MORE COVERAGE - PHOTOS | INTERVIEWS | FLOTRACK COVERAGE
PALO ALTO - Monte Vista (NC) senior Cate Peters was excited about her win in the girls 400 meters on Saturday during the high school portion of the Stanford Invitational. But she's also excited about running the relays at next week's Acadia Invitational.
"At Arcadia, we'll focus on the team," she said. "Next weekend, it's all about relays. We'll do the (spring medley relay), we're doing the (4x400). We're doing a bunch of relays and I'm really excited to work with my teammates and hopefully come home with some medals."
As if to prove the point, about 75 minutes later, Peters anchored the Mustangs 4x4 team to a come-from-behind win over Long Beach Poly (SS), nipping the Jackrabbits at the end.
"I'm super-excited," said Monte Vista junior Natalia McGowan. Added sophomore Cate Miller, "We're very proud of that, very proud." Sophomore Isabella Moriyama is the fourth member of the team.
The Mustangs came home in three minutes, 54.59 seconds. Peters ran a fantastic final 100 meters to grab the win. Long Beach Poly finished in 3:55.28.
The Jackrabbit foursome of senior Kennadi Reed, senior Ari'yona Smith, sophomore Eriss Portley and sophomore Jaylin Hunter had won the 4x100m relay earlier in 47.67, more than a second ahead of Oakland Tech (OK).
Peters won the 400 in 55.60. She said it was meaningful to her because she just got her email acceptance to attend Stanford the night before.
"It kind of felt like a homecoming to me," she said. "Because, I ran here as a junior and that was my first time at Stanford. That was where my recruitment at Stanford began. Coming back here as a signed athlete, it was really special to me.
"To come here the day after (the email) and get to race on the track where I'm going to be training every day, it's such a special feeling."
That Long Beach Poly team had a strong day with the win in the 4x1 and the second-place medal in the 4x4.
"I think our handoffs were excellent," Reed said after the 400 relay. "We practiced so much making sure our handoffs were good and we succeeded."
The group said they weren't happy with the 47.67, saying they expected more. They'll be back on the track at Arcadia next week looking to drop the number.
"I think we're going to keep getting better as a team," Hunter said.
Kennedy (SJ) senior Marlee Cavitt was perhaps the most enthusiastic runner at the meet, jumping up and down and celebrating when she saw her winning 100-meter time of 11.97.
"I've been trying to get 11 all season," she said. "I've been struggling a little bit. So the fact I did it today was amazing."
Cavitt said she'd like to get an 11.6. She will also be running at the Arcadia Invitational hoping the loaded field will help her get there.
The El Cerrito (NC) junior Robert Stitts ran a wind-aided 10.52 in the prelims of the 100m then came back with a wind-legal 10.71 to win the final.
"I was a little fatigued from previous races," Stitts said after the final. "I still gave it my all."
Stitts said he'll be debuting in the 200 at the Arcadia Invitational.
"I'm really excited about that," he said. "The 100 (is) not really my race. The 200 is."
But that doesn't mean he isn't aiming high in the 100 - he said he'd like to get down to a 10.3 in the shorter sprint.
Long Beach Poly junior Xai Ricks won the 400 in 47.74, well in front of Los Gatos (CC) senior Levi Romero (48.99). That tied his PR. He said he wanted to come in under 47.00 but was still happy with his time. Next week, he will also compete at Arcadia.
"I know it will be a great competition and maybe it will push me in a race and keep it going to the finish," he said.
Romero came back later to run a leg on the winning 4x400 relay team. He joined teammates Brady Kamali (senior), Wil Brennan (senior) and Jake Bohane (junior) to come home in 3:21.08 with a pair of Serras next on the track - Serra (NC) was second in 3:24.08 with JSerra (SS) third in 3:24.35.
"It was great, wonderful," Romero said. "We got an amazing lead and we were able to carry it through."
Said Brennan, "It was tough, three of us had the open 400 like an hour ago. There's nothing you can really do about it, you've got to just push through and it was good to get the win.
Kamali added that the team won the event last year and was happy with the back-to-back.
Georgia Jeanneret won the girls 800. The JSerra junior took control of the race from the beginning and came home in 2:11.81.
"I was super-excited to come out here because last year at Stanford was my PR," she said. "I was looking for a PR (now 2:10.40), didn't quite get there. All in all, I really enjoyed the race. It was fun. I just think I need to push that last two a little bit more. I think that wind on the backstretch was a little difficult for me."
Orange Lutheran's all-senior team of Matthew Kaloustian, Jackson Weng, Longevity Khanrad Hernandez, and Deuce Frierson finished in 41.99. The group was excited to break 42.
"We're just trying to keep the baton going around, not slow anything up and just keep it rolling," Hernandez said.
Added Weng, "We're not finished yet!"
Pleasant Grove (SJ) senior Stephen Dahdouh won the boys 110 hurdles in a wind-aided 14.45. Lincoln (SJ) senior Y'vette Harris took the girls 100 hurdles in 13.95. Montgomery' (NC) super-sophomore Hanne Thomsen won the girls 1,600 in 4:46.41 with Scotts Valley (CC) junior Ashlyn Boothby was second in 4:52.49. Palo Alto (CC) junior Grant Morgenfeld won the boys 1600 in 4:11.88.
Joe Lighthall, a senior at Hughson (SJ), won the boys 800 in 1:52.64, taking a big lead early and then holding off Menlo School (CC) senior Justin Pretre (1:52.98).
JSerra (SS) senior Brendon See swept the boys weights, winning the shot put at 61-11.75 inches and taking the discus in 187-0.
Damin Esper is a Bay Area-based freelance writer and a regular contributor to MileSplit
Photos by Daniel Hernandez