Head coach Owen Brown believes Ceres High School’s cross country program is headed in right direction despite its lack of numbers.

The Bulldogs have a roster size of 22 runners this fall.

“We’ll be able to recruit more as we become more successful,” Brown said. “The students do most of the recruiting. It doesn’t mean I don’t go to the middle schools.”

“I want the kids to have fun, work hard and improve,” he added. “Participating in sports helps you become a better overall person. It’s a very positive thing for students.”

Ceres High’s girls team features eight runners.

The Bulldogs have three returners in Jaden Stahl (Jr.), Brianna Luna (So.) and Stephanie Espinoza (So.).

Newcomers Carmen Arce-Hayes (Sr.), Melina Aguirre (Jr.), Samira Mendoza (Jr.), Destiny Pena (Jr.) and Addison Chastain (Fr.) round out Ceres High’s roster.

Stahl was voted team captain.

“She’s a great leader,” Brown said. “She has a good attitude. She’s really pleasant to be around. She communicates well with the other kids. She’s encouraging. She’s good at keeping everybody moving in the right direction.”

Luna and Stahl both earned all-Western Athletic Conference honors in 2022.

A newcomer to cross country, Luna garnered first-team all-league recognition as a freshman.

She brought home a medal from the WAC Championships. Luna placed eighth with a time of 22 minutes, 25 seconds on the 3.1-mile course at Ceres River Bluff Regional Park.

Luna took fifth, seventh and eighth during the WAC’s three regular-season cluster meets.

Stahl was selected to the WAC Second Team as a sophomore.

She placed 13th (23:44) at the conference finals.

She took sixth, 10th and 14th during the WAC regular season.

Espinoza finished 26th at the year-end league meet as a freshman.

“I expect both of them (Luna and Stahl) to be all-league,” Brown said. “I think they will be as long as they stay injury-free.”

Ceres High’s girls totaled 75 points en route to a fourth-place finish at the 2022 WAC Championships.

Mountain House (30), Lathrop (57) and Los Banos (64) took first, second and third, respectively.

Beyer, Grace Davis and Pacheco didn’t post team scores due to a lack of numbers.

“I’m hoping to be in the top half of the league,” Brown said. “We can’t get first or second. We just don’t have the depth.”

Ceres High’s boys team features 14 runners.

“We have so many new boys on the team,” Brown said. “I’d like to see continued improvement in their personal records meet after meet. I believe they’ll reach that goal.”

The Bulldogs’ top returners are Aaron Lopez (Sr.), Zachary Chastain (Jr.), Martin Bolanos Aleman (So.), Jose Carranza (So.), Ivan Rodriguez (So.) and Sergio Torres (So.).

Lopez was voted team captain.

“I nominated him and the kids agreed he’d be a good captain,” Brown said. “He has a great work ethic. He’s committed to helping out the other runners. He’s started to take on a more leadership role.”

Ceres High’s top newcomers are Isac Cazarez (Jr.), Kevin Pena (Jr.), Abraham Rodriguez (Jr.), Emanuel Barajas (So.), Christian Valdez (So.) and Daniel Plantillas (Fr.). 

The Bulldogs posted a team score of 146 en route to a sixth-place finish at the 2022 WAC Championships.

Beyer (34), Mountain House (37), Grace Davis (87), Lathrop (106), Pacheco (144), Los Banos (201) and Johansen (208) finished first, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth, respectively.

“I’d love to finish in the top three,” Brown said. “But we don’t have the depth.”

“The kids are going to improve quite a bit,” he added.