITY 3.4K TEAM SCORING - 1. St. Francis, 19; 2. Christian Brothers, 42; 3. Whitney, 79; 4. Spanish Springs, 89.
GIRLS' JUNIOR VARSITY 3.4K INDIVIDUALS - 1. Ashlyn Smith, St. Francis, 14:44.90; 2. Ashley Sexauer, 15:58.33; 3. Zoe Smith, 16:05.18; 9. Stella Davenport, 16:58.75; 12. MacKenzie Olmstead, 17:06.49; 22. Olivia Charles, 18:16.47.
