GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY DREAM TEAM 2025
RUNNER OF THE YEAR
Nadia Mejia, Long Beach Wilson, Senior
Wilson senior Nadia Mejia is the Press-Telegram girls cross country runner of the year for the second time in three years.
Mejia won the Moore League individual title in 17 minutes and 43 seconds at Heartwell Park on Nov. 5.
“She ran that all alone and really she did it to lead her team,” Wilson coach C.J. Brewer said about Mejia’s victory by a 25-second margin. “She’s a legacy Bruin. She has a lot of heart for her school and her teammates.”
Mejia’s late-season performances led Wilson to new heights. The Bruins won the Moore League team title for the first time since 2018. Mejia was the team’s No. 1 runner in the CIF Southern Section prelims, CIF-SS finals and CIF State meet.
She ran the area’s fastest time of 16:58.6 on Mt. SAC’s 3-mile rain course to finish 13th overall at the CIF Southern Section Division 1 Finals on Nov. 22.
The two-time Moore League champion concluded her season with a team-best finish of 22nd overall with a personal best time of 18:01.5 over 5,000 meters at the CIF State Division I finals at Woodward Park in Fresno on Nov. 29.
Mejia was also named the Press-Telegram runner of the year after her sophomore season.
“It didn’t come without any obstacles along the way, but that’s why she’s so emotional when she got that (Moore League) trophy at the end, because she was able to overcome all of that and get success in the end,” Brewer said. “That’s what anyone would want at the end of their high school career.”
A teammate wipes a joyful tear off the cheek of Wilson’s Nadia Mejia after winning the Moore League girls team championship trophy on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at Heartwell Park in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Wilson’s Nadia Mejia has an early lead en route to winning the girls Moore League cross country final on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at Heartwell Park in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Wilson’s Nadia Mejia raises the Moore League girls team championship trophy alongside teammates on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at Heartwell Park in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Wilson’s Nadia Mejia took first place in the girls Moore League cross country final on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at Heartwell Park in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Wilson’s Nadia Mejia holds a nice lead halfway through the Moore League cross country cluster meet 1 in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Wilson’s Nadia Mejia races with a nice lead at the Moore League cross country meet at El Dorado Park in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Wilson’s Nadia Mejia has a commanding lead on her way to winning the girls Moore League cross country final on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at Heartwell Park in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Wilson’s Nadia Mejia has an early lead on her way to winning the girls Moore League cross country final on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at Heartwell Park in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Wilson’s Nadia Mejia wins the girls Moore League cross country final on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at Heartwell Park in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
Wilson’s Nadia Mejia took first place in the girls Moore League cross country final on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at Heartwell Park in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
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A teammate wipes a joyful tear off the cheek of Wilson’s Nadia Mejia after winning the Moore League girls team championship trophy on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at Heartwell Park in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)
COACH OF THE YEAR
C.J. Brewer, Long Beach Wilson
Wilson’s C.J. Brewer is the Press-Telegram girls cross country coach of the year after leading the Bruins to the program’s first Moore League title since 2018.
Brewer also led Wilson to an area-best sixth-place finish at the CIF Southern Section Division 1 Finals at Mt. SAC. The team also qualified for the CIF State Championships.
Wilson was the only local team to reach the state meet at Woodward Park in Fresno. The Bruins finished 12th in the Division I race. It was the program’s first time competing at the state meet since 2002.
FIRST TEAM
Nadia Mejia, Wilson, Sr. (The Press-Telegram Runner of the Year)
Priscilla Guillen, Warren, So.
Audrey Buckley, Wilson, Jr.
Wilson’s Audrey Buckley comes in second in the Moore League cross country meet in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Catherine Gomez, Warren, Fr.
Alyssa Huerta, Warren, Jr.
Amberly McDowell, Millikan, Fr.
Ashlei Aguayo, Wilson, Sr.
Avery Errecart, Wilson, Jr.
Alissa Alvarado, La Mirada, Fr.
Lauren Gutierrez, La Mirada, Jr.
SECOND TEAM
Maddie Heenan, Los Alamitos, Jr.
Avery Peck, Long Beach Poly, Sr.
Riley Jones, Wilson, Jr.
Wilson’s Riley Jones and Ashlei Aguayo stay close to the lead in the Moore League cross country cluster meet 1 in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Grace Cervantes, Warren, Jr.
Ella George, Wilson, Fr.
Alana Marin, La Mirada, Jr.
Sienna Young, Long Beach Poly, So.
Long Beach Poly’s Sienna Young races in sixth in the Moore League cross country meet in Long Beach, CA, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Ysabel Ponio, Downey, So.
Zoe Chang, La Mirada, Sr.
Caris Honma, Los Alamitos, Jr.
HONORABLE MENTION
Zoey Santiago, La Mirada, So.
Sophia Camera, Los Alamitos, Fr.
Poppy Wells, Long Beach Poly, Jr.
Estefany Garcia Hernandez, Long Beach Poly, Sr.
Leticia Tovar, Wilson, Jr.
Alexandra Arriaga, Warren, Sr.
Mia Carranza, Warren, Fr.
Jocelyn Jimenez, Millikan, Jr.
Amanda Palomino, La Mirada, Sr.