Track & Field (2025)
National Stage Brings Out Best in Panthers @ Arcadia Invitational
April 13th, 2025
Arcadia, CA - Widely regarded as the nation’s premier high school Track and Field meet, the Arcadia Invitational attracts the top talent not just from California, but from around the country. Featuring athletes from 28 states and highlighting past performers like Sydney McLaughlin, Noah Lyles, and Allison Felix, the Arcadia Invitational mandates that athletes “Go Big or Go Home”. This past weekend, the Panthers “Went Big!”
~ Click Here To See All The Photos From The Meet ~
Leading the charge was all-world horizontal jumper Kira Gant Hatcher. The uber- talented junior walked into Arcadia as one of the top jumpers in California and left as one of the top contenders for a state medal later next month. Competing against defending state champions from three different states as well as top rank jumpers from all over California, Kira lept her way to a silver medal in the Girls’ Invitational Long Jump before hopping, stepping, and jumping her way to the bronze in the Invitational Girls’ Triple Jump. Both performances were lifetime best; both now rank her as a considerable favorite to win North Coast Section crowns next month; both now rank her amongst the list leaders in all of California; and both now rank her #3 all-time on the school’s illustrious long and triple jump list.
The varsity girls sprint quartet - featuring Kira, Berkeley Hedgspeth, Brooklyn Dwyer, and freshman Mia Monroe - also had a spectacular Arcadia meet. On Friday evening, the group ran 1:43.08 - carving a full 1.8 seconds off of their previous best in the 4 x 200 relay and vaulting themselves all the way up to 4th on the school’s all-time list. They were a mere .1 second from 2nd all-time. The team will finish 2025 ranked 2nd in the entire North Coast Section in that event. Then, on Saturday, that same group took to the track in the 4 x 100 where they blasted a new season best 47.99 while winning their heat by almost 5 meters. Their time ranks 3rd in the NCS and seems to make them a definite threat to compete for one of the three precious state meet births at next months section championships.
The varsity boys distance team also made their presence felt at Arcadia, running the much-anticipated 4 x 1600 (mile). The foursome – Javin Schmitt (4:17), Djali de Chalus (4:30), Jacob Demissie (4:34), and Tucker Presnell (4:18) – averaged just under 4:25 per runner en route to smashing the previous school record by more than :30 seconds. Their time, 17:39, is the 2nd fastest 4 x 1600 time run by any team in the North Coast Section in the past 20 years. Only Dublin High School in 2018 has run faster than this group of Panthers.
Congratulations to all the athletes competing at Arcadia. Every race run and every event entered resulted in personal/lifetime bests. The team was simply had an awesome weekend!
Javin Schmitt Breaks School 1600m Record; Kira Gant-Hatcher Wins Double Gold To Lead Panthers @ Stanford Invitational
April 5th, 2025
School Record Holder Javin Schmitt
Palo Alto, CA – Each season in the first week of April, Stanford University hosts the Stanford Invitational – widely regarded as the premier high school track meet in Northern California. The two-day meet attracts the top talent from not only the North Coast Section… but from the Central Coast and San Joaquin Sections as well. The meet is often used as a mid-season barometer to rate and rank the talent and competition that will fight it out for section championships and state meet births in late May.
~ Click Here To See All The Photos From The Meet ~
NCS Leader Kira Gant Hatcher
On Friday, the Panthers entered the fray and by late Saturday emerged with new school records, top section & state rankings, and a sense that the 2025 season maybe one for the history books.
Brooklyn Dwyer to Mia Monroe
Leading the way were the two biggest stars so far this season: senior Javin Schmitt and junior Kira Gant-Hatcher. Javin, running just his 2nd 1600 meter race of the season, blew away the pre-race prognostications with his mind-blowing 4:09.69 school record. Running steady but comfortable :63 second laps for the first 1200 meters, Javin closed in a gutsy :60 last lap to eclipse former NCS champion Mateo Malko-Allen’s school record by almost ½ second. Javin’s time was a full 9 seconds faster than his previous best and now ranks him #2 in the NCS and #10 in California!
Kira to Berkeley Hedgspeth
Kira, like Javin, had an incredible weekend.. winning the long jump on Friday (18’10¾”) and the triple jump on Saturday (39’2½”). Kira’s win in the long jump continues her undefeated season in that event while her triple jump victory established a new lifetime best, ranks her #3 all-time in school history, and vaults her to the #1 ranking in the NCS and #4 in California!
Girls 4 x 100: Brooklyn, Mia, Berkeley, Kira
Earlier, Kira joined Berkeley Hedgspeth, Brooklyn Dwyer and Mia Monroe on the 4 x 100 relay that ran a season best 48.29 in the prelims (48.41 in the final) to place 5th overall. The quartet’s goals and expectations have now readjusted upwards significantly given that they rank #3 in the North Coast Section and #1 in the Bayshore area. Both Mia and Berkeley also competed in the open 100 meters, with Berkeley scoring a 12.47 PR and Mia (12.54) running her first ever open 100 in a Panther uniform.
