TRACK AND FIELD San Francisco Section Year in Review

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First in a Series of Section-Specific Season-in-Review Articles

Lowell senior Oliver Witt and Jenna Satovsky competed in CIF-State Championship Finals, and seven other athletes representing four schools competed in State Meet preliminaries from the San Francisco Section.

Witt ran 4:13.16 PR to grab the 12th and final spot in the boys 1600-meter State Final and placed ninth in the championship, running 4:15.69. 

Satovsky, the UC San Diego-bound distance standout, was an auto-qualifier into the 3200m final from the section All-City Finals, running 11:16.02 on the track at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis. 

At the All-City Finals held at Kezar Stadium, Witt led perennial champion Lowell to another boys title, winning the 800m (1:58.45) as part of a 1-4 Lowell finish, the 1600m (4:34.69) leading another 1-4 finish, and he also won the 3200m (9:33.86) as part of a 1-2 finish. 

That's a ton of huge points in the distances for the Lowell boys who won for the 20th time in 24 All-City Finals dating to 1997. Only Lincoln, four times, has won the SF Section boys team title since Lowell's dominance began in 1997. 

Lowell senior Benjamin Lester, who ran second to Witt in the All-City 800-meters and in the 1600m, took on the 800 at State Prelims, running a 1:57.30 PR.

Lincoln senior Zayar Myint swept the short sprints at the All-City Finals, winning the 100m in 11.03 (0.7) and the 200m in 22.53 (2.7) after dropping 10.97 (3.2)/22/43 (0.0) PRs the week before at the All-City Trials. He ran both at State Prelims.

Mission senior Marc Webb ran his 400m PR of 50.74 to win the section title and earn a spot at State Prelims. 

Lowell's points weren't all concentrated in the distance. Senior Nicolo Chiera Sciammas won the long jump (21-3/1.7) and triple jump (41-6/1.8), both PRs, placed third in the high jump at the All-City Finals, and competed at State in the long jump.

Lowell's section dominance in the boys varsity division is second only to that of the Lowell girls, who extended their section title streak to 40 since 1978.

Junior Jacqueline Holman led the points accumulation winning the 400m (1:01.63)as part of a 1-4 sweep, placed second to classmate Katja Jackson (2:24.11) as part of a 1-3 sweep in the 800m, and won the 1600m (5:16.38) as part of a 1-4 sweep. 

Satovsky won the 3200m (11.21.99), placed second to Holman in the 1600m (5:24.23), and third in the 800m (2:25.57).

Holman in the 1600m and Jackson in the 800m both competed at State Prelims. As did Lincoln senior Audrey Lin, the All-City champion in both hurdles, running 16.82 (2.0)PR in the 100m event and 49.48 in the 300m event.

The other State Meet qualifier was O'Connell freshman Maliah Sampson, the section champion in both short sprints after running 12.59 (1.4) in the 100m and 26.29 (1.9) in the 200m. She dropped a 12.49 (1.7) PR in the 100m at State Prelims.

Lincoln came close to winning the boys team title, which it did in 2019, the last time the All-City Finals were held. Aside from Myiant's sprint points, Lincoln picked up points in the hurdles from senior Xander Contrerasc and sophomore Harrison Brown, who went 1-3 in the 100m event, and 2-1, respectively, in the 300m.

Lincoln's boys also got event wins from senior Miles Chamberlain in the pole vault (13-9) as part of a 1-4 sweep, sophomore Jacob Diaz Padilla in the discus throw (112-11), as part of a 1-3 sweep, and senior Liam Baker in the high jump (5-8). 

It should be noted that the Lowell team of junior Noah Louie, seniors Hayden Kwok and Samuel Lawrence, and sophomore Blake Wong ran 3:33.21 to beat Lincoln by about four seconds to win the 4x400m relay.

Other boys All-City champions:

- Danny Wu, George Washington, Jr., shot put (40-3)

Lincoln also threatened Lowell's varsity team title on the girls side. Lincoln won in 2019, coming in as the defending champion, and also won in 2011. Those are the only two years since 1987 that Lowell did not win the girls team title.

Countering Lowell's dominance in the distances, Lincoln's Lin swept the hurdles and also won the pole vault, senior Leina Hutcherson swept the throws, and sophomore Norah Laurance swept the long jump and triple jump. 

Other girls All-City champions:

- Jazmine Bailey, Galileo Academy, won the high jump (4-8).

As with the boys, the Lowell girls team of juniors Celia Fong, Samantha Gee, Holman, and sophomore Maria Carbajal won the 4x400m relay (4:11.12) to beat Lincoln by about 24 seconds. 

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Zayar Myint - Lincoln, Sr.

Swept the sprints at the All-City Finals, and helped the 4x100m relay team to victory in a section-leading time of 43.90. Ran fastest times and section-best marks at the All-City Trials, going 10.97 (3.2) for 100 meters and 22.43 (0.) for 200m.

Distances

Oliver Witt - Lowell, Sr.

Swept the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m titles at the All-City Finals, and reached the State Meet final in the 1600m, placing ninth. Ran section-best 1600m of 4:13.16 at State Prelims and section-best 3200m of 9:24.03 at the Granada Distance & Sprint Festival. 

Field Events

Nicolo Chiera Sciammas - Lowell, Sr.

Won the long jump and triple jump at the All-City Finals and competed at State in the long jump. Hit section-leading marks of 21-3 (1.7) in the long jump and 41-6 (1.8) in the triple jump at the section final. 

GIRLS

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Sprints/Hurdles

Maliah Sampson - O'Connell, Fr.

Swept the 100m and 200m sprints at the All-City Finals. Section leader in both short sprints. Ran 100m PR of  12.49 (1.7) at State Prelims. Ran 200m 26.25 (3.0) at All-City Prelims. Her wind-legal 100m PR ranks tied for CA No. 9 in the class.

Distances 

Jacqueline Holman - Lowell, Sr.

Won the 400m, 800, and 1600m at the All-City Finals and competed in the 1600m at the State Meet. Section leader in the 400, 1600m, and 3200m. Ran her 400m PR of 1:01.48 at All-City Trials. Ran her 1600m PR of 4:59.18 at Dublin Distance Fiesta, and her 3200m PR of 10:51.56 at Arcadia.

Jumps

Norah Laurance - Lincoln, So.

Won the long jump and triple jump at the All-City Finals. Triple jump PR of 34-0 leads the section, and long jump PR of 16-5.57 ranks second. 

Throws

Leina Hutcherson - Lincoln, Sr.

Swept the weight throws at the All-City Finals and had section bests of 94-0 in the discus throw and 33-2 in the shot put.