Track & Field (2024)

Distance Squad Shines @ "Always Sunny in Union City" Invite

April 20^th, 2024

Collin Kopckik Passes to Kai Valle (4 x 800)

Union City, CA – On Saturday, an abbreviated Saint Mary’s team captured 3 individual wins along with a relay gold at what was billed the “Always Sunny in Union City” Invitational hosted by James Logan High School.  Much of the talk coming into this 2024 track season revolved around how committed the distance team was and how well they were training.  So, it was no surprise that is was this group that led the way.

Shane Doherty, Finley Basler, Mika Mazin

The boy’s 1600 highlighted the meet, with junior Kai Valle leading a cavalcade of 10 Panthers under the vaunted 5:00 barrier.  Kai’s :06 second PR took him to an impressive 4:30 win while dragging a host of teammates to times they had never run before. 

Senior Collin Kopchik (4:33) shaved :03 from his personal best, as did junior Jacob Demissie (4:36).  Sophomore Ian Kopchik (4:37) destroyed his previous best by a whopping :11 seconds, while Tucker Presnell (4:37), Mika Mazin (4:47), Shane Doherty (4:48), Finley Basler (4:49) and senior Daniel McAndrew-Kvaerno (4:57) also establishing new lifetime bests. 

Maddie Potter, Lia Sullivan, Jing Li-Chou

Sunni Scott, Marcus Hughes (Boys 100 meters)

Later in the day, Jacob, Collin, and Kai teamed with sophomore Adrian Hall to win the 4 x 800 relay in a season best 8:33. 

Brooklyn Dwyer and Alexa Lawson placed first and second in the open girls 400, they too running lifetime bests. Both juniors threatened to dip under the elusive :60 second barrier but each missed it by just a few tenths of a second.  Freshman Sabrina Jackson also posted a huge PR in the race, circling the oval in just over 62 seconds . On the boys side, senior Simone Daniel (54.60) placed fourth in the boys 400, also running faster than he ever had.

Senior Sarah Gray

Joaquin Tarango, Brandon Bosio, Adrian Hall (800 meters)

Seniors, Sarah, Gray and Jackie Estimbre placed first and second in the girls high jump to lead the Panthers in the field.

Other notable performers on Saturday were sophomore Maleah Bay in the 100 meters; juniors Madison Potter and Lia Sullivan in the girls 1600;  senior Lila Nemerson-Hoover (whose :12 second PR in the 1600 was the day’s best);  and junior Joaquin Tarango -whose bold move with 300 meters to go in the boys 800 almost earned him the individual gold.

Brooklyn, Kira, Tori, Alexa, Jaiden, Callie, Maleah

In the end, Joaquin finished second overall, running a PR 2:05. Junior Gabriel Cabral and sophomore Nico Echeverria also had solid PR races in the boys 800.  

On "Senior Day", Junior Class Leads Panthers in Battle Against Albany

April 15^th, 2024

Berkeley, CA – The Panther track and field squad hosted league rival Albany in a TCAL showdown at Brady Park on Monday.  Both teams, despite being in the same league and sharing the same zip code, entered the meet having not competed against one another yet this season.  And, as always, much of the competition was spirited and tenacious.

Despite the meet being  billed as “Senior Day” (an occasion to celebrate the 17 members of the team competing in their final home meet), the stars of the day seemed to come from the junior class.  Juniors Jaden Jones, Kai Valle, Alexa Lawson, Brooklyn Dwyer, Callie Ballard and Jaiden Reed all either posted impressive winning marks, established lifetime bests… or both!

Jaden Jones recorded the day’s top performances, winning the 400 in a PR 51.63 before long jumping to a PR 20’11”.  Both marks vault him to the top echelon of the TCAL leader board and make him one of the favorites at next months TCAL Championships. Fellow junior Kai Valle won a spirited 800 meter battle over junior teammate Javin Schmitt -2:02.7 - 2:03.3.  Both Kai and Javin rank in the top 5 league wide.

Juniors Alexa Lawson and Brooklyn Dwyer traded wins in the 100 meters and 300 meter hurdles… with Brooklyn taking the 100 (PR 13.07) and Alexa the 300 hurdles (PR 48.89).  Alexa was 2^nd in the 100 while Brooklyn was 2^nd in the 300 hurdles.

Another pair of 11th graders, Callie Ballard and Jaiden Reed, also traded wins in the long and triple juimps.  Callie edged Jaiden by 1 inch in the triple jump before Jaiden returned the favor with a 3” win in the long jump. 