Also on Saturday, the Panthers competed at the East Bay Invitational, hosted by California High School (San Ramon). Highlights included:
~ Sophomore Djali de Chalus’ huge :12 second PR win in the 3200. Djali ran 9:28, which now ranks #6 all-time in school history.
~ Senior Neiyah Thompson’s win in the varsity girls shot put. Her 32’8” heave is both tops in the TCAL and the Bayshore area.
~ Jaiden Reed’s win in the varsity girls long jump (16’9”¾”)
Tucker Presnell in the 3200
~ Freshman Caty Ruppert’s win the frosh-soph girl’s 3200 (12:35)
~ The frosh-soph boys (Alejandro Diaz-Zepeda, Kian Elzy, Zaire Strong, Aluzio Zarnowiecki) win in the 4 x 100 relay (46.28)
~ Maleah Bey’s PR (16.96) in the varsity girls 100m hurdles
~ Zach Lenihan’s 20 foot PR in the f/s boy’s discus (95’2”)
Fast Times @ El Cerrito High
April 2nd, 2025
El Cerrito, CA – The 3rd of 4 TCAL league meets for the track & field Panthers was hosted by El Cerrito and included Pinole Valley and De Anza. On paper, the speed of the Gauchos, Spartans and Dons was formidable and seemed to inspire the Panthers to some of their quickest times of the 2025 season.
~ Click Here To See All The Photos From The Meet ~
Leading the way was the 100-200 win from junior star Kira Gant Hatcher. Her 12.39, 25.52 double earned her both sprint golds as well as a pair of lifetime bests. Kira is now #10 on the all-time school 100 meter list and #9 on the 200 list. Other highlights included:
- Sophomore Corinne Jones’ soaring long jump – triple jump double win. Her 17’10” long jump is now the 4th farthest in the North Coast Section this season… while her bouncy 38’0” triple jump is the 3rd farthest NCS jump in 2025.
- Senior basketballers Ahmad Gabriel, Jaden Jones and Jonathan Fernandez all posted impressive event wins. Ahmad ran a PR 11.25 in the 100 meters, Jaden lept 20’9” to win the long jump, and Jonathan – in just his 3rd track meet ever – bounded 42’6” to win the triple jump. Basketball teammate and fellow senior Ethan Harris finished 2nd in both the TJ (41’0”) and LJ (19’4”).
- Jaiden Reed and Tori Harris both scored season and lifetime bests in the horizontal jumps. Jaiden hopped, stepped, and jumped her way to a 35’5” PR in the triple jump.. while Tori’s 33’10” triple and 16’4” long were both farther than she had ever jumped before.
- In her 2nd race ever, junior Maleah Bey won the 100 meter hurdles in a new lifetime best 17.08. Maleah now ranks 4th overall in the latest Bayshore Area rankings.
- Senior Madi Potter won both the 400 and 800…nearly eclipsing her lifetime best (2:24) in the 800… while fellow 12th grader Katherine Scannell PR’d in both the 1600 (6:07) and 400 (1:06).
- Both Keowyn Warner (24.33) and Trevor Walton (24.47) ran personal bests in the varsity boys 200.
- Fresh off their impressive sprint weekend at the Bay Area Relays, sophomores Aluzio Zarnowiecki, Zaire Strong, Kian Elzy and Alejandro Diaz-Zepeda all shaved time off their previous bests in the open 100 meters… with Aluzio dipping under 12 seconds (11.99) for the first time.
Next up for the Panthers are a pair of weekend meets. A few athletes will travel to Palo Alto on Friday and Saturday for a Northern California showdown at the Stanford Invitational. Others will stay closer to home and compete at East Bay Invitational, hosted by California High School (Danville).
Talent & Depth On Display @ Bay Area Relays
March 29th, 2025
Pleasanton, CA – On Saturday, the Panthers Track & Field team traveled to Foothill High School in Pleasanton to compete at the 10th annual Bay Area Relays. The Bay Area Relays is a unique meet in that most every event is contested as a relay, including the field events. While individual event winners are recognized and awarded, team winners are decided via a running relay or, in the field, by combining the best marks from the top three athletes from each school to see which team jumped or threw the farthest.
~ Click Here To See All The Photos From The Meet ~
Senior Sprinter Ahmad Gabriel
Senior Brandon Bosio
So, the meet allowed the Panthers to show off both their individual talent as well as their impressive team depth. At Bay Area, it was the girls sprinters and jumpers that grabbed the headlines. The sprint relay team of Kira Gant Hatcher, Berkeley Hedgspeth, Brooklyn, Dwyer, and Mia Monroe are fast becoming one of the North Coast Section’s best.
Senior Lia Sullivan
On Saturday, running against the NCS’s top ranked team, Pittsburgh, the quartet ran their fastest time of the season while upsetting the heavily favorite state ranked Pirates. Their time, 49.08, currently ranks 4th in the NCS… a mere .04 seconds behind 3rd ranked San Ramon Valley. Competing in the open 100 meters later in the day, Berkeley ran a lifetime best 12.58… winning her heat and finishing 4th overall. Berkeley is now just a few hundredths of a second away rom cracking the schools all-time top 10 list in this, her first season of track!
