Now that the season is officially complete, we will take a look back at the North Coast Section and list 10 things that stood out for us.
1) John Lester of Amador Valley ran the fastest time in the country as a junior with his 1:48.26. Despite a setback during the winter, Lester once again posted the fastest high school time in the country as he ran 1:47.65 at Stumptown Twilight defeating 1500 Olympic Champion Matthew Centrowitz in the process.
2) Lick-Wilmerding junior Alex Mader was super impressive in the 3200m this past season including a 8:57.34 time at the Arcadia Invitational. He will be one of the favorites to win a state title in the upcoming XC season in Division V.
3) The best female thrower in the section was Hayward senior Joanna Togiai. She had the best marks in both the shot put and discus with 39-6.5 and 128-6 personal bests.
4) St. Mary's Berkeley jump coach Jeff Rogers continues to develop jumpers each season. In 2021, St. Mary's Berkeley junior Julia Alexander led the section in the long jump with a 18-9 best.
5) The De La Salle boys provided some of the fastest sprint times in the section. Senior Paul McCants posted the fastest 100 and 200 times with 10.66 and 21.59w bests. The 400 relay team also recorded 41.60 best at the NorCal Championship.
6) The most impressive female distance runner in the section was Albany junior Sophia Nordenholz. She won both distance races at each Dublin Distance Fiestas while recorded her fastest 1600 time of 4:53.26. At the Arcadia Invitational, Nordenholz broke the NCS record in the 3200 with a time of 10:05.91.
7) While Nordenholz dominated the distance events, Monte Vista sophomore Cate Peters posted the fastest times in the 400 and 800 with 56.52 and 2:13.49 bests. Keep an eye on her next year with the prospect of a full season and a state meet on the horizon.
8) Maria Carrillo sophomore Lily Mulligan was the best pole vaulter in the section with a 13-0 mark. That tied her for the 6th best mark in the state.
9) The best hurdler in the section for the boys was St. Mary's Berkeley senior D'Niko Bates. He recorded bests of 14.21w and 38.14. Both marks were among the top 10 marks in the state.
10) Kudos go out to Dublin coach Chris Williams for hosting multiple meets including three Distance Fiestas. They enabled countless athletes to compete once again following much uncertainty in the fall and early spring.
If you have any other notable marks or students you would like to add to the above list, please do so on Twitter while tagging us @MilesplitCA.