Milpitas rose to regional prominence in the late-1990s and early-2000s on the girls’ side, powered by the Nebeker family and a deep roster that made the Trojans a CCS fixture. The school’s athletics archive credits a 1997 Division I individual CCS title to Kim Nebeker, then a run of girls’ league crowns in 2000, 2001, and 2003, plus additional CCS individual titles in 2000 and 2001 (Jessica Baldwin) and 2003 (Marie Nguyen). The breakthrough came in 2000 when Milpitas won the CCS Division I girls’ team championship behind scorers Jessica Baldwin, Ashleigh Nebeker, Erinn Kim, Erica Elias, and Marie Nguyen, a lineup that cemented the Trojans’ first sustained golden era.

By 2003, the Nguyen–Erinn Kim tandem had become the program’s identity—racing together since middle school and finishing 1–2 at CCS before advancing to state; a Mercury News recap noted their “symbiosis,” and Nguyen and Kim both earned All-CCS honors that fall. Statewide coverage recorded Milpitas placing 15th at the CIF State Meet with Nguyen 13th and Kim 17th—proof the Trojans could travel and contend. Meanwhile, the boys were hardly quiet: Matt Grilli headlined early-2000s results, winning the 2002 Central Park Invitational as Milpitas clinched the team title, and later appearing in CCS honors lists as one of the section’s standouts.

Two decades on, Milpitas authored a new chapter—this time on the boys’ side. In 2022, under Coach Yohaness Asnake, the Trojans captured the program’s first-ever CCS Division I boys’ team championship at Crystal Springs, a milestone publicly recognized by the district and local community channels. The title-winning squad featured, among others, Alex and Jordan Althouse; Jordan went on to represent Milpitas at the CIF State Championships that November, underlining the program’s rise from league contender to section champion and state qualifier in a single season.

Today, Milpitas continues to blend tradition and renewal—drawing on alumni families (the Nebekers), legacy names (Nguyen, Kim, Grilli), and a new wave of athletes who have restored the Trojans to the CCS conversation. The program retains a visible footprint through official channels and meet databases, and even a small but passionate community of parents and alumni who document races and keep the story moving forward—evidence that cross country at Milpitas is as much a culture as it is a team.