Senior Tori Harris
Per usual, state-ranked junior Kira Gant Hatcher would lead the varsity girl long jump squad to victory by winning the long jump competition. Kira has not lost a long jump competition in 2025 and fell less than an inch short of breaking the meet record, held by former Panther Ma’ane Mosley (2015).
NCS Leader Kira Gant Hatcher
In the triple jump, Kira would step aside and watch her senior teammates jump to an impressive win. Jaiden Reed finished 2nd overall in a season best 34’4.”… with Callie Ballard and Tori Harris also jumping their season bests. The threesome won the team competition by almost 8 feet! Individually, Jaiden finished 6th overall in the long jump while Tori had the best meet of her Panther career. She was 4th overall in the long jump with a lifetime best 15’10¼” before running a lifetime best in the open 100. Senior Neiyah Thompson also had an impressive shot put competition, finishing 5th overall in the field of 35 throwers.
Kian Elzy Passes To Zaire Strong
Senior Jacob Demissie
The boys sprint team fielded a complete squad for the first time in 2025 and left the meet on Saturday with several team, individual and lifetime bests. The varsity sprint team – Jaden Jones, Ahmad Gabriel, Reggie Masket, Jonathan Fernandez - showed signs that they may surprise some this season. Overcoming a slow baton exchange between the 3rd and 4th runners, the quartet was still able to scare the 44 second barrier… finishing 5th overall in 44.19.
Varsity Boys 4 x 100: Ahmad Gabriel, Reggie Masket, Jonathan Fernandez, Jaden Jones
Sprint coach Jay Lawson thinks that, with practice and some fine tuning, this team can make some noise in the North Coast Section this season. Ahmad and Jaden doubled up on Saturday… Ahmad posting a new PR in the 100 (11.30) and Jaden finishing 3rd and equaling his PR (6’0”) in the high jump.
Senior Jaiden Reed
High-Jumper Jaden Jones
The frosh-soph boys sprint team – Kian Elzy, Zaire Strong, Aluzio Zarnowiecki, Alejandro Diaz-Zepeda - finished 2nd in the boys 4 x 100 (46.67) and 3rd in the 4 x 200 (1:39.06)... running season bests in both relays. All four also ran the open 100, with Alejandro (11.92), Aluzio (12.29) and Kian (12.38) dashing to lifetime bests. finally seniors Mason Young and Julian also had solid performances in the varsity shop with Julian scoring a lifetime best.
Sprinter Kaylin Hollines
Sprinter Alejandro Diza-Zepeda
Other solid performances on the day came from senior shot putters Mason Young and Julian Guindon; senior Joaquin Tarango - whose 2:03 anchor on the varsity boys 4 x 800 was the fastest that he’s ever run; senior Jacob Demissie in the opening 1200 leg of the varsity boy’s distance medley relay; and junior Mika Mazin’s 2:05 leg on the 4 x 800… also a lifetime best for him.
Sophomore Thrower Zach Lenihan
Next up for the Panthers is a TCAL league meet on Wednesday, April 2nd at El Cerrito High School. First events are at 3:30 pm.
Panthers Showcase Talent @ San Ramon Sprint/Dublin Distance Festivals
March 22nd, 2025
San Ramon, CA - The Saint Mary’s Track & Field team split their squad on Saturday with the sprinters hurdlers and jumpers competing in San Ramon while the distance runners travelled to Dublin for the annual Dublin Distance Fiesta. While familiar stars like Kira Gant Hatcher, Javin Schmitt, and Tucker Presnell showcased the Panthers top quality, both meets introduced and featured a bevy of young up-and-coming talent that bodes well for the Panthers track future.
~ Click Here To See All Photos From San Ramon ~
In San Ramon and running together for the first time this season, the girls sprint quartet of Brooklyn, Dwyer, Kira Gant Hatcher, Berkeley Hedgspeth, and freshman Mia Monroe combined to put themselves on the North Coast Section sprint map.
Beginning with the 4 x 200, the foursome blazed to a new meet record and a #8 state ranking with their 1:44.81. Their time was four seconds faster than 2nd place California High School (Danville). Later in the day, that same group took on a loaded field which featured the top ranked team fron the CCS as well as the #2, #3, and #4 ranked teams in the North Coast Section. While “only” finishing fourth in a season best 49.27, the Panthers left feeling optimistic and confident that by seasons end they will be racing for an NCS podium spot.
Berkeley would also shine individually at San Ramon Valley, running her first ever open 200 in in 25.68, which was the 6th fastest of the day and the #12 200 meter time in school history!
Familiar stars like Kira Gant Hatcher and Alexa Lawson also performed well at San Ramon - Kira winning both the long (18’7) and triple jump (38’½”)… while Alexa finished second in the 300 hurdles (48.39) and fourth in the open 400 (61.00). Sophomore sprinter Kamryn Levy also had a nice run in the 200, finally breaking the 28 second barrier… finishing in 27.98 seconds.
