Story by Isu Park
Staff Writer
Photos by Rachel (Shin-Hye) Choi
Staff Photographer
SPHS Track and Field hosted the Rio Hondo League Finals on Friday, April 28. Both Girls’ and Boys’ Varsity dominated in their respective events.
For the 100m dash, junior Mia Holden won first place with a time of 12.17 and junior Lyla Keller placed second with 12.55. Boys’ Varsity also triumphed, as senior Kainoa Jones placed 4th, junior Mitchell Westlake placed 7th, and sophomore Sebastian Martinez placed 8th. Their times were 11.36, 11.57, and 11.65, respectively.
Jones raced in the 200m as well, placing 3rd with a time of 22.91. Westlake placed 4th at 22.34, and sophomore Logan Vargas placed 6th at 23.75. Keller placed second for Girls’ at 26.38, and freshman Anna Kowal placed 6th at 26.85.
In the 400m, Vargas placed 4th and senior Jeff Chen placed 6th. Their times were 52.08 and 54.83, respectively. Sophomore Perri Koo placed 4th for Girls’ Varsity at 61.11.
In the 800m, Boys’ Varsity outplayed and overwhelmed the competition with junior Keeran Murray winning first place with a time of 1:57.31. Junior Owen Correll placed 3rd at 2:02.58 and senior Jason Baek placed 4th at 2:02.91. For Girls’ Varsity, freshman Rose Vandevelde placed 4th with a time of 2:24.32 and senior Tyra Williams placed 7th with a time of 2:47.90.
Murray placed first again for Boys’ in the 1600m with a time of 4:19.90, and sophomore Adam Ruiz placed 4th with a time of 4:37.11. For Girls’, sophomore Abigail Errington placed second with a time of 5:19.11 and sophomore Amelie Geoffron placed 3rd at 5:28.85.
For the 3200m, sophomore Kallean Beebe Read placed second, freshman Kai Tilley placed 3rd, and junior Jarvis Kikekawa-Fraser placed 4th for Boys’ Varsity. Their times were 10:18.27, 10:20.07, and 10:34.77, respectively. For Girls’, Errington placed second at 11:19.47, and sophomore Saidbh Byrne placed 4th at 11:39.47.
Boys’ Varsity dominated the 110m hurdles, with senior Aidan Villasenor winning first with a time of 15.89. Sophomore Peter Dickinson placed second shortly after with a time of 16.06.
Dickinson also placed second in the Boys’ Varsity 300m hurdles at 42.35, and junior Harry Farley placed 7th at 46.58. Girls’ Varsity won this event with junior Mia Holden in first at 44.59 and sophomore Avery Taylor in 4th at 49.06.
Girls’ Varsity also won the 100m hurdles, with Holden in first place again with a time of 15.28. Taylor placed 4th with a time of 16.11.
In the 4×100 relay, runners Martinez, Vargas, Westlake, and Jones placed 3rd for Boys’ Varsity at 43.91. Girls’ Varsity placed second, with sophomore Jacqueline Sides, senior Annalea Pearson, Kowal, and Keller at a time of 49.92.
In the 4×400 relay, Boys’ Varsity placed 3rd with Jones, Vargas, Correll, and Murray at a time of 3:30.30. The Girls’ also placed 3rd, with sophomore Kezia Gavlak, Kowal, Vandevelde, and Koo at a time of 4:23.84.
Boys’ Varsity won first place in the 4×800 relay with senior Ian McLendon, Baek, Correll, and Murray at a time of 8:43.66. Boys’ also placed second, with Beebe Read, Dickinson, Ruiz, and Tilley at a time of 8:53.37. Girls’ Varsity placed second and 3rd with sophomore Chloe Koo, senior Leo Gonzalez-Pacheco, P. Koo, and Geoffron at times of 10:02.4 and 10.50.6, respectively.
For the field events, sophomore Omar Soufi placed second in Boys’ Varsity shot put with a score of 43 ‘7.5 and senior Isaiah Cooper placed 3rd with a score of 42′ 1.0. Senior Luna Encinas won 3rd for Girls’ Varsity, with a score of 28’ 9.5 and junior Lillian Sherman placed 4th with a score of 28’ 2.0.
Boys’ Varsity won the discus event, with Cooper seizing first place and senior Raymond Kwak coming in second. Their scores were 113’ 11 and 112’ 2, respectively. Sherman placed 3rd for Girls’ with a score of 73’ 8, and Encinas placed 5th with a score of 65’ 7.
For the Boys’ Varsity high jump, Martinez placed second with a score of 5’8. Junior Sawyer Fox placed 7th with a score of 5’2. Girls’ Varsity won this event with sophomore Kayla Boozer in first, senior Brooke Toshima in second, and Sherman in 3rd.
Boys’ Varsity placed second in pole vault, with sophomore Leonard Kwak at 11’ 0. Girls’ Varsity placed 4th with junior Samantha Huntley at 7’ 0.
In Boys’ Varsity long jump, junior Levi Bar-Cohen placed second at 19’ 3, and junior Mikey Hirano placed 6th at 16’ 5. For the Girls’ event, Gavlak placed second at 16’ 9.5 and junior Simone Assaf placed 3rd at 16’ 2.
Lastly, Boys’ Varsity won the triple jump event, with Villasenor in first with a score of 40’ 4 and junior Zeke Gavlak in 3rd with a score of 39’ 8. Girls’ Varsity also won this event, with Holden in first at 38’ 10, and Kezia Gavlak in second at 36’ 3.5.
This meet marks the end of the season, while individuals who qualified will compete in CIF.