Two other athletes, senior Zendo Rouson and freshman Sabrina Jackson, were commended by their coaches after the meet.  Zendo was the boy’s triple jump winner at 40’1”.  It was Zendo’s first ever jump over 40’0”.  Later, freshman Sabrina Jackson held off several fast-charging teammates to win the girl’s 200 meters. 

Finally, in what may have been the feature event of the day, ten 4 x 400 meter mixed relay teams competed in the annual “Chipotle Challenge” … with the winning squad picking up Chipotle gift cards as their prize.  With much anticipation and competitive fire present, the team of Sunni Scott, Alexa Lawson, Bruno Middleton and Adrian Hall emerged triumphant.  While not confirmed, some say they heard Adrian phoning in his order in, spikes still on as he exited the track.  Winning always feels a bit better when accompanied by a free burrito!  Congratulations J

Despite Stormy Weather, Panthers Stay On Track @ Bay Area Relays

March 23^rd, 2024

Junior Leo Turner

Pleasanton, CA - On Saturday - despite windy, rainy, miserable weather - the Saint Mary’s track and field team lined up and competed against some of the best teams across the North Coast section at the 9th annual Bay Area Relays at Foothill High School in Pleasanton.  

“We knew rain was in the forecast,” noted coach Jay Lawson after the meet. “But I don’t think we expected it to down pour and even hail at times.  I think I speak for all of our coaches in saying we’re proud of the way our team competed and didn’t complain in such nasty conditions.”

Jaiden Reed to Kira Gant-Hatcher

Brooklyn Dwyer

Indeed, in spite of the challenges, by days end the Panthers had racked up two team relay wins, two individual wins, two runner up performances, and several top five finishes.  Leading the way for the Panthers was All-NCS long and triple jumper Kira Gant Hatcher.  In what is becoming a repetitive storyline, Kira came into the meet as the top seed and came away with event gold.  After a morning of sprinting, it took a big final round jump in the wind and rain from the talented sophomore to secure the triple jump event victory.  Her effort - combined with solid jumping from teammates Callie Ballard, Jaiden Reed, and Tori Harris – secured the team win for the talented foursome.

Freshman Kamryn Levy to Freshman Sabrina Jackson

Junior Callie Ballard

The other team victory went to the frosh-soph boys 4 x 800 relay team. Led by a strong lead off leg from sophomore Ian Kopchik, the boys were a runaway winner against a very strong field. Sophomore Mika Mason ran second, with Shane Doherty on the third carry before handing to anchorman Adrian Hall. Ian ran 2:11, Mika, 2:12, Shane 2:15 and Adrian 2:09 for the winners.

 Senior Colin Kopchik earned the runner-up spot in the varsity boys mile, actually winning his heat in 4:42, but was later outdone by a faster runner in another heat.

Sophomore Mika Mazin

The girls relay quartet of Jaiden Reed, Kira, Gant Hatcher, Alexa Lawson, Brooklyn, Dwyer) equalled Collins runner up placing in the seldom run 100-100-200-400 sprint medley relay.  Earlier, the same group also won their heat of the 4 x 100 relay but wound up 4^th overall after the results of subsequent heats were tallied.

Junior Jaden Jones

Junior Kai Valle

Other top performances of the day went to junior Leo Turner – who ran a lifetime best in the varsity boys 100m (11.79; junior Mason Young who put the shot farther than he ever had (38’0”);  junior Callie Ballard who bounded to as seasons best in the triple jump (33’0”) while placing 4^th ; freshman Kamryn Levy who ran solid relay legs before posting a nice 100 meter time; and junior Jaden Jones who placed fourth overall in the boys varsity long (19’8”) and high jump (5’10”), despite only having practiced the high jump once in his entire life!

Marcus Hughes to Pierce Madison

Next up for the Panthers is their season opening TCAL league meet on Monday at Brady Park against El Cerrito, Salesian and Pinole Valley.  The first event starts at 3:30 pm. 

Panthers Shake Off E-Week, Post Impressive Marks @ San Ramon & Dublin Meets

March 16^th, 2024

 

San Ramon, CA - After a fulfilling but exhausting week of travel and enrichment, the Panthers track and field team resumed their season on Saturday, splitting the squad to compete at both the San Ramon Sprint & Jump Festival and the Dublin Distance Fiesta.  And, much like their performances at the Skyline Invitational a few weeks ago, the team posted impressive results.