Finally, a trio of sophomores from Coach Craig Sutphin’s squad sprinted their way to a set of lifetime bests in the 400. Alejandro Diaz-Zepeda, Kian Elzy, and Bruno Middleton all ran faster than they ever have, posting 56.42, 58.39, 58.60 PR’s respectively.
The Dublin Distance Fiesta is Northern California’s most competitive distance running competition… attracting top talent from all across Northern California. As has been the case all season, the three fastest on the track were seniors Javin Schmitt (1:58.60) and Madi Potter (2:24.84) in the 800 and junior Tucker Presnell in the 1600 & 3200 (4:22, 9:19). However, there was lots of gritty performances, personal best, and reasons to smile according to coaches Ben Turman and Denis Mohun.
Many of the newer faces shined especially bright, like freshman Kai Sullivan who broke hallowed ground by running under 5:00 in the 1600 (4:59.80). Fellow freshman teammate Scott St. Claire came oh so close to doing the same, falling just short in 5:00.32.
A trio of freshmen girls also impressed coach Denis Mohun with their performances in the girls 1600. Caty Rupert was an individual heat winner in a personal best 5:45, while 9th grade teammate Evelyn Bird chopped :07 seconds off of her previous best after finishing in 5:47. Olivia Chu also scored a new lifetime best with her 5:53. All three girls will figure prominently in the Panthers future distance success.
Junior Adrian Hall, in his 2025 season debut, was the second fastest Panther of the day in the 800, finishing in a personal best 2:02.80. Adrian‘s performance is particularly impressive considering his recent struggle with persistent, nagging injuries. Look for him to go faster as he heals and the season progresses.
Senior Joaquin Tarango ran his second consecutive personal best in the 800, crossing the line in 2:04.24 while junior Shane Doherty had a nice double at Dublin - first running 4:37.54 in the 1600 before coming back with a huge :03 second PR in 800, posting a 2:09.05. Finally, Junior Nico Echeverria also blazed to a massive lifetime best in the 800, shaving four seconds from his previous best when he finished in 2:14.50
Next up for the Panthers is their 2nd TCAL league meet, this one at home, on Monday, March 24th against Hercules, De Anza, and SPSV. The first events start at 3:30.
New Talent, New Faces Lead Panthers in TCAL Opener
March 6th, 2025
Vallejo, CA – For the first time ever, the Panthers Track & Field league opener was scheduled on the final day of Final Exams week as well as on the eve of Enrichment Week. That meant that the opening meet would be without several of the Panthers top stars and top performers. This challenged many younger, up & coming Panthers to take the baton and run to the spotlight. And that’s exactly what happened at the TCAL opener on Thursday at Vallejo High School.
~ Click Here To See All The Photos From The Meet ~
Andrew Bosio Leads The Pack
“Because of final exams and Enrichment Week, we had a choppy week of practice and a lot of missing athletes today,” said Coach Craig Sutphin. “But, I think we were all excited and curious to see how the younger athletes would fill the void. I think the smiles on the coaches faces after the meet answered all our questions.”
Sophomore Star Corinne Jones
While familiar names like Kira Gant Hatcher, Brooklyn, Dwyer, and Alexa Lawson won their usual slew of events, it was athletes like Reggie Masket, Alejandro Diaz-Zepeda, Kai Sullivan, Andrew Bosio, Corinne Jones, Kamryn Levy, Olivia Chu, Evelyn Bird and Caty Ruppert that added the shine to the Panthers performance.
Freshman Brayden White and Sophomore Bruno Middleton
Senior 200 and 400 Winner Reggie Masket
Reggie Masket’s double win in the 400 and 200 was quite impressive. “Given his late beginning to the 2025 season, to see Reggie storm to the lead in the first 30 meters and never relinquish it was certainly a bright spot today,” declared coach Jay Lawson. “Reggie not only took the lead early, he widened it as the races went along. His strength and stamina were noticeable.”
Sophomore Kaylin Hollines Leads the 200
Coach Mohun's Girls Distance Squad
Another bright spot for the Panthers came from sophomore Corinne Jones. Fresh off of her high jump win at the Skyline Invitational two weeks ago, Corinne outdid even that performance by bounding out to an impressive, 36‘3“ triple jump. That jump puts her on the schools all-time list and shoots her up to the #5 ranking in the entire North Coast Section. What a performance for someone who’s only been at it for a few weeks!
Throwers Khalil Chaney (left) and Xavier Slocum (right)
Other meet highlights included
- Double sprint win in the JV Boys 100 and 200 by sophomore Alejandro Diaz-Zepeda.
- A 1-2 finish in the Varsity 1600 from freshman Kai Sullivan (5:02 )and sophomore Andrew Bosio (5:02). Sophomore Isaac Porter (5:03) was 3rd with freshman Scott St. Clair not far behind in 5:05.
- Sophomore Kamryn Levy was 4th in the Varsity girls 100 before almost eclipsing the 28 second barrier in the Varsity 200… finishing in a PR 28.01.
