Girls 17-and-Under 5K: Eleven-Year-Old Tommasini Dominates in Napa

• Brielle Tommasini, age 11, wins in 21:54 — a 7:03/mi pace that left the field more than two and a half minutes behind.
• Closest battle of the day: Jazlynn Ballines (35:04, 10th), Adalyn Gomez (35:07, 11th), and Kendall Bawden (35:00, 9th) finished within seven seconds of each other across three spots.
• Youngest finisher: Six-year-old Navya Sinnathamby of Saratoga crossed 14th in 46:28 — and eight-year-old Iris Lee completed the full 5K in 56:57 to close out the field.
• El Dorado Hills sweep: Three of the top four spots belonged to runners from El Dorado Hills, including the top two on the podium.

On a crisp 36°F morning in Napa, Brielle Tommasini — just 11 years old — ran away from a 15-girl field with authority. Her 21:54 finish at a 7:03/mi clip was in a class of its own, with second-place Kendall Bawden of Napa clocking 24:26 (7:52/mi) — a gap of 2:32 that made the top spot never really in doubt.

The podium told an El Dorado Hills story. Gianna Tommasini, Brielle's 10-year-old companion from the same city, claimed 3rd in 26:53 (8:39/mi), while fellow El Dorado Hills 10-year-old Ellie Ziese took 4th in 28:06 (9:03/mi). Three of the top four finishers in the girls' field came from that one city, and the top two on the podium share a last name — the Tommasini duo made quite a statement together.

The middle of the pack produced the race's tightest cluster. Kayla Vensko (5th, 30:56), Alejandra Valladares (6th, 31:18), Anju Adhikari (7th, 31:31), and Kaylin Kwon (8th, 31:45) all finished within 49 seconds of each other — a genuine battle across four spots. Then, in the 9th-through-11th positions, Kendall Bawden (35:00), Jazlynn Ballines (35:04), and Adalyn Gomez (35:07) were separated by just seven seconds across the board.

The final two finishers deserve their own moment. Six-year-old Navya Sinnathamby of Saratoga finished 14th in 46:28, and eight-year-old Iris Lee of San Jose wrapped up the field in 56:57 — two of the youngest athletes of the morning, finishing a full 5K on a cold California day.