JSerraTFXC

The @JSerraTF Girls and Boys teams enjoyed numerous standout performances this weekend at both the Mt. SAC Relays at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut and the Orange County Track and Field Championships at Mission Viejo High School in Mission Viejo. Junior Reese Holley spearheaded another collective show of 800m strength by winning the girls invitational race in a new lifetime best of 2:08.10. Her signature career effort is currently Orange County’s top seasonal two-lap time, the third best in school history, and the fourth best in the state. Senior Chloe Elbaz finished sixth in 2:10.54, while freshman Maya Pawlowicz’s lifetime best effort of 2:11.73 placed her eighth. Elbaz, Holley, sophomore Morgan Woolforde, and senior Maya Woolforde dropped a seasonal best time of 3:52.77 in the invitational 4x400m relay to finish in second place. Maya Woolforde also placed fourth in the seeded 400m race in a time of 56.32. Senior Alden Morales starred in the boys 800m invitational race, clocking a seasonal-best 1:50.24 to place second. Fellow senior Jack Burnett finished fifth in a lifetime best 1:51.73. Senior Luke Friedl surged to a new lifetime best of 1:52.59 in the seeded 800m race, crossing the finish line in third place. Burnett and Friedl now occupy second and third place all-time in school history respectively. The quartet of junior Will Fredericksen, senior Zacarias Nickerson, junior Josiah Blackwell, and sophomore Sam Fredericksen established a new school record time of 1:28.70 in the seeded 4x200m relay to finish in fourth place. The Orange County pole vault title at Mission Viejo High school came down to a tight battle between Lions’ teammates. Junior Adi Rusin and senior Helena Reuter each cleared a meet-best height of 12 feet. Rusin, who set a new lifetime best with her clearance, won the title based on less total jumps in the competition. She becomes the first pole vaulter in school history to win the county crown.

Senior Mireya Hardman, freshman Maya Pawlowicz, senior Chloe Elbaz, and junior Reese Holley of the @JSerraTF team etched their names into 4x800m relay lore on Friday by running to a U.S.-leading and Orange County all-time record time of 8:50.32 on the opening day of the 58th annual Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High School. Hardman kicked started the record-setting run in the featured invitational race with an two-lap leg of 2:15.23 before handing off the baton to Pawlowicz, who navigated her split in 2:13.52 to propel the Lions into second place. Pawlowicz tunerd the stick over to Elbaz, who blazed to an opening lap of 59.93 to push the Lions into the lead and finished her split in 2:13.00 before turning the baton over to Holley for the anchor. Holley turned in a phenomenal 2:08.67 effort in her closing segment, holding off the determined challenge of the nation’s top 800m runner (Braelyn Combe of Santiago High School of Corona) to stamp O.C. history and set a new invitational record for the Lions. Seniors J.P. DeSantos, Luke Friedl, Jack Burnett, and Alden Morales turned in a high-quality showing in the Boys Invitational 4x1600m race. Santos navigated his two-lap segment in 1:56.12, before handing the baton to Friedl, who turned in an 800m navigation of 1:54.83. Burnett surged to a 1:53.91 effort in his leg, which saw him move the Lions into third place before handing the stick to Morales, who clocked a 1:53.27 split to earn a third-place overall finish of 7:38.13 for the Lions. JSerra’s effort is the fastest time in the state and the third fastest in the country this season. It is also the second-best time performance in school history, trailing only last year’s state championship winning clocking of 7:33.43 set by Burnett, Morales, and former standouts Bradley Arrey and Taye Newman. Sophomore Kaia Streadbeck, freshman Brooklyn Tennant, sophomore Talia Whitten, and freshman Sierra Harden joined forces to record a time of 20:55.88 (the state’s sixth fastest time this season) in the Girls Invitational 4x1600m race.

