Track & Field 2012
Panthers’ Boys & Girls Crowned Champions in BSAL Finale
May 14thOn Saturday, the Bay Shore Athletic League ended its 12 year existence with the league championship meet at Piedmont High School. Beginning next fall, BSAL member schools will join one of three “Super” East Bay leagues, effectively ending rivalries the Panthers have with the likes of Piedmont and Encinal. Not surprisingly, this year’s final meet ended like the very first one, in 2001, began… with boy Panther girls and boys teams scoring convincing wins. The girls final team score totaled 149 points… 81 points better than the 68 amassed by runner-up Piedmont. Likewise, the varsity boys were 60 points better (138-78) than the 2nd place Highlanders of Piedmont… while the junior varsity boys eeked out a slim 133 – 130 win over arch-rival Albany. In all, the varsity boys won every BSAL league championship ever contested… while the girls won 11 of 12 titles.
Individually, the Panthers crowned several champions. Junior Austin Collier leaped his way to two varsity boys’ championships: one in the high jump, the other in the long jump. Freshman sensation Chloe Jenkins continued to impress… scoring a win in the 800 and as part of the victorious 4 x 400 relay team. Sophomore Carly Schulz was also productive, winning the 300 meter hurdles in a seasonal best 45.09, placing second in the open 400 meters, and joining Chloe, freshman Zoie Campbell and sophomore Spencer Moore (herself the 1600m winner) on the 4 x 400 meter team. Freshman high jumper Briahn Brown, the NCS leader in the high jump, won her specialty with a leap of 5’3”. Finally, junior Andrew Abrams won the open 400 meters (51.41) and later joined Jovani Barajas, Duncan Calvert and Blake Terrell to win the 4 x 400.
** Click here for all the results from the BSAL Championships **
Next up for the Panthers is the NCS – Bayshore qualifying meet on Saturday at James Logan High School. The meet features the top 6 qualifiers from 4 leagues: the BSAL, ACCAL, HAAL, and MVAL.. who compete for 7 qualifying spots to the NCS Meet of Champions in 2 weeks. From MOC, the top 4 finishers qualify to the California State Championships in Clovis. Congratulations to all the track & field athletes for their hard work and commitment this season…. good luck to all the Panthers still in season.
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Track & Field Picture Day Is May 4th
April 30th
Just a reminder that track team pictures are scheduled for Friday, May 4th @ 3:30 on the track. Kurt Burton, from Kurt Burton Photography, will be here to photograph all of the teams and any individuals who would like to order pictures. If you’d like to order pictures, parents can go online (http://www.kurtburton.net/index.html) and view Kurt Burton’s price schedule. [Scroll down to "Price List", then scroll down to "Sports Team Price List"]. Athletes can also pick up an order envelope at practice from their coach. Everyone be sure to bring your full team uniform (shorts & singlet) that day!
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Young Talent Swiftly on Track
April 20th
After hosting J.F. Kennedy of Richmond on Thursday and traveling to UC Davis for the Woody Wilson Invitational on Friday, one thing is clear: if the Panthers do, in fact, repeat as BSAL champions this year it will be because of the exuberant
- Austin Collier
talent of its underclassmen.
On Thursday, the Panthers hosted the Kennedy boys and girls at Brady Park. Displaying impressive depth to match their talent, the Panther boys had 10 different victors in the 12 events they won. Long jumper Austin Collier could claim the top prize with his superb 21’11” long jump… but sophomores Nabai Habtermariam (3200) and Jovani Barajas (800).. along with
Andrew Abrams
freshman Marquis Chambers (200) also picked up key wins. In all the boys ran, jumped, hurdled and threw their way to a dominant 100-19 win.
For the girls, the final score (109 – 13) reflected not only the talent but also the depth of their team. Like the boys, no single athlete dominated the scoring. Instead, 10 of the teams 12 event wins were achieved by different athletes.
Especially pleasing was the performance of the first-year athletes. Chloe Jenkins (400), Jasmine Guillory (800), Zoie Campbell (200), Margaret English (LJ, TJ), Briahn Brown (HJ), and Kaylie Walker (SP, DISC) all won their events in this, their first season.
Full results of the Woody Wilson Invitational, as well as the dual meet against J.F. Kennedy can be found on the “schedule and results” page.
Up next for the Panthers is the penultimate dual meet of the league season against Encinal and St. Patrick’s-St. Vincent. The meet is, once again, hosted by the Panthers on Thursday beginning at 3:30. Hope to see you there!
