2025 Brooks XC Championships presented by Fleet Feet

Dark Horses of The Brooks XC Championships

While the spotlight will be focused towards the favorites, there are several underdogs to looks out for at the Brooks XC Championships.

Dec 12, 2025 by David Nguyen

Dark Horses of The Brooks XC Championships

The final weekend of the high school cross country season has arrived and it's looking to end on a high note at Balboa Park in San Diego, California as many of the best in the country are chasing the coveted Golden Spike at the Brooks XC Championships tomorrow.

Within the four regions -- Northeast, South, Midwest, and West, which had 10 individual qualifiers each for boys and girls, there were also 10 athletes who were awarded "Golden Tickets" throughout the fall to commend their efforts and bring additional depth to the competition.

While the spotlight will be focused towards the favorites, there are several underdogs to looks out for tomorrow who could do something special.

Underclassmen Boys Looking To Mix It In With The Veterans.

Falcon Jones (Utah), Wyatt Dann (Colo.) are the two underclassmen in the field who qualified through their regional championships that will be looking to make a statement against the veterans on Saturday.

Starting with Falcon, despite this being his first year competing in high school cross country, the Utah native has already made quite a bit of noise on the grass, as he managed a fifth-place finish at the Utah UHSAA State Championships back in late-October and second fastest underclassmen in the competition, just behind American Fork's Grant Hejny.

Things really kicked off for Jones during the national qualifiers however as he put up a 14th place finish at the NXN Southwest Regionals and notched a huge personal 5k best in 14:54.78, dipping under the 15-minute 5k barrier for the first time ever. While he narrowly missed qualifying for Nike Cross Nationals, he managed to bounce back for an 8th place finish at Brooks XC Championships West to punch his ticket to the 2025 Brooks XC Championships.

For Wyatt Dann, the Colorado native sprung onto the map following a 4th place finish at the Brooks XC Championships Midwest, just a week after taking 19th at Nike Cross Nationals Southwest Regional and 20th at the 5A Colorado State Cross Country Championships.

Peeking back at the 2024 season, Dann changed up his schedule a bit this year, as he had competed in the RunningLane XC Championships last year where he took 27th, but it looks like the decision to compete at a snowy Brooks XC Championships this fall worked out for him as he will be toeing the line seeking a national title tomorrow.

Could Andres Lomeli Turn Heads On Home Turf?

Somebody that wasn't mentioned in the preview but will be coming into the Brooks XC Championships with a strong resume from this fall is the Mt. Sac XC Champion, runner-up at the CIF State XC Championships, and the 4th place finisher at Brooks XC Championships West, Andres Lomeli (Calif.). As with many others, he will be looking to not just close out not just a long cross-country season (opener back in August), but also put on a show for the home crowd at Balboa Park.

Lomeli's season so far on paper has been quite a fun one, as the senior notched numerous victories and notable high places during the fall leading up to this weekend's finale. Outside of the aforementioned, he opened up the season with three straight victories and followed that up with a scorching 14:19.90 3-mile best for 22nd at the 44th annual Woodbridge Cross Country Classic. To top it off, just a week after, Lomeli put the nation on notice as he dropped a huge 14:38.50 at the Kim Duyt Twilight Cross Country Invitational.

Compared to last fall where he took 20th at the West Regionals and 7th at the CIF State Championships, this will be the senior's first and final appearance on the cross-country national stage ever as a high schooler.)

The Three Musketeers (Webb School Trio)

Potentially the first time a program has managed to qualify not one nor two, but THREE athletes to the same national championship competition in one day, the Webb School of Knoxville will be well-represented in San Diego on Saturday as Calysta Garmer (Tenn.), Carolina Areheart (Tenn.), and Jazzlyn Garmer (Tenn.) all finished within the qualifying top-10 at the Brooks XC Championships South at McAlphine Park.

What's even more remarkable is that these three will be doubling back from Nike Cross Nationals just last week, the team finished 15th overall, with the Garner sisters lead the way with their top-30 finishes.

There is not much that can be said about this crew as they have been some of the many athletes who've been in the spotlight this fall, especially the Garmers with a decent sized following on social media documenting their running journeys.

Looking back at the season itself, these three have essentially been inseparable since the start except on occasion in October when only Calysta and Carolina raced, consistently notching high placements not too far from each other which in the end resulted in a dominant team victory at both the state championships and NXR Southeast.

First and Final For Sophia Szolosi

While Sophia Szolosi (Ohio) may have won her respective regional competition at the Brooks XC Championships Midwest in the harshest conditions imaginable, this was her fourth time competing at the regional championships but first time ever punching her ticket to a national championship during the cross-country season.

Prior to this year's edition, Szolosi had narrowly missed qualifying for nationals two years in-a-row, taking 16th last year and 12th the year before that. This fall has been shaping up to be her strongest by far to close out the Duke commit's high school cross-country campaign, as Szolosi managed to remain nearly undefeated in the Midwest with her one and only runner-up finish being back in late-September.

This comes after a breakout junior year in 2024-2025 where she notched her first cross-country state title at the OHSAA Division 2 State Championships.

While nothing is guaranteed, there is one thing that gives not just Szolosi, but the Midwest Regional qualifiers a slight upper-hand on the rest of the field--having to battle through the wintry conditions on a hilly course prior to coming to California.

How To Watch The The Brooks XC Championships 2025

The Brooks XC Regionals are not streaming live, however you can watch the Brooks XC Championships 2025 live on FloTrack.

Follow Brooks XC Regionals coverage and breaking news on FloTrack.

How Do Runners Qualify For Brooks XC Regionals?

Athletes can qualify for the Brooks XC Championship 2025 through two ways: finishing in the top ten in their regional qualifier or by receiving a Fleet Feet Golden Ticket invite.

When and Where Is The Brooks XC Championships 2025

The 2025 Brooks XC Championships are on Dec. 13 at Balboa Park in San Diego, CA.

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