(Brooks XC Championships Midwest ~ Women's Qualifiers at UW-Parkside)
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Schreiber/MileSplit
Watch Live: 2025 Brooks XC Championships
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A pair of Ohio-based standouts will conclude their cross country campaigns on Saturday in San Diego, California at the revered Balboa Park course.
Sophia Szolosi and Elena Aldrink will look to punctuate what has been a tremendous season for both athletes when they step up to the start line for the 2025 Brooks XC Championships Presented By Fleet Feet.
The duo earned invitations to the Championships following their work at Brooks XC Midwest two weeks ago in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Szolosi won the Elite Division contest and where Aldrink took the 4th overall position.
Overcoming adversity that day for Szolosi and Aldrink would be an understatement. Not only did they pocket the coveted XC Championships qualification berths while facing top talent from XC power states like Illinois, Michigan and Colorado, but they also did so while negotiating harsh winter-storm like weather conditions.
Szolosi scored her victory in The Badger State with a 17:22.9 mark while Aldrink occupied the No. 4 spot on the leaderboard via her 17:35.5 effort.
A formidable test awaits on Saturday, as Szolosi and Aldrink will encounter national-level opposition from coast-to-coast in the form of NXN Champion Natasza Dudek, Georgia State Champion Averi Lowen, California State Champion Summer Wilson, New Jersey State Champion Blair Bartlett, Oregon State Champion Ellery Lincoln, Washington State Champion Sophia Rodriguez, New Mexico State Champion Gianna Rahmer and West Virginia State Champion Maysen Fletcher, among many others.
Sophia Szolosi, Athens HS (Duke University)
Szolosi was all gas no brakes throughout the 2025 cross country season, winning 8 of her 9 race starts. It took a photo-finish in one of the top races of the fall for her to encounter her lone set-back, a second place finish at Berlin Bear Den Dash, where she narrowly trailed Kaitlyn Carr (Smithville) by 0.01 seconds.
Szolosi set the tone in her first outing, earning a victory at Saturday Night Lights. Subsequent to this, among her highlights were wins at Tri-Valley Conference, District Rio Grande, Pickerington Region and Division 2 State.
She clocked sub-17 performances on two occasions, including an all-time personal best mark of 16:43.59 at her OHSAA Regional. A diverse, versatile athlete, Szolosi pivoted over to the oval in mid-November and won the Dash for Doobie 3200m event in 10:14.66 while facing a collection of North Carolina's distance specialists.
Szolosi has confirmed she'll be taking her talents to Durham next year to compete for the Duke University Blue Devils.
Elena Aldrink, Olentangy Liberty HS (University of Washington)
Aldrink earned half a dozen wins this season in her eight race starts. She opened the '25 campaign serving notice in the Central Region with wins at the stacked Pickerington North XC Classic, Hilliard Davidson Hot Summer Bash and Dublin Jerome Celtic Clash meets.
From there Aldrink claimed triumphs at OCC - Central, Region and OHSAA Division 1 State.
Similar to Szolosi, Aldrink dipped under the elusive 17-minute benchmark with her career best time of 16:55.44 at Dublin Jerome.
Aldrink will be Pacific Northwest bound following her high school tenure. She dropped the news on social media last month that she'll be attending the University of Washington in Seattle to further her academic and athletic careers.
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