- The freshmen trio of Olivia Chu, Caty Ruppert, and Evelyn Bird finished 1-3-4 in the Varsity girls 1600. Later, the same threesome finished 2-3-4 in the 800.. with Olivia and Evelyn scoring lifetime bests (2:42).
- Freshman Khalil Pearson ran a PR 57.49 in the 400, bettering his previous best by more than a second.
- Senior Mason Young made his 2025 debut, finishing 2nd in the Varsity boys shot put with a heave of 39’1”. That throw was also a PR for Mason.
Freshman Danielle Mendler Leads Down the Stretch
The Panthers next meet will not be until Saturday, March 22nd when the distance runners travel to Dublin for the annual “Distance Fiesta”… while the rest of the squad will be at San Ramon Valley High School for the Swenson/Werne Invitational (formerly SRV Sprint/Field Invitational).
Big Wins, New Records, and Plenty of T-Shirts for Panthers @ Dan Gabor!
March 1st, 2025
Pleasanton, CA - The Dan Gabor Track and Field Invitational, hosted by Amador Valley High School, is divided into two sections: a Sprint/Hurdle/Field session in the morning and a Distance Carnival in the evening. On Saturday, whether it be morning, mid afternoon, or evening… the Panthers made their presence known with their historically long jumps and lightning fast times.
~ Click Here To See All Photos From The Meet ~
Senior Trevor Walton
Headlining the morning session for the Panthers was ultra-talented junior Kira Gant Hatcher who, for a second week in a row, won the girls long jump in commanding fashion. After having barely missed breaking the meet record a week ago at Skyline, Kira would leave no doubt this week with her 18’11¾” record-smasher. Her leap broke the previous meet record by 5” inches and makes her the NCS leader by more than a foot!
Senior Alexa Lawson
Later, Kira would place 6th overall in the 100 meters while equaling her all-time best in that event. The other medalist in the morning session was senior Alexa Lawson, who opened her 2025 hurdling season with a third place finish in the girls 300 hurdles. Other top 10 finishers were seniors Jaiden Reed (16’3½”) and Tori Harris (15’7”) in the girls long jump, who finished 6th and 8th respectively.
Alejandro Diaz-Zepeda
On the boys side, senior Trevor Walton had an outstanding day, posting two personal bests in leading the Panther charge. Trevor, not normally a 100 m runner, posted a lifetime best by more than 3/10 of a second after running more than a second faster than he ever had in the open 400 earlier that morning. Nice job Trevor!
Sophomore Sabrina Jackson
Senior Jagger Gullov-Singh
Coach Craig Sutphin’s boy’s sprint group, committed to vastly improving their 400 meter times this season, posted a slew of personal bests here Saturday. Led by sophomores Alejandro Diaz-Zepeda and Zaire Strong… along with freshman Khalil Pearson, Coach Sutphin’s group battled their way to six lifetime bests.
Senior Tori Harris
“I was really proud of how hard those guys competed and how they were not afraid to get out and challenge themselves today,” said coach Sutphin after the races. “Our goal as a group this year is the challenge ourselves to be the best that we can be and not shy away from hard work. And, there’s no better way to test your toughness and mettle than by running the 400. The guys tested themselves today. They did well.”
Sophomore Zaire Strong
Sophomore Kian Elzy
As the afternoon turned to evening, the sun began to set and the temperature in the air began to drop. However, the temperature on the track rose quickly because now it was time for the distance events. The girls team, a great mix of experienced veterans and relative newcomers, focused their efforts on the 800 meters at Dan Gabor. The meet ran 11 heats, with the top three in each heat winning a prized Dan Gabor t-shirt. Of the 33 prized shirts available to win, the upstart Panthers took home six of them. Sophomore Isabel Eli, freshmen sisters Jessica and Caty Ruppert, along with fellow ninth grader Evelyn Bird all scored big personal bests while finishing in the top 3 in their respective heats. Caty, in fact, won her heat while scoring her shirt. However, it was seniors Madi Potter and Lia Sullivan who were the fastest Panthers, running 2:27 and 2:29 while placing 1st and 2nd in heat #9.
l to r: Jessica Ruppert, Evelyn Bird, Caty Ruppert, Isabel Eli, Madi Potter, Lia Sullivan
While the girls focused their efforts on the 800, many of the top boy runners were entered in the 3200… better known to older folks as the “2 mile”. And, like last week at Skyline, the Panthers were led by senior Javin Schmitt who raced to his 3rd consecutive invitational win in 2025. Javin out-dueled two other runners down the homestretch to win by a scant .03. His time, 9:18.2, is just off his lifetime best and currently ranks him #1 in the entire North Coast Section. Teammates Ian Kopchik and Tucker Presnell placed fourth and fifth overall, with Ian running a huge lifetime best 9:25.8. Both Ian and Tucker currently rank amongst the top mile and 2 milers in the section and both rank in the top 10 all-time in school history.