Sophomore Kira Gant-Hatcher, whose lifetime bests in the horizontal jumps already rank her amongst the best in school history, was the weekends top performer… scoring wins in both the long (16’5¾”) and triple jumps (35’3”) before placing 4^th overall in the 200 meters.   Kira currently ranks near the top of the NCS in both jumping events.  Teammate Jaiden Reed also bounded out to her season best, placing 3^rd overall in the triple jump.

Top: Simon Daniel and Jaden Jones   /  Bottom: Reggie Masket

The girls team of Brooklyn Dwyer, Alexa Lawson, freshman Sabrina Jackson, and Kira nearly grabbed the gold medal in the 4 x 200 relay, eventually settling for 2^nd behind a strong San Ramon Valley team.  Brooklyn, Alexa and Sabrina would later combine with Lia Sullivan to place 3^rd in the 4 x 400.

The boy’s sprint team also flaunted some strong marks, led by junior Jaden Jones.  Jaden, fresh off  basketball season, finished 3^rd overall in the open 400 – running the fastest time of any Panther all season in easily winning his heat in 52.14.  Jaden later finished 4^th in the long jump. 

Top: Aaditya Patel   /  Bottom: Jackie Estimbre

Other boy’s singled out by sprint coach Jay Lawson were individual 200 meter heat winners Reggie Masket (23.85), Devin Owens (24.06) and Sunni Scott (25.02).. as well as 100 meter heat winner Leo Turner (11.99).  All four were praised for the “fight and competitiveness” they showed in their races.

Alexa Lawson

In Dublin, the distance team continued to show their talent and earn the fruits of their hard work while competing at the annual Dublin Distance Fiesta.  The meet is a “distance only” affair that attracts most of the top talent from Northern California.  Needless to say the competition level is fierce and indefatigable.  Fortunately, it seems as though these are the settings that this year’s squad seems to thrive in.  Some of the highlights included Javin Schmitt and Collin Kopchik in the 800 (2:02, 2:06 respectively) and a trifecta of sophomores (Ian Kopchik, Adrian Hall, and Mika Mazin) in the 1600.  Ian (4:48), Adrian (4:48), and Mika (4:55) all ran huge PR’s to cap off a nice weekend of track & field for the Panthers.

Panthers Score 10 Top Five Finishes @ Skyline Invitational

February 24^th, 2024

Senior Devin Owens

Oakland, CA – Led by ALL-NCS jumper/sprinter Kira Gant-Hatcher, distance stars Javin Schmitt and Annka Punz, and a handful of up and coming talent, the Saint Mary’s Track & Field team opened their 2024 season with 10 top five finishes at the 18^th annual Skyline Invitational. 

“Pretty much all of our athletes performed really well today,” said coach Jay Lawson after the meet.  “Skyline has always been a good opening meet for us.  Lots of athletes, lots of competition, good weather, and a chance for the coaches to see the athletes compete and be reminded of what areas we need to continue work on.”

Kira Gant-Hatcher

Among those “well performing” athletes was sophomore star Kira Gant Hatcher who finished 2^nd in the triple jump (35’7”), 3^rd in the long jump (17’1”) and 7^th overall in the 100 meters (12.99).  Having just joined the team after a winter playing basketball made Kira’s performance even more impressive. 

Another hugely impressive athlete on Saturday was distance runner Javin Schmitt.  Coming off a big fall cross country season, the fast-rising junior had lofty pre-race goals that he certainly delivered on.  Running at the front for most of the race, Javin out-ran nearly all of the 190 runners entered… eventually finishing 4^th overall.  His massive 4:26 PR now places him 9^th on the school’s all-time list!

L-R: Collin Kopchik, Kai Valle, Javin Schmitt

Fellow distance star Annika Punz, whose senior cross country season saw her earn 1^st team All-NCS honors, also finished 4^th in the girl’s 1600, running 5:26.  Junior Kai Valle finished 2^nd in the 3200 (10:06) while sophomore Tucker Presnell was a mere :02 seconds back in 3^rd. 

Freshman Junior Saliba-Coffey

Jaiden Reed

Junior Brooklyn Dwyer, whose pre-season training has been a frequent topic of positive coach talk, ran 61.36 in the 400 meters to match Javin and Annika’s 4^th place finish.  Teammate Alexa Lawson was in hot pursuit, running 62.51 to finish just behind Brooklyn in 5^th.  Junior Lia Sullivan (63.60) and freshman Sabrina Jackson (64.25) also ran solid races according to coach Lawson.

In the field, senior Jackie Estimbre finished 4^th in the high jump, as did freshman Junior Saliba-Coffey who jumped 5’8” in his first time out.  Junior also placed 7^th in the triple jump and was by far the highest placing 9^th grader in the entire meet!