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Panthers Show Well @ Stanford
April 7th
On Saturday, the Panthers traveled to Palo Alto for the annual Stanford Track & Field Invitational. The Stanford Invitational is generally regarded as the most competitive invitational in Northern California, features most of the top talent from the northern part of the state, and serves as a bit of a crystal ball into the near future. Having that as their backdrop, the Panthers went into the two day meet at Stanford like they do most of their meets – young, relatively inexperienced, and eager. By late in the day Saturday, eagerness had overcome inexperience and the crystal ball reading had nothing but praise and potential in its outlook for the future of the Panthers.
Grabbing the lead headlines was returning All-American Trinity Wilson who ripped off a national-leading 13.41 in winning her qualifying round of the 100m hurdles. Unfortunately a toe injury kept the future UCLA Bruin out of the final, but her dominance in the qualifying round left no doubt about her standing as the nation’s fastest prep hurdler. After Trinity’s performance, it was the showing of the girls middle distance team that shone bright. On Friday, the team of Chloe Jenkins, Maddy Woelffer, Carly Schulz and Spencer Moore ran one of the fastest times in school history in placing 4th in the girls Distance Medley Relay. Then, on Saturday freshman Josie Smale joined freshman Jenkins, and sophomores Schulz and Moore on the team that won the invitational section of the girls 4 x 800 relay. The girls time of 9:39 was third fastest in school history and the 2nd fastest time in Northern California this year!
** Click to watch the girls winning 4 x 800 race here! **
** Click to watch Trinity’s nation-leading hurdles race!**
For the boys, seniors Duncan Calvert and Victor Munoz teamed with juniors Guy Forte, Patrick Mariolle and Andrew Abrams to form Distance Medley and 4 x 800 relay teams that placed 6th and 7th respectively. Sophomore Harold Terrell also introduced himself to the Northern California high jump community with a personal best leap of 6’3”, which was good for 4th place.
Next up for the Panthers is an April 19th dual meet against J.F. Kennedy at Saint Mary’s. First events begin at 3:30.
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Boys Out-Lean Albany in BSAL Opener; Girls Roll
March 22nd
On Thursday, the Panthers opened their 2012 league season with victories over cross-town rival Albany. Blessed with sunny skies and an eager group of spirited athletes, the Panthers once again established themselves as the team to beat in the BSAL.
Unlike some years, the boy’s meet was competitive and hard-fought to the end.
Senior Duncan Calvert
Albany came to Brady Park with a balanced, talented group… seeking to de-throne the 25-time defending league champions. Unfortunately for the Cougars, the Panthers balance and talent is also coupled with a champions’ determination. On Thursday, no athlete – male or female – displayed this determination more than senior Duncan Calvert. All he future UC Santa Barbara Gaucho did was win the 800, 1600 and 3200 meter runs. Then, to punctuate an already stellar performance, he ran the opening leg on the victorious 4 x 400 meter relay team. According to coach Jay Lawson, “Our team basically rode on Duncan’s back to this victory.” By meet’s end, the Panthers had prevailed 72-52.
Event winners for the boys were Harold Terrell (whose leap of 6’3” surely makes him one of the Bay Area’s top, young high jumpers), Ja’Vion Robinson in the 110 hurdles, Austin Collier in the long jump, Nick Callendar in the Shot Put, and James Jackson in the triple jump.
Unlike the boys meet, the girls took charge early, winning the first 4 running events. After that, talent replaced momentum and by meets end the Lady Panthers had won 8 of the 9 running events and 4 of the 5 field events to post a decisive 105 – 22 victory. Sophomores Carly Schulz and Spencer Moore grabbed the headlines… accounting for 6 wins between them. Newcomers Chlore Jenkins (800, 4 x 400) and Margaret English (LJ, TJ)… along with veterans Zenobia Walker (Shot Put), Mary Harrington (3200) and Janah Bermudez (High Jump) also picked up important wins for their team.
In the JV Boys division, Nabai Habtemariam (1600), Zeke Knox (400), Marquis Chambers (100), and Aren Ulmer (High Jump), all recorded lifetime bests while winning their respective events.
In all, the Panthers began 2012 where they left off in 2011… victorious. Next Thursday all teams will be back on the track when the Highlanders of Piedmont and the Pilots from St. Joe’s visit Brady Park. The meet begins at 3:30. Come out and support the Panthers!