Senior Jaiden Reed
Sophomore Djali de Chalus also entered the 3200 fray, mixing it up with the lead group for the first half of the race before falling back slightly and finishing 11th overall. Djali’s time of 9:40.7 ranks him #9 on the school’s all-time list in just his sophomore year!
Senior Kai Valle also had a nice run finally eclipsing the vaunted 10 minute mark, finishing in 9:58. Junior Mika Maze also scored a 10 second personal best while a pair of freshman, Kai Sullivan and Scott St. Clair also ran very fine races according to Coach Ben Turman. Kai broke the 11 minute mark, running 10:51, while Scott barely was right on the cusp of doing the same before finishing in 11:01. Congratulations to all the athletes for their fine efforts at Dan Gabor.
Panthers Open Season By Scaring Two Meet Records; Winning Three Events @ Skyline Invitational
February 22nd, 2025
Oakland, CA - On Saturday, the 2025 track & field season kicked off at the 19th annual Skyline Invitational. Skyline has solidified itself as the kick-off meet for most East and North Bay high schools and quite often features many of the North Coast section’s top talent… and this year was no different. So, after a productive and dedicated off-season, the Saint Mary’s Panthers were more than ready for a meet… to see just how much they had accomplished over the winter training months. Headlining the day were senior distance runner Javin Schmitt and junior jump/sprint star Kira Gant Hatcher.
~Click Here To See All Photos From Today's Meet~
Long Jump Winner Kira Gant Hatcher
Javin looked every bit like the 1st Team All-North Coast Section cross country runner he was in the fall. First in the 1600, Javin and teammate Tucker Presnell led the lead group through the first two laps before Javin, with his signature long, fluid strides, began to press the pace and separate from the rest of the field. Running virtually unopposed for the final lap and a half, the talented senior cruised home to a personal best 4:18.29. His time was a mere ½ a second off the meet record set in 2021 by former Panther and current Cal Poly SLO runner Mateo Malko-Allen.
l to r: Kai Valle, Tucker Presnell, Ian Kopchik
Later in the afternoon Javin would come back to post another personal best, this time in the 800. His time, 1:56.82 was a personal best by more than three seconds. Javin‘s double win at Skyline will most certainly put the rest of the North Coast Section on notice that he intends to be a contender for section metals come late May.
Alexa Lawson & Brooklyn Dwyer
“The Guys executed exceptionally well, physically and mentally. Especially given the surprise time schedule change,” said distance coach Ben Turman after the meet. “I’m super proud of everyone. This was essentially a Bayshore preview and there were lots of PRs, smart racing tactics, courageous middle laps, big finishes, and podium spots. We are ready for a great season!”
High Jump Winner Corrine Jones
Other top performances from the boys distance team came from junior Shane Doherty (4:37), Djali de Chalus (4:30.89) and Tucker Presnell (4:24.31) in the 1600… and junior Ian Kopchik – who completely obliterated his lifetime bests in both the 800 and 1600. Ian’s 2024 best in the 800 was 2:10. On Saturday he ran 1:59. His 2024 best in the 1600 was 4:37. On Saturday he ran 4:24! In fact, the boys team recorded 12 personal bests in the 1600, placed 3 runners in the top 4 in the 1600, and had 5 of the first 9 placers in the 800. Quite a day indeed!
Freshman Evelyn Bird
Meanwhile, the girls sprint and jumps team showed off their talent against some of the best girl jumpers in the North Coast Section. Junior Kira Gant Hatcher led the way, winning the long jump after placing 2nd in the triple jump. Like Javin, Kira nearly broke the Skyline meet record in the long jump… a record that has stood for almost 20 years. After leading the entire competition, Kira sprinted down the runway on her final attempt… exploded at take-off, flew through the air, and landed 18’6” from the board. Her jump was a personal best and just a scant 2 inches from all-time best. Teammate Jaiden Reed joined Kira on the medal stand with her fourth place jump of 16‘7“. Earlier in the day Kira finished second in a triple jump (37’9”) while Jaiden was 6th.
Junior Shane Doherty
The other Panther gold medalist at Skyline came in the girls high jump and was posted by newcomer Corinne Jones. After only two weeks of practice, Corinne placed fifth and the triple jump (34’6”) before soaring over 4’10” in her first ever track meet. Her performances, according to Coach Rogers, were “pretty amazing.”
Boys 400 Meters
On the track, the girls were also very impressive taking 3 of the top 9 spots in the 400 meters, and 2 of the top 3 in the 100 meters. Senior Alexa Lawson lead the quarter milers with a season opening 60.98 followed closely by fellow senior Brooklyn Dwyer (61.68) and sophomore Sabrina Jackson (63.5). Alexa was 3rd overall, Brooklyn 5th and Sabrina 9th. In the 100, another newcomer – Berkeley Hedgspeth – showcased her exceptional talent by placing second overall in the 100 in 12.64. Like Corrine, this was Berkeley’s first track meet ever! She was followed by Kira’s lifetime best 12.71 (3rd overall), and Brooklyn’s 13.08. Throw in a solid 13.39 from sophomore Kamryn Levy and together, the sprint group is looking optimistically at both individual and relay success this season.
l to r: Jaiden Reed, Alexa Lawson, Sabrina Jackson, Kira Gant Hatcher, Tori Harris, Berkeley Hedgspeth, Brooklyn Dwyer, Corrine Jones
Finally, the girls distance team – young and on the rise, also had a good opening meet. Veterans Madi Potter (5:40) and Lia Sullivan (5:44) ran their typical solid 1600 meter races, while freshmen Evelyn Bird (5:55) and Caty Ruppert (6:08) both had impressive freshmen debuts while winning their 1600 heats.
