Noonan, a junior, overtakes the leaders in the final mile to win the prestigious cross country event Saturday night in Irvine. JSerra’s girls team finishes second in the sweepstakes race.
Dana Hills junior Evan Noonan has continued the school’s legacy of producing elite cross country talent with his accomplishments since he joined the program in 2021.
At the Woodbridge Classic at the Great Park on Saturday night, he raised the bar a few notches for future Dolphins.
Competing against the state’s top runners, Noonan ran down several runners over the final 400 meters to finish first in the Doug Specks Sweepstakes race in 13 minutes, 41.3 seconds.
The junior went from 20th place at the 1-mile mark to fifth place at the second mile before finding an extra gear in a sprint to the finish line.
“The finish was exactly what I was looking for,” Noonan said. “Coming down the stretch, just knowing that I got a little more, and that I’ve saved a little more for later in the race, just helped so much, and just gave me that confidence to go forward and pursue that finish line.”
Times were impacted slightly for all runners because the course was 3.02 miles, not the standard 3 miles.
“I wasn’t really worried about time today since the courses have been changed, but just coming out here and just racing and knowing that I can run this time this early in the season, it’s just a huge morale boost towards postseason, state and nationals,” Noonan said.
