Story by Zoe Schlaak
Sports Editor
Photos courtesy of Dylan Stewart, PrepCalTrack.com
Contributor
The 2020-2021 boys track team won the Division 3 CIF Southern Section Championship title at the finals meet on Saturday, June 12, with help from key graduated seniors. With their 72 overall points, the boys team secured their first division title in SPHS history; the girls team won the title back in 2012.
Talent radiated from the boys long/middle distance this season. Graduated seniors Andrew Villapudua, Andrew Parkinson, and Patrick Latting placed second, third, and fifth, respectively, in the 1600m racking up a mighty 18 points for the team.
Parkinson and Latting were not done with their reign. In the 800m, both runners broke two minutes and placed within 0.07 seconds of each other. Latting placed third with a time of 1:59.54 and Parkinson placed fourth with a time of 1:59.61.
Villapudua, who will be running at the University of California San Diego in the fall, led the pack in the 3200m race and secured first place with a time of 9:21.16, earning the team 10 more points.
“The boys and I have been training since March for an opportunity like this, and I couldn’t be more proud of their performances given the hundreds of hours and countless miles we’ve put into this sport,” Villapudua said. “By investing 3-4 hours each day into running and lifting, us three were able to gather more than half of the team’s points with 39 points combined. This team title personified our goals and aspirations leading up to CIF finals, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
In the 200m dash, senior sprinter Ferrel Mansano came in fourth place with a time of 22.09 seconds.
The mere six points that helped South Pasadena acquire their esteemed title was accomplished by the team’s talented field event athletes, who raked in a total of 28 points. Senior Dominic Ramos dominated the pole vault and placed first with a 13 foot 6 inch mark. Senior Terrence Sweetman also placed fourth place in the triple jump with a personal best of 44 feet 5 inches. Junior Nikolas Iwankiw secured first place in shot put with an impressive 54 foot 6 inch mark, and fellow junior Noah Leider placed sixth throwing 49 feet 11.5 inches.
Athletes who qualify at their division finals normally head off to the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet, which serves as an opportunity to qualify for the Elite State Championships but due to coronavirus, both competitions were canceled. A select few distance athletes are training to compete in the National Scholastic Athletic Foundation Outdoor Nationals hosted by the University of Oregon, which will take place from Wednesday, June 30 to Saturday, July 3, but for most of the team, their season finished off with an unforgettable CIF title.
South Pasadena 2021 CIF Southern Section Division 3 Medalists
Individual Champion 1st Place Gold Medalists
Andrew Villapudua, 3200m race
Nikolas Iwanik, Shot Put
Dominic Ramos, Pole Vault
Second Place Silver Medalists
Andrew Villapudua, 1600m race
Girls 4x100m relay
Lindsay Michels, 3200m race
Third Place Bronze Medalists
Patrick Latting, 800m race
Andrew Parkinson, 1600m race
Ella Jayasakera, High Jump
Fourth Place Medalists:
Terrence Sweetman, Triple Jump
Andrew Parkinson, 800m race
Ferrel Mansano, 200m race
Fifth Place Medalists:
Patrick Latting, 1600m race
Lyla Keller, 200m race
Mia Holden, Triple Jump
Sixth Place Medalists:
Noah Leider, Shot Put
Ella Leeson, Long Jump
Lyla Keller, 100m race