Other notable performances came from Alejandro Diaz-Zepeda in the 100 and 400, senior Tori Harris in the long and triple jump, senior Jagger Gullov-Singh in the 400, Kaylin Hollines in the 100, and freshmen Kai Sullivan and Scott St. Clair in the boys 1600.
Sophomore Djali de Chalus
Next up for the Panthers will be the Dan Gabor Sprint and Distance Festival on Saturday, March 1st at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton.
Optimistic Coaches Preview 2025 Track Season
Girls Varsity Jumpers, Hurdlers & Sprinters
The Saint Mary’s Track & Field 2025 season officially begins on Saturday, February 22nd when the Panthers travel to the 19th annual Skyline Invitational. The 2025 Panthers return several high profile athletes who rank at or near the top of the NCS and the entire state. Along with these headliners, the 2025 team will feature many talented, hard-working up-and-comers who hope to garner much individual success while also contributing to the team’s storied success. Coaches Jay Lawson, Jeff Rogers, Denis Mohun and Ben Turman shared their thoughts on their event groups as the season nears.
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Alexa Lawson
Jay Lawson – Sprints/Hurdles/Relays
What is the outlook and mindset of the coaches and athletes coming into the new season?
I’d say this year, like most years, there’s a combination of what we know, what we think we know, and what we have no idea about. We know, for example, that we have some athletes that will have dominant seasons; we can also say, based on past performances and expected levels of improvement, that we have some kids that should have solid seasons. Then, of course, we have new faces that we don’t really know about. So, this season, like most will be a mix of realistic expectations and hopeful anticipation.
O.K., so what do you know? In other words, who are you expecting to have big years?
First and foremost will be our returning All-NCS performer, Kira Gant-Hatcher, who was our lone state meet competitor last year. After her, we’re really excited about our girls sprint and boys distance groups. All of them are super-talented and should be in contention for top honors at Bayshore and hopefully NCS.
Aside from Kira, keep your eyes on seniors Alexa Lawson (300h) and Brooklyn Dwyer (400). Both have had really good pre-season conditioning sessions and both are on track to have big senior years. Sophomore Sabrina Jackson is also primed for a good season and we’re really excited about newcomers Berkeley Hedgspeth and Mia Monroe, who we expect to contribute to our sprint and relay success.
For the boys, Trevor Walton (400) and Leo Turner (100, 200) have been the most consistent in the pre-season and we expect that will pay off once the season starts. We’re hoping to add some talented basketball players once their season ends and together that will make our boys sprints and relays much faster. But, as I’ve said before, sometimes what you think you know isn’t always how it ends up. There maybe some kids who come from nowhere to steal the show. As coaches, we hope there’s things we still don’t know.
For the past several years, the girls 4 x 400 team has been dominant, having competed at the state meet 9 of 11 years. Can we expect to see them make a run again?
I’d be surprised if our relay team wasn’t solid again this year. We return all four legs from last year (Kira, Alexa, Brooklyn, Sabrina) and we may have some ready to challenge for a spot. So I think we have a chance. Like always though, as we go through the season it usually becomes evident who will end up on the team.
Speaking of newcomers, are there any who may take a big step forward this year?
Well, I already mentioned Mia and Berkeley. Mia is a freshman who has already achieved a lot as a youth track athlete. She’s a sprinter whose personal bests already make her the one or two fastest girls on our team. Berkeley is a high level soccer player headed to the University of Chicago next year. Although she doesn’t have an official time, we’ve seen her run and she’s fast. As far as other newcomers go, they’re a few I know about. I’m sure there will be a few others…. especially in the field and distance events.
Are there any other people or events we should watch for in 2025?
I’d say to watch for the overall improvement of our team. We usually get a slow start because of our schedule, our winter sports athletes coming out late, and Enrichment Week. However, by late March or early April we should get rolling. I’ll let the other coaches talk about their event areas, but keep your eye on them. They have a really good mix of experience and youthful talent that maybe the strength of our team this year.
Lastly, it seems as though you added some new coaches this year. Do you have some thoughts about the coaching staff?
Our staff is as good a staff as you’ll find in high school track & field. Me, Coach Rogers, and Coach Mohun are coming up on almost 30 years together so our familiarity with one another is unquestionable. We understand and respect each other which certainly has contributed to the success we’ve had over the years.
