Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.<\/a><\/p>\nThe Wilson Girls\u2019 Cross Country wrapped up an impressive year by reaching the CIF State Championship \u2013 something the Bruins hadn\u2019t done since 2002. Wilson is the first Long Beach team to reach the state meet since the Long Beach Poly girls placed 13th in the Division 1 race in 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just hard work that\u2019s been paying off, and since last year, we really wanted to go to State, and since we finally got it, it was just a happy moment for everyone. As a team captain, it\u2019s the greatest feeling ever,\u201d\u00a0 said senior Ashlei Aguayo.<\/p>\n
At the state meet in Fresno, the Bruins finished 12th as a group, led by senior Nadia Mejia, who placed 22nd in a time of 18:01. Wilson\u2019s 12th place finish as a team in 2025 is the best finish for a Long Beach team since the Poly boys\u2019 squad placed 11th at the 2019 State Championships.<\/p>\n
The road to State was a tough one for the Bruins, filled with many moments of success and lots of hard work. Wilson established themselves as the top team in the city when they clinched the Moore League Team championship and won the Individual title with Mejia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means a lot,\u201d said junior Audrey Buckley of earning that State qualification. \u201cWe worked so hard all summer so I know today there was a lot of passion going into our race. I think everyone really gave their all all summer, and by the end, it was a really emotional time. We would have some workouts where we\u2019d kind of end in tears, just because we wanted it so bad. So it means a lot to make it to State. It\u2019s a really big deal, especially with our team being as good as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
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