Celebrating sweet 1600s at CCS Track and Field Championships

Bouie had a tough act to follow, running his 1600 immediately after Olesen’s first-place triumph of 4 minutes, 53.08 seconds. Well, Bouie delivered, topping the podium with a time of 4:06.92. Not only was it the first CCS championship in the history of Crystal track. Bouie also set a new CCS meet record, one that had stood since 1977, when Willow Glen’s Mark Stillman ran it in 4:08.70.

“It was a fast pace,” Bouie said. “So, there were moments during that race when I was like: ‘Ah, I don’t know if I can take this. This is faster than I’ve run before.’ It’s like my coach says, if you want to do stuff you haven’t done before, you’ve got to do stuff you haven’t done before.”

It was a furious pace, one that saw the top three placers all surpass Stillman’s 47-year-old mark. Palo Alto senior Grant Morgenfeld took second in 4:08.20, while Sacred Heart Cathedral junior Miles Cook was third in 4:08.33.

Bouie said he doesn’t concern himself with times. So, he was nonreactive in besting his personal record by over four seconds. The time also calibrates to the third-fastest overall 1600 time in CCS history. Stillman holds the top mark of 4:05.5, while Serra’s Stan Ross is second at 4:06.8, both in 1977.

“I was more surprised that we all were able to come through under 4:10,” Bouie said. “That’s awesome. That’s really, really cool.”

Olesen, Pflaum finish 2-3 in 800

While Olesen’s championship run in the 1600 was her best technical race of the meet, the senior’s second-place run in the girls’ 800 was a work of art.

Competing with her longtime teammate and training partner Annie Pflaum, the two besties finished in second and third place, respectively, running side by side down the stretch.

Just like they do every day in practice.

“Yeah, you bet,” Pflaum said. “This is totally a team win. I was really chasing after Tatum, but we were running stride for stride there at the end. Just like in practice, pushing each other forward; and the rest is always so much better with a teammate.”

Prospect junior Kylie Hoornaert ran away with the championship with a time of 2:10.78. Olesen took second in 2:11.99, with Pflaum taking third in 2:12.20.

Hoornaert set a fast pace off the starting gun. The Prospect junior has been the premier 800 runner in CCS all season and holds the top time in the event of 2:09.91, set in April at the Arcadia Invitational.

“Kylie, at the beginning she got out so fast,” Olesen said. “Quick first lap. She was already pretty far ahead after that first lap. Just wanted to finish the last lap strong, kind of make up whatever space I could and just bring whatever I had back home.”

Olesen ranks third on the season in CCS, while Pflaum set a PR on Saturday to leapfrog into fourth on the year. Trying to chase down Olesen, who had a healthy lead on Pflaum going into the bell lap, helped a lot.

“It’s rough but it’s a great motivation,” Pflaum said. “Yeah, wow. It’s always something to look forward to and look up to. I mean, she’s such an inspiration.”

Olesen said she knew the bogey closing fast on the final lap was Pflaum, as she caught a glance of the trailing field on the turn.

“I saw it a little before, and then right at the finish I was super excited,” Olesen said. “Also coming through seeing a great PR from Annie is also super exciting.”

Crystal claims boys’ 4x800 title

One of the signature moments for Crystal’s distance running program came during the cross-country season of 2022. Crystal’s are currently repeat champions at the Division V state level, a spree that started in the fall of 2022-23 when girls’ standout Kaiya Brooks won the individual title while leading the Lady Gryphons to the state team championship.

Bouie had a similar accomplishment Saturday. No, Crystal didn’t win the CCS team championship. The Gentleman Gryphs settled for ninth place, with St. Ignatius taking the boys’ team title (55 points), and Serra and Bellarmine tying for second (47 points each). Bouie did feature in a team victory in the boys’ 4x800 relay, however.

Crystal’s foursome of Lachlan Guo, Bouie, Dean Wu and Tarik Baker claimed the program’s second CCS title with a time of 7:51.61.

“It means a lot,” Baker said. “Every morning we get up, we go out together, we do morning runs together as a team. We practice after school all the time. We went to the meets, we’re coming early and hanging out with each other. So, to go back home with the win, go back home with actually making progress, actually doing something big, it’s amazing.”

The championship performance featured a spectacular second leg by Bouie of 1:52 flat.

“That was amazing to see,” Guo said. “Tarik really turned it on that last 400.”

Bouie took the baton with Crystal in the muck, standing in fifth place with the leader approximately 75 meters ahead. Bouie exploded off the mark, and used long, powerful strides to chase down the lead by the midway point of his 800 leg. Wu said he wasn’t surprised when Bouie handed him the baton with the lead, as he’s seen it before.

“Yeah, many times,” Wu said. “I always get a little worried when he goes out so fast, but I know that he’s really strong and can hold that.”

Bouie used a similar approach in his 1600 championship run earlier in the day. He trailed heading into the bell lap but used the straightaway heading into the final turn to close, then using a slingshot maneuver to claim the lead.

“I’ve been working all season on being able to close off fast paces,” Bouie said. “And, honestly, I was finishing the third lap and feeling not great. So, being able to work with discomfort, and work with the pain, that’s something I’ve been working on, and it’s cool to see it come together.”

Bouie didn’t seem to be feeling any pain after his 4x800 run. While Baker was running the anchor leg, Bouie was sprinting across the infield from straightaway to straightaway to holler encouragement to his teammate.