Coach Turman is in his 5th year with us and has really done a great job with our boys distance team. Those guys will be at the center of any success we have on the boys side and a lot of the credit goes to his guidance and commitment.
Coach Sutphin and Coach Corwin are also instrumental in allowing us to run the type of program we do. We’ll have well over 100 athletes on the team this year and those two are counted on to manage, teach, advise and mentor many of them. Almost every athlete on our team, before advancing to varsity, has started out being coached by them. They’re great.
The “new” coaches you refer to are our hurdles coach and our throws coach. Terry Burke works with our hurdlers and may do some work with our short sprinters. Terry’s credentials are extensive: long-time high school head coach, head coach at San Francisco State, professional coach, etc…. Coach Burke is an asset that we feel lucky to have.
Coach Joe Lofton spent the fall as the head coach of our girl’s flag football team. Fortunately for us, he’s also a former high school state meet level shot and discus thrower. He’s organized, knowledgeable and energetic. There’s no doubt our throws program will be much-improved with him at the helm.
Jeff Rogers – Jumps
What areas are looking strong to you heading into the start of the season?
Without question the strength of our jumps squad coming in will be the girls horizontals. Kira was 5 centimeters away from making the state finals in the long jump last year and I expect her to be even better this year. She should compete for top spots and medals in late May. Senior Jaiden Reed was also an NCS long jump finalist last year. Her, along with seniors Callie Ballard and Tori Harris give us a talented group that will make some noise.
Kira Gant-Hatcher
Sounds like the girls long and triple jumps are solid. Can you talk about some of the other athletes and their events?
Sure. Besides Kira and the three senior girls, we hope to have some of our talented boys basketball players join us. Both Jaden Jones and CJ Baltrip would make our boys team shine and they both would send rumbles across the NCS.
I’m also impressed with sophomore Corrine Jones. She’s a volleyball player but comes from a family of track athletes. So far in the preseason, her talent and competitiveness have been impressive. Juniors Christian Johnson Neal (horizontal jumps) and Shelby Stewart (high jump) have been working hard and should help the depth of the team.
And, just to reiterate what Coach Lawson said, sometimes what you think you know changes and you get some great surprises. I’d love for some kids to come from nowhere to make the show even better!
Javin Schmitt
Ben Turman – Boy’s Distance Coach
There’s been a lot of talk about how good the boys distance group looks. Can you share some thoughts and offer some insights?
Well, what people maybe looking at is a culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication from this group. I asked these guys awhile back to commit themselves to being the best runners they can which I understand is a big ask. This sport and this level of dedication is not for everyone and there have been those that have opted out. But the guys in this group have embraced it and their times and improvement are the proof.
Specifically then, who will be the headliners?
In my mind, they’re all ‘headliners’… but I get your question. You’d probably have to start with the two guys who were All-NCS cross country runners in the fall: Javin Schmitt and Tucker Presnell. Both ran a quick 3200 on the track back in October – during cross country season. Their times were the 4th and 5th fastest times in school history. Combine that with the training they’ve been doing since and it’s not a stretch to think they’ll go fast this season.
After those two, look for junior Ian Kopchik and sophomore Djali de Chalus to climb our all-time lists. Their range is from 800 to 3200 and I’d be surprised if they don’t end up as two of the fastest runners in the East Bay. Also, look for the seniors – who I call “the 25’s” – to finish their careers on a huge high. Kai Valle, Jacob Demissie and Brandon Bosio are veterans who we’ll need to lead and perform like seniors. Don’t be surprised to see those guys run fast.
Is there anyone on the rise who may surprise us?
I’m curious to see how much improvement some of our freshmen and sophomore will have. All of our guys ran cross country and so we know what they did in the fall. But, some guys stayed out after the season and have really committed themselves. I’m looking forward to seeing their improvement and to having them get rewarded for their work. Junior Mika Mazin is one of the guys that comes to mind. So does freshman Scott St. Clair. Shane Doherty is another guys who seems hungry to have a good season. Like the other coaches have been saying, things don’t always end up the way you may think. I’m excited to see how the season goes.
Denis Mohun – Girls Distance Coach
What has you most excited about this upcoming season?
Generally, most of the runners have continued to run after cross country season ended in the fall so I like their energy and commitment. We have a good mix of senior leaders in Lia Sullivan, Madi Potter and Katherine Scannell that is mixing nicely with our new freshman and sophomores. Lia is the leader of the group and I’m confident that her commitment and toughness will be infectious. Maddie was our top cross country runner in the fall and also competed in 800 at the Meet of Champions last spring. She’s talented and, in all likelihood, be our fastest runner.
Are there any others that are poised to reach a new level this year?
As I said, our freshman and sophomore class is talented and spent much of the time between cross country and track running… so I expect them to build on their strong cross country seasons. Caty and Jessica Ruppert are talented and hard-working so watch out for them. Evelyn Bird came on late in cross country and continues to just get better and better. Olivia Chu, who ran varsity in the fall, has been playing soccer but should be out soon which gives us even more depth and talent. There are a few others as well that have me optimistic and looking forward to our season.