The @JSerraTF quartet of senior Chloe Elbaz, senior Maya Woolforde, senior Mireya Hardman, and freshman Maya Pawlowicz emerged with a down-to-the-wire triumph in the Invitational Girls Distance Medley Relay race to highlight the final day of action at the 2026 Arcadia Invitational on Saturday at Arcadia High School. Elbaz, who placed fourth in the seeded 800m race earlier in the evening session with a time of 2:09.86, jumpstarted the Lions’ effort with a 1200m opening leg clocking of 3:38.27 that pushed the team into first place as she passed the stick over to Woolforde. Woolforde sprinted to a 57.58 400m split before turning the race baton over to Hardman for the 800m portion of the relay. Hardman powered around the track in her two-laps in a time of 2:19.99 to set the stage for a dramatic 1600m anchor leg for Pawlowicz. The impressive first-year harrier faced a stiff challenge from the anchor runner from Cathedral Catholic, who closed the race gap through the first two laps and moved into first place with 600m left in the race. Pawlowicz drafted in second place as the runners made their final turn before coming down the home stretch in the final 100 meters, but timed one final burst expertly to pull ahead of the Cathedral Catholic anchor runner and hold off a late challenge from the Oaks Christian anchor on the outside. Pawlowicz’s 4:56.60 split carried her across the line to seal the Lions’ win in a time of 11:52.42, with Oaks Christian taking second in 11:52.76. Seniors Alden Morales, J.P. De Santos, Jack Burnett, and Luke Friedl joined forces in the invitational Boys Distance Medley race and produced a time of 10:20.10 to earn a sixth place result against a field of 24 teams. Earlier, Morales turned in a seasonal best of 1:52.23 to secure sixth place in the invitational Boys 800m race. Junior Reese Holley turned in a time of 4:54.04 in the invitational Girls Mile race to place eighth. Senior Helena Reuter cleared 11 feet, 11 inches in the invitational Girls Pole Vault competition, earning her ninth place.

LIONS POSTRACE: Seniors Chloe Elbaz, Maya Woolforde, and Mireya Hardman, along with freshman Maya Pawlowicz of the @JSerraTF team enjoyed a successful collective navigation on Saturday by winning the invitational Girls Distance Medley Relay (11:52.42) in thrilling fashion at the 2026 Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High School.   The quartet each share their individual mindsets during the highly competitive showcase race and how executing their respective segments of the competition led to another landmark relay win for the Lions under the bright lights at Arcadia

The JSerra Athletic Administration is proud to honor and spotlight 12 student-athletes who signed their National Letters of Intent to compete athletically on the collegiate level. Here is a look at the highlights from our National Signing Day ceremony this week at JSerra Catholic High School, courtesy of videographer Nick Davies!

Congrats to senior Jack Burnett of the @JSerraTF Boys Cross Country team who has been named to the All-County Second Team for the 2025 season!

Congrats to senior Luke Friedl of the @JSerraTF Boys Cross Country team who has been named to the All-County Second Team for the 2025 season!

Congrats to senior Alden Morales of the @JSerraTF Boys Cross Country team who has been named to the All-County First Team for the 2025 season!

Congrats to junior Reese Holley of the @JSerraTF Girls Cross Country team who has been named to the All-County Second Team for the 2025 season!

Congrats to freshman Brooklyn Tennant of the @JSerraTF Girls Cross Country team who has been named to the All-County First Team for the 2025 season!

Congrats to freshman Maya Pawlowicz of the @JSerraTF Girls Cross Country team who has been named to the All-County First Team for the 2025 season!

Another one for our guy! Congrats Coach!

@dylanstw__ @JSerraAthletics @1550sports @CIFState @hardynickerson 🎉

🚨 BREAKING : Hardy Nickerson has been hired as the new head coach for JSerra Catholic High School, @JSerraAthletics confirms to @1550sports Nickerson joins the Lions coming off of a 11-4 season and a Division 5-AA @CIFState title with Bishop O’Dowd. @hardynickerson

JSerra Catholic High School is proud to announce that Hardy Nickerson has been named the new Head Football Coach of the @JSerra_Football team! Please click the following link to read more on Coach Nickerson. resources.finalsite.net/images/v176601…

The @JSerraTF Girls Cross Country team capped an historic 2025 campaign by taking to the start line in the national championship race at the 2025 Nike Cross Country Nationals on Saturday at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Oregon. It was tough sledding for the field during the race, as consistent rain over the last few days left many areas of the course waterlogged with thick mud. JSerra tallied 407 points and finished in 21st place. Freshman Maya Pawlowicz led JSerra’s effort on Saturday, as she clocked a time of 18:48.3. Junior Reese Holley (19:30.2), senior Chloe Elbaz (19:42.5), junior Hutton Nelligan (19:56), and junior Hayden Kroger (20:00.7) completed the team’s scoring compression. Freshmen Sierra Harden (20:05.8) and Brooklyn Tennant (20:27.7) also crossed the finish line in Saturday’s race. JSerra’s fourth straight appearance at NXN set a new Orange County Record for the most teams appearances in meet history.