L-R: Sophomores Keowyn Warner and Marcus Hughes

The day also included top performances from the senior quartet of Ethan Baiter (shot put), Myles Kettler (400), Devin Owens (400, long jump), and Luke Swanson (100).  All four team leaders posted lifetime bests in their respective events and, more importantly, “modeled toughness and a great competitive spirit for the younger athletes,” according to coach Lawson.

Mika Mazin

 Other athletes grabbing coaches praise were junior Jaiden Reed in the jumps and 100, sophomore Adrian Hall in the 800, junior Joaquin Tarango in the 800, and sophomore Mika Mazin – who established gigantic PR’s in both the 800 and 1600 in his first ever track meet.

Next up for the Panthers will be the San Ramon Valley Sprint & Field festival and the Dublin Distance Fiesta, both on Saturday March 16^th.

Click on "Photo Album" above to access all pictures from today's meet.

Individual Talent, Distance Strength Lead 2024 Panthers

February 10^th, 2024

Buoyed by a band of talented juniors and seniors, the Saint Mary’s Track & Field team enters the season excited and hopeful that 2024 will pay dividends on the off-season commitment and work done thus far. 

“We have somewhere around 130 students signed up for track this season and so our #1 goal is to improve every week,” said head coach Jay Lawson.  “Progress is what we’re looking for. If we practice well, if the athletes make the commitment we’re asking them to make, and if we stay relatively healthy, I think that progress will allow us to once again be very competitive across the league and North Coast Section.”

Sophomore Kira Gant Hatcher

Along with Coach Lawson, we had a chance to sit down with several of the coaches to get their thoughts and insights into this year’s team.  Below is some of what they had to say.

Coach Jay Lawson: Sprints/Relays

Q: When talking about the upcoming season, it seems as though you and the other coaches don’t talk as much about training, technique and conditioning as much as you talk about things like “commitment” and “dedication.”  Can you talk a little bit about why that is?

A:  You’re right. We have a VERY GOOD coaching staff who have a lot of experience and who have had a LOT of success over the years.  I’m very confident in our ability to effectively coach the athletes.  Still, we also understand that there is no easy way to achieve success.  Like all things, the key is to commit and then work consistently hard at it.  Our sport is especially demanding in that way.  There are no short cuts or magic formulas in track & field.  It's important that we emphasize that to the athletes. 

Q: So, what’s the attitude and commitment of the team been like so far?

A: So far it’s been pretty good.  Fridays are the most challenging days in terms of attendance and this past Friday we had over 90 athletes on the track.  That’s pretty good for February.

Q: In terms of overall outlook and performance, what are your thoughts?

A: I’d say that we have talent spread across several event areas, but one group people should especially look out for is the distance team.  They’re deep, talented and extremely hard-working.  Look for them to be big point scorers and contributors to the overall success of our team.

Q: OK, what about the sprint and hurdles team.  Who should be expect to grab the headlines this season? Let’s start with the girls.

A: There are several athletes I’m really excited about this year.  Kira Gant-Hatcher, Brooklyn Dwyer and Alexa Lawson are certainly our top sprinters/quarter milers.  Kira ran 12.88 and was the TCAL runner-up in the 100 last year so  I expect her to be one of the top sprinters in the area.  Brook was a 400 meter finalist at our Bayshore area championships last year and this preseason she’s looked great so expect her to go well.  Alexa was our TCAL champion in the 800 last year and was a member of our 4 x 400 team that almost made it to state so I expect she’ll once again be in the middle of all things good.  Also, look for people like Jaiden Reed and freshman Sabrina Jackson and Kamryn Levy to factor into our sprint and relay success.

Q: How about the boy’s team?

A: On the boy’s side, junior Ahmad Gabriel is the fastest sprinter we have.  He had a really strong end to the ’23 season, finishing 4^th in the 100 at league and then running under :23 seconds at Bayshore in the 200.  So I’m curious to see how much progress he can make this year.  Seniors Myles Kettler and Luke Swanson were both on the 4 x 100 team with Ahamad that competed at MOC last season, and so far senior Devin Owens has looked as good as anyone so that team has me intrigued.  I’m also expecting sophomore Marcus Hughes to make a jump to varsity this year.

 Junior Alexa Lawson

Coach Jeff Rogers: Jumps

Q: Over the years, the Saint Mary’s jumpers have had as much success as any group around.  Do you expect this 2024 collection to be like some you've had in the past?

