Sallberg seeks third straight crown in Masters men’s race, with Bloomer bidding for women’s repeat in San Diego; Eastbay All-American Macchia to test herself at 6-kilometer distance against college freshmen, with Simonsen looking to improve on 2020 fifth-place effort in men’s 8-kilometer race

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Several athletes from established collegiate programs will be joined by a handful of elite high school competitors in the Under-20 races, with both Masters overall winners from 2020 also scheduled to return to race Saturday at the USATF Cross Country Championships presented by Toyota, which are back following a one-year hiatus at Mission Bay Park in San Diego.

The live Webcast is scheduled to begin at 9:25 p.m. PST on USATF.TV with a RunnerSpace+PLUS subscription, with the Masters women’s 6-kilometer race scheduled for 9:30 a.m., followed by the Masters men’s 8-kilometer competition at 10:30 a.m.

The women’s under-20 6-kilometer race is expected to start at 11:30 a.m., with the men’s under-20 8-kilometer championship at 12:15 p.m.

Jacques Sallberg, 47, is seeking his third consecutive overall Masters men’s title after covering the 8-kilometer layout in 2020 in 26 minutes, 52 seconds. Sallberg, representing Cal Coast Track Club, also prevailed in 26:33 at the 2019 event at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla.

Lorilynn Bloomer, 49, representing Bowerman Track Club, is also back to defend her championship from two years ago. Bloomer triumphed in the 6-kilometer race in 24:14.

Marisa Sutera Strange, 58, who captured the overall Masters women’s title in 2019 in Tallahassee, then placed runner-up to Bloomer by clocking 24:31 in 2020, is also scheduled to race again in San Diego, representing Greater Philadelphia Track Club.

Gabe Simonsen, a freshman at Oklahoma State, is the top returning competitor in the men’s under-20 race from 2020, placing fifth as a prep athlete representing Mustang High in Oklahoma.

Simonsen, a three-time 6A state cross country champion, covered the 8-kilometer layout in 27:15. He competed unattached in one race this fall for Oklahoma State, clocking 25:33.2 at the Cowboy Jamboree, and will be joined Saturday by Oklahoma State teammate Ben Calusinski.

Northern Arizona, Utah State, Loyola (Chicago) and New Mexico will also be represented well in the men’s under-20 8-kilometer race.

Corey Gorgas of Northern Arizona captured the under-20 title in San Diego two years ago, with former Wisconsin prep standouts Jack Scherer and Cael Grotenhuis looking to excel for the Lumberjacks in the 8-kilometer race Saturday.

Utah State has Chase Leach, Will Dixon and Garrett Woodhouse entered in the event, with all three freshmen gaining valuable experience during the fall.

Leach, who boasts an 8-kilometer personal-best 23:50.2, was the most productive athlete of the trio for the Aggies, placing 12th at the Mountain West Conference Championships in Albuquerque, followed by 29th in his 10-kilometer cross country debut at the NCAA Division 1 Mountain Regional Championships in Provo.

Gabe Smit of Loyola (Chicago) was 16th at the Missouri Valley Conference final and also competed at the Midwest Regional Championships for the Ramblers during his freshman season.

Joshua Galindo is another college freshman, representing New Mexico, competing unattached in one race during the fall for the Lobos.

Ku Stevens, a senior at Yerington High in Nevada, is the top high school entry in the 8-kilometer race.

Stevens, a two-time Nevada 1A-2A state cross country champion, placed 14th at the Eastbay West Regional at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., after finishing 20th at the Nike Southwest Regional in Tempe, Ariz.

The women’s under-20 race will also showcase one of the top prep athletes in the country, with 15-year-old Zariel Macchia returning to San Diego less than a month after placing 12th at the Eastbay Cross Country Championships at Balboa Park’s Morley Field, less than 10 miles south of Mission Bay Park.

Macchia, a freshman at William Floyd High, is looking to become the second straight women’s under-20 winner from New York, with former Tully High star and current North Carolina State freshman Brooke Rauber capturing the 6-kilometer individual crown in 2020.

Macchia, who has been competing in indoor track the past two weekends, will be challenged at the longer distance by college athletes from Butler, Utah State, Oklahoma State, Loyola (Chicago) and Toledo.

Quinn Shanahan, a freshman at Butler, is the only female entry who competed Nov. 20 at the NCAA Division 1 Championships in Tallahassee.

Shanahan, who finished 37th at the Big East Championships and placed 189th at the NCAA final, boasts a 6-kilometer personal-best 21:07.4 in cross country.

Utah State twin sisters Kaybree Christensen and Karlee Christensen both competed in multiple races during the fall for the Aggies, including the Mountain West Conference Championships in Albuquerque and the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in October.

Nora Wollen of Loyola (Chicago) raced at the Midwest Regional Championships, along with finishing 23rd at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships for the Ramblers.

Oklahoma State is expected to be represented by freshmen Emily Carter, Colleen Stegmann and Grace Ping.

Stegmann and Ping raced unattached during the fall at the Cowboy Jamboree, gaining experience at the 6-kilometer distance.

Ping and Stegmann both competed in high school at Nike Cross Nationals, with Ping also racing twice at the Foot Locker National Championships – now Eastbay Cross Country Championships – in San Diego, representing Cotter High in Minnesota in 2018 and Desert Vista High in Arizona in 2019.

Toledo has entered Madison Eyman and Olivia Gang, both former Ohio state 3,200-meter runner-up finishers during their prep careers. Neither athlete has raced cross country yet for the Rockets, although both competed indoors Dec. 3 in the 3,000 meters.

Whitney James of Ganado High, who finished seventh at the Arizona Division 4 state final Nov. 13, is the only returning female athlete from the under-20 race in 2020. James finished 17th two years ago in 26:34.

Wings of America, with lineups showcasing several promising Native American athletes, will be represented in both under-20 races.