The @JSerraTF Girls Cross Country team toes the starting line with the top teams in country on Saturday, as the Lions compete at the 2025 Nike Cross Country Nationals at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Oregon. For a free webcast from the Nike Cross Country Nationals, please click on the following link: nxn.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?e… For live results from the Nike Cross Country Nationals, please click on the following link: live.athletictiming.net/meets/59209

The @JSerraTF Girls Cross Country team has completed its’ final preparations for the 2025 Nike Cross National Championship Race, which will be held on Saturday at Glendoveer Golf Course in Portland, Oregon. Lions Girls Cross Country Head Coach Chase Frazier details his thoughts the team making its fourth straight appearance on the national stage, his final messages to the team before they take to starting line on Saturday, and the team’s historical accomplishment of navigating a path back to the pinnacle competition.

@JSerraAthletics @JSGirlsBBall Great win ladies!

The @JSGirlsBBall team produced another high-quality victorious performance on Wednesday, as the Lions rallied to defeat the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers 67-63 at the Troy Hoops Classic at Troy High School in Fullerton. JSerra improves to 7-1 on the season with the win over a Trailblazers team ranked sixth in the nation by MaxPreps. The Lions trailed 33-30 at halftime, but held Sierra Canyon to only eight points in the third quarter to take a 44-41 lead heading into the fourth. JSerra stretched the lead to 53-46 on a lay-up by junior Brooklyn Burton with 4:55 remaining, but Sierra Canyon stormed back with a 7-0 run over the next 1:36 to tie the game at 53-53 with 3:19 left. But the Lions countered with a 9-2 spurt over the next 1:37, taking a 62-55 lead with 1:42 remaining. Junior Rosie Santos connected on five free throws in the waning moments of the game to stave off a final Trailblazers rally attempt and seal the Lions’ second noteworthy triumph in as many nights. Junior Vivian Grenald accumulated another double-double for the Lions, scoring 19 points and collecting 14 rebounds, both team-highs. Santos scored eight of her 18 points in the fourth quarter, while also dishing out a team-best eight assists. Junior Kayla Rice shot 7-for-11 from the field and scored 15 points, while grabbing six rebounds. Junior Shae Talluer added 11 points, including hitting on 3-of-4 from behind the three-point line.

The @JSerraTF Boys Cross Country team used another highly impressive cohesive team performance to make program history on Saturday, as the Lions claimed their first ever Division 4 state crown at the CIF State Cross Country Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno. The team talks about its’ collective strength shining on the state’s biggest stage, the feeling of earning the championship label after two consecutive runner-up finishes, and officially running into the record books.

The @JSerraTF Boys and Girls Cross Country teams stamped a season of unprecedented success on Saturday, as both teams brought home Division 4 state titles at the 2025 CIF State Cross Country Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno. JSerra becomes the first team program to win both titles in Division 4 since 2016. The Lions historic double began with the boys’ race, where JSerra’s packing swarm overwhelmed their state competitors. Their scoring quintet of seniors Alden Morales, Jack Burnett, Cole Carlson, and Luke Friedl, along with junior Zac O’Leary forged a lead at the mile marker and was separated by only eight seconds at the 2.1-mile mark, helping the Lions build a nine-point advantage. Morales was the first runner to cross the finish line in a time of 15:20.8, followed by Burnett (15:29), Carlson (15:35.1), Friedl (15:35.4), and O’Leary (15:46.6). JSerra’s 26-second scoring compression fueled a 69-79 victory over runner-up Sage Creek High School and the program’s first ever state title. In the girls’ race, the Lions’ pace-setting proved to be too much for its’ state rivals. JSerra packed its' five scoring runners in the top seven after the first mile and in the top 16 in as the runners passed the 2.1-mile marker. The freshman duo of Maya Pawlowicz (17:38) and Brooklyn Tennant (17:44) spearheaded the Lions' scoring effort upfront by finishing seventh and 10th respectively. Junior Reese Holley (17:57.5), senior Chloe Elbaz (18:28), and junior Hayden Kroger (18:35.1) capped the Lions’ 59-point collective scoring. Despite a valiant comeback attempt by Archie Williams High School inside the final mile, the Lions produced an eight-point win to claim their fifth straight state crown. The Lions are now one of only three programs in state history to win five consecutive state titles, joining Great Oak (2012-18) and Saugus (2008-12). JSerra’s eighth state title in school history makes them the winningest distance running program in Orange County history, breaking a previously held tie with Corona del Mar, and ties them for third all-time in state history with Great Oak.