OROVILLE, Calif. — Lake Tahoe Community College men’s cross country secured its spot at the 3C2A State Championships, placing sixth overall at the 2026 3C2A Northern California Regional Championships at North Forebay State Recreation Area on Friday.

By virtue of their top-eight team finish, the Coyotes earned automatic qualification to the state meet. LTCC posted a team score of 192 points with a combined team time of 1:50:02.6, holding off hard-charging squads from Modesto JC (199 points) and College of the Redwoods (201 points) in a tightly contested pack.

Sophomore Elijah Gilleland paced the Coyotes across the four-mile circuit, crossing the tape in 13th place overall with a time of 21:05.3. The performance capped a stellar regional run for Gilleland, who took third at the Golden Valley Conference Championships the week prior and scored 13 critical points toward the team tally. His 13th-place finish also earned him Second Team All-Region.

Fellow sophomore Jacob Manning followed in 28th place at 21:43.6, while Kyle Oltmanns placed 31st with a time of 21:55.1.

The Coyotes clinched their state berth through the efforts of their middle and closing pack. Freshman Richard Stites crossed in 60th (22:37.8), and freshman Alessandro Pimentel rounded out the scoring five in 62nd place at 22:40.8, edging out seventh-place Modesto JC’s fifth scoring runner by nearly 19 seconds.

Freshmen Kenton Girt (63rd, 22:41.2) and Shivraj Dhillon (81st, 23:54.1) completed the seven-runner lineup for Lake Tahoe.

Clovis Community College captured the NorCal team championship with 60 points behind individual champion Davis Bosch (20:13.0). American River College placed second with 69 points, followed by College of the Sequoias (127), Butte College (147), and Hartnell College (189).

The Coyotes will conclude their 2026 campaign at the 3C2A State Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 21 at Woodward Park in Fresno.

Lake Tahoe CC (4 miles)
13. Elijah Gilleland 21:05.3
28. Jacob Manning 21:43.6
31. Kyle Oltmanns 21:55.1
60. Richard Stites 22:37.8
62. Alessandro Pimentel 22:40.8
63. Kenton Girt 22:41.2
81. Shivraj Dhillon 23:54.1

Team Scores
1. Clovis CC 60
2. American River 69
3. Sequoias 127
4. Butte 147
5. Hartnell 189
6. Lake Tahoe 192
7. Modesto JC 199
8. Redwoods 201
9. De Anza 217
10. Chabot 235
11. San Joaquin Delta 236
12. Shasta 287
13. Santa Rosa JC 305
14. San Mateo 411
15. Monterey Peninsula 416
16. Sacramento City 458
17. Fresno City 463