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Panthers Split Squad – Compete @ St. Francis and Dublin
March 17th
On Saturday, the Panther Track & Field team split their team, with the distance team traveling to Dublin High School for the annual Dublin Distance Fiesta and the sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers and throwers heading down to Mountain View for the St. Francis Invitational. After an Enrichment Week hiatus and with the threat of rain looming, uncertainty clouded the minds of athletes and coaches alike. Fortunately, in very Panther-like fashion, both teams fought through the uncertainty and emerged dry, revitalized and with a renewed confidence that has everyone looking forward to the start of the BSAL league opener on Thursday.
In Dublin, the distance team followed up their sparkling performance at the Dan Gabor Invitational a week before with yet another slew of top 10 performances. Leading the charge was senior Duncan Calvert, who scored a pair of seasonal bests in the 800 and 1600 meters. Running against some of the top runners from Northern California, Duncan finished 2nd in a seasonal best 4:26.17. Later, he came back to place 4th in a stacked 800 meter race. His time, 1:58.35, also puts him on the all-time top 10 list in school history. In the girls 1600, Spencer Moore placed 3rd overall, senior Mary Harrington (5:55) and sophomore Amanda Keith (5:58) both turned in solid performances, and sophomore Caitlin Kloess (6:04) ran a courageous race but fell just short of the elusive 6:00 minute barrier. All the results can be found on the “schedule and results” page.
In Mountain View, the story of the day for the Panthers were the performances of the freshman and sophomore. Competing in the ever-popular freshman-sophomore division, several Panthers scored event wins.. while numerous others collected top 5 finishes. Event winners included sophomore Carly Schulz in the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, and sprint medley relay; Ja’Vion Robinson in the 65 meter hurdles; Harold Terrell in the high jump; and Zoie Campbell in the high jump. Top 5 places went to Mischa Vernon-Wyatt in the long jump, Margaret English in the long and triple jump, Evelyn Slater in the 300 hurdles, Soraya Shockley in the discus, Jovani Barajas in the 400 meters, and Austin Collier in the varsity long and triple jump.
Overall, the athletes and coaches were grateful that the weather cooperated and the athletes were able to resume competition. Thursday’s home meet against Albany is sure to be a competitive one with clear skies in the forecast. First event begins at 3:30. Come out and support the Panthers as they begin the 2012 league season!
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Panthers Open Season @ Skyline Invitational
March 3rd
On Saturday the Panther Track & Field team opened their 2012 season in Oakland at the Skyline Invitational. Blessed with unseasonably warm weather, the meet hosted 19 schools from around the Bay Area… including perennial powers Hercules, Redwood from Marin County, and the Titans from Skyline High School. Situated on the eve of Enrichment Week, the Panthers squad was without a significant percentage of its team. Still, the squad that was in attendance was certainly able to make their presence felt.
Leading the charge were event winners Nick Callendar (shot put), Spencer Moore
Freshman Chloe Jenkins
(1600 meters), Carly Schulz (300 meter hurdles), and Harold Terrell (high jump). A second place finish went to Chloe Jenkins (800 meters)… while other top ten performances went to Janah Bermudez (high jump, triple jump), Spencer Moore (800 meters), Andrew Abrams (400 meters), Jovani Barajas (400 meters), Patrick Mariolle (800, 1600 meters), Ja’Vion Robinson (110, 300m hurdles), Maddy Woelffer (800 meters), Liam Godfrey (300m hurdles), Blake Terrell (300m hurdles), and Christian Garcia (triple jump).
Of these top performers, only Callendar is a senior. In fact, Moore, Schulz and Terrell are just sophomores and Jenkins is but a freshman! In short, the meet proved what the coaching staff already knew… that this 2012 squad is young, relatively inexperienced, and filled with enthusiasm and blossoming talent. As coach Lawson put it after the meet, “We knew this group of kids had talent but we didn’t necessarily know we’d see so much of it this early. The past couple of (training) weeks have been sporadic because of finals and Enrichment Week so for these kids to come out and perform the way they did is impressive. We (the coaching staff) are very pleased.”
Next up for the Panthers is the annual Dan Gabor Sprint & Distance Carnival hosted by Amador Valley High School of Pleasanton. Again, because of Enrichment Week the Panthers will enter an abbreviated… but enthusiastic squad. Come out and support the Panthers at Dan Gabor!