A: Well, I’m not sure.  I can say this, we have some talented athletes who should be amongst the NCS list leaders in their events.  As Coach Lawson said earlier, commitment, dedication and some good fortune may dictate just how far or high they jump.

Q: Who are some of these “list-leading” athletes you’re talking about?

A: On the girl’s side, Kira is one of the top returning horizontal jumpers in the North Coast Section.  Last year as a freshman, she was the Bayshore champion in the triple jump and then narrowly missed going to state.  She comes into the season as the top ranked long jumper and the 3^rd ranked triple jumper.  Juniors Jaiden Reed and Callie Ballard both advanced all the way to the Meet of Champions (MOC) last season in the triple jump and I expect them to be improved.  Junior Tori Harris is also one to watch.

Seniors Sarah Gray and Jackie Estimbre will handle the girl’s high jump.  Both jumped 4’8” last season and Sarah even competed at MOC so I expect them to be solid.

For the boy’s, sophomore CJ Baltrip jumped higher as a freshman than anyone I’ve ever coached… which includes 2 state champions.  He was also a MOC finalist last year and the only freshman in the field so I’m excited about what’s in store for him this season.  Seniors Devin Owens and Zendo Rouson will team with junior Ethan Harris to give our horizontal jumps plenty of talent and depth.

Senior Collin Kopchik

Coach Ben Turman: Distance

Q: OK Coach, there’s a lot of chatter about how strong the distance team is looking right now.  What can you tell us?

A: The first thing I can tell you is that I agree that the group is looking good and I can also tell you that they’ve been extremely diligent and determined.   All of the runners ran cross country in the fall and after the season we had a meeting where I asked them to dedicate themselves to having a great off-season… which they’ve done.  So, it’s no surprise that their work seems to be paying off.

Q: Last year, Mateo Malko-Allen won the NCS 1600, shattered the school record, medaled at the state championships and (deservingly) stole every headline.  This year is sounds like there is a gang of talent within group.  Who do you expect to be this year’s headliners?

A:  Yeah, good observation.  Mateo was certainly our top star last season.  This year’s group has several to watch.  Look for both senior Collin Kopchik and junior Javin Schmitt to open some eyes.  Both had great fall cross country seasons and both look fantastic thus far.  Look for both to absolutely obliterate their 800, 1600 and 3200 PR’s to start the season.  Where they go from there will be exciting.

I’m also excited to see how fast guys like Kai Valle, Jacob Demissie, Tucker Presnell, Brandon Bosio, Joaquin Tarango and Adrian Hall will go.  They were all freshmen and sophomores running mostly JV races last year.  They all are now legitimately varsity level guys who, like Javin and Collin, will smash their PR’s and be amongst the best groups in the NCS.  

Q: How about the girl’s group?

A:  The girl’s also have some very talented runners, several who have been part of the winter group I’ve been working with.  Senior Annika Punz was 1^st team All-NCS (Division 4) in cross country this year and is on track to run well under her 5:19/11:27 PR’s in the 1600 and 3200.  Juniors Lia Sullivan and Maddie Potter have been out there as well and it wouldn’t surprise me if they threaten their lifetime bests is the first meet or two.  Jing Li-Chou was our 2^nd fastest cross country runner this season but has had a couple nagging injuries derail her training.  If she can get healthy, she’s talented enough to make a splash as well. I've also been very impressed with Lilah Hoover-Nemerson's commitment and work ethic.

Coach Aaron Mercadel: Throws

Q: Coach, welcome to the staff.  You have several throwers who medaled at the TCAL Championships last year.  What are your goals for this season?

A:  Thanks.  I’m excited to be a part of this program.  As you know, I was a student at Saint Mary’s and remember how successful this program has been over the years.  I’m excited to be a part of it.

I’m looking forward to establishing a hard-working attitude with our group.  I come from the football world and know and understand the importance of detail meeting hard-work.  I coached most of the boy’s in the fall so we’re familiar with each other in that sense.  And, thus far I’m impressed with the girls willingness to get out here and work.  Expect our group to be fit, detailed and strong. 

Q: Who are some of the athletes to watch?

A:  For the boy’s, senior Ethan Baiter joined the team last year and showed huge improvement.  He’ll be one of our top guys.  Mason Young tells me he’s throwing the shot over 40’ this year and so far he looks like he’s on track.  Bobby Ortiz is our most experienced thrower and can throw the shot and discus equally well.  Those three are our top boys.

For the girls, juniors Saniyah Vann and Olivia Watson have shown the most interest.  Both were TCAL finalist last year and both competed at Bayshore.  I’d say that they’ll lead the group this year.