Viewpoint senior Olly O’Connor was the only local runner to capture a CIF Cross Country state championship this season. O’Connor was the first local runner to win an individual state championship since 2022, as he won the Division V State individual title at Woodward Park in Fresno last weekend.
“It’s a goal I’ve been working towards for so long,” O’Connor said. “Tracking my progress throughout the season, I hit a lot of big checkpoints I had, and those affirmations let me know I would have a shot at the state title.”
O’Connor had a dominant senior season to help lead Viewpoint to its fourth straight CIF-SS Division 5 team title. O’Connor won his third straight individual Gold Coast League championship and also won nine of the 11 races he participated in for Viewpoint this season. The lone losses came in the prestigious Woodbridge Classic, where he had his PR and finished eighth with a time of 14:07.2, and his other loss came when O’Connor was running through an injury and finished in second in a CIF-SS prelim heat.
“Olly’s progression through high school has been phenomenal. Coming into high school, he didn’t have a lot of running experience after only starting in eighth grade.” Viewpoint head coach Justin Hackitt said. “Freshman year in state, he got 96th, and he’s been just a true testament to what hard work and consistency will do for you to rise up this much.”
O’Connor progressed, finishing 22nd his sophomore year and fifth last year. The Viewpoint boys team finished third in state as a team this year after finishing as the runner-up in 2024.
O’Connor won the individual CIF-SS championship by a margin of 13 seconds and with a time of 14:18.3, but the state championship race was much closer. He was neck and neck with Blake Bay of Fresno Christian for most of the race, as he defeated him by a margin of three seconds with a time of 14:52.6.
“He (Blake Bay) and I were basically together from mile one to the last 150 meters, and it was definitely the most exciting race I have ever been a part of,” O’Connor said. “I have known Blake for a little bit now, and it was great to go up against him. We had only had one official matchup this year at Woodbridge, where he beat me by like a second and we kinda knew after that we would be pushing each other for state.”
O’Connor will be staying local for college, as he signed with UCLA to run cross country and track for the school.
“It’s an exciting decision that I feel very privileged to make. I had gotten to know their head coach really well and seeing the team culture and atmosphere was so amazing.” O’Connor said. “So many things lined up by staying in a city and climate I am used to and seeing all the plans they have for the future made the decision a no-brainer.”
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