** Full results can be found on the “Schedule & Results” page **————————————————————————————–
Talent, Youth Lead Panthers Into 2012
February 15th, 2012
The 2011 season was one of championships for the Panthers as both teams continued to dominate BSAL league competition, the boys in winning their 26th straight league championship and the girls taking home the crown for the 13th time in 15 seasons. Then, in a performance that shocked most of the track & field prognosticators, the boys team took down the likes of De La Salle, Deer Valley, James Logan and Bishop O’Dowd to win the North Coast Section Meet of Champions title to stake their claim as the finest team in Northern California in 2011.
2012, however, is a different season and there has been some attrition. “We’ve lost some key people from last year’s championship teams,” head coach Jay Lawson said. “Our challenge this year will be to develop the student-athletes we have in order to keep our championship streak alive. We have a long-standing tradition that we intend to uphold. Our goal is to remain on top.”
With that said and with a mix of talent, experience, excitement and youth, the 2012 Saint Mary’s Panthers begin their season.
Sprints/Hurdles
On the boys side, losing the likes of 100m school-record holder Ali Roosevelt and 2011 team MVP Chris Carnegie definitely presents its challenges for sprint coaches Jay Lawson and Mike Lee. Still, SM welcomes back 11th grader Caleb Coleman,whose 11.03 ranks him 8th all-time in school history for 100m. Joining Caleb are a quartet of junior sprinters… including Andrew Abrams, James Jackson, Andrew Robinson and Austin Collier who, together, will be seeking respect amongst North Coast Section sprint crews. Sophomore Jovani Barajas and hurdler Blake Terrell, back after a season-ending injury a year ago, will also be looking for a break-out years.
For the girls, Saint Mary’s is fortunate to have on its side the fastest school-age hurdler in the world in senior Trinity Wilson. The UCLA-bound senior, who last summer won the American Junior, Pan-Am Junior and World Youth Championships, is considered by most to be the finest high school female track athlete in America this year. As a hurdler, her 13.15 PR is the third fastest ever by an American high-schooler and her personal bests for 100 and 200 meters rank her amongst the best in California. If all goes well this year, Trinity maybe seeking acclaim for more than just her hurdling. Joining Trinity on the Lady Panther sprint squad are sophomores Carly Schulz, Evelyn Slater and Mischa Vernon-Wyatt. In particular, Carly has had an exceptional off-season of training and, as Mr. Lawson puts it, “ is looking like she’s ready to step into the big time.”
With a core of freshman and sophomore to follow, look for the Panthers sprinters and hurdlers to once again dash their way into medal contention.
Distances
This year, the core strength of the track & field team may lie in the distance runners. The girls, led by league cross country MVP and all-state selection Spencer Moore, also return veterans Mary Harrington and Sarah Allison, as well as junior Natalia Riccardi and sophomores Amanda Keith, Caitlin Kloess and Maddy Woelffer. This group, along with heralded freshman Chloe Jenkins and a host of young talent combine to form the most formidable squad in the league… and of the top groups in the section. Look for this group to score and score big for the Panthers.
As well, the boys squad is comprised of the same group that brought home a North Coast Section this past fall in cross country. Seniors Duncan Calvert (4:20 for 1600m last spring), Stevie Greene and Nate Hill lead the way.. with Patrick Mariolle, Victor Munoz, Guy Forte and Nabai Habtemariam not far behind.
Senior leadership, quality performance, youthful exuberance and hunger, and competitive determination often serve as precursors to a team’s success… and this year’s distance team offers a high dose of all of these. The confidence distance coach Denis Mohun sentiments may say it all. “All of our returners have to move forward and step up this season,” Mohun said. “They are all capable of scoring at the league meet and some even beyond. Every one of them can get the job done. As a group we expect nothing less of ourselves.”
Jumps
Historically a strong suit of Panther track teams, coach Jeff Rogers’ group comes into 2012 a bit inexperienced and certainly unheralded. “We may not garner much notoriety in March” says Rogers, “but by May this group could certainly grab some of the headlines.”
Coach Rogers’ headliner hopefuls include junior Austin Collier, a wonderful talented whose sophomore PR’s in the long jump (21’7”) and high jump (6’4”) indicate he could challenge several all-time lists. Joining Austin on the jump runways will be Harold Terrell, who unexpectedly won the BSAL high jump crown last spring in just his first year. In this, his sophomore campaign, Harold surely has his sights set on even loftier heights. Juniors Aidan Shockley and James Jackson also hope to make a jump into legitimacy as each has shown good pre-season promise.