“I was nervous at the start,” Baker said, “but after I saw the other guy coming really fast, I was like: ‘I’ve got to turn it up for the team.’”

Menlo settled for third place in 8:00.29, just missing the top-two relay cut for the CIF state championships. Carlmont reached the podium in fourth place in 8:03.02. Menlo-Atherton took sixth in 8:03.35.

The Crystal 4x800 team now advances to the state meet.

Serra makes meet history en route to 2nd-place team finish

In the boys’ 800, Serra freshman Jeovanni Henley proved a bolt from the blue, becoming the program’s first freshman ever to claim a CCS championship. Henley chased down the title with a tie of 47.97. It was just the third win of the season for Henley in the event, with his time now tops in CCS this season. It was also a PR, and a new Serra frosh-soph record.

Aragon’s Charles Harger also reached the podium, taking fourth in 49.17.

In the boys’ shot put, Serra junior Luke Lewis took the title by saving his best for last, launching a throw of 57 feet, 9 1/2 inches to claim the title. The throw topped the next best distance by a mere 3 1/2 inches, as Los Altos’ Maxime Morelle took second with a 57-3.

Serra senior Jaden Green qualified for the state meet in three events. The two-sport standout — who also reached the CIF state championship with the Serra football team — claimed second place in the boys’ 100, obliterating his PR with a time of 10.83. Los Altos’ Nathaniel Guillory was the fastest boy of the meet with a first-place time of 10.78.

Green also anchored the boys’ 4x100 relay team for a second-place finish of 41.83, teaming with Henley, Chris Yoon and Jusiah Vinson. Mitty took the championship with a time of 41.69. Carlmont (fifth, 42.24) and Hillsdale (sixth, 42.33) both made the podium.

In the boys’ 200, Green took third with a time of 21.98, with Los Altos Nathaniel Guillory taking the title in 21.37.

Burlingame’s Haggary, Mateo’s Brown headed to state meet

It was quite the triumph as Burlingame anchor Cora Haggarty crossed the finish line for second place in the girls’ 4x400 relay, teaming with Avah Reichow, Stella Newman and Elise Spenner.

Los Gatos took the title in 3:54.05, but Haggarty was the one waving her arms in the air in celebration at the finish with a time of 3:57.17.

In the girls’ 400, Haggarty settled for fifth place in 57.17. Mountain View’s Hannah Rutherford took first with a meet record 53.81.

San Mateo senior Delaney Brown sprinted into the state-qualifying field in the girls’ 100 with a third-place finish of 12.59, out-touching the fourth-place time of Sobrato’s Shaunise Tuua by two one-hundredths of a second. St. Ignatius star Ellie McCuskey was the fastest girl of the meet, taking the 100 title in 11.99.

Brown also took seventh in the girls’ long jump with a distance of 17-3 3/4.

County high jumpers rule field events

It was a big day for county high jumpers.

San Mateo junior Luka Sebisanovic claimed the boys’ high jump title with a top height of 6 feet, 6 inches, earning the tiebreaker against Milpitas’ Alexander Dillon, who took second, also with a 6-6. Hillsdale senior Tomi Adenekan also reached the podium with a sixth-place finish, hitting a jump of 6-2.

In the girls’ high jump, Menlo senior Summer Young claimed the title by hitting a height of 5-6 on her first attempt. Young earned the tiebreaker against Monta Vista’s Lelani Laruelle, who missed her first attempt but later executed a 5-6 jump.

Heartbreak in the pole vault

Aragon senior Jarod Nunnemaker settled for fourth place in the boys’ pole vault after suffering a minor but impactful elbow injury on his first attempt at 14 feet, 6 inches.

Nunnemaker, seeded No. 2 in the event, recorded a 14-00 with ease. On his first attempt at 14-6, however, the senior whacked his funny bone on his decent after clipping the crossbar. Nunnemaker said his elbow went numb for the next few minutes. The injury affected his next two attempts — he didn’t get off the ground on his second attempt and faulted on his third after not being able to drive the pole into the ground.

St. Ignatius senior Lex Lehnert won the title with a vault of 16-00.

In the girls’ pole vault, Sequoia senior Abby Goetz earned second place with a height of 12-3. Goetz matched champion Jonelle Scott of Soquel, but Scott earned the tiebreaker by executing the vault sooner.

Other results

In the girls’ 3200, Crystal’s Anna Salter tumbled to the track upon finishing an exhausting bell lap but held on to make the state cut with a third-place time of 10:42.61. Palo Alto’s Kinga Czajkowska took the title in 10:39.76. Mills senior Jackie Pan also reached the podium in fourth place in 10:53.66, while Sacred Heart Prep’s Sophie Cheung took sixth in 10:55.43.

In the boys’ 3200, Menlo junior Landon Pretre settled for second place in 9:04.99, finishing just back of longtime friendly rival Morgenfeld of Palo Alto, who topped the podium in 9:04.09.

In the boys’ triple jump, Mills senior Jaeden Vazquezz reached the podium with a fourth-place finish with a distance of 44 feet, 6 1/2 inches. St. Ignatius junior Noah Gonzalez took the title with a 46-11.

In the girls’ long jump, Aragon senior Pia Cho took fifth place, a podium finish, with a height of 17-2 1/4. Cho was a state qualifier in 2022 and ’23, taking second place in the CCS long jump last season, and third place at CCS as a sophomore. St. Ignatius’ McCuskey-Hay took the title with a jump of 18-1 1/2.

In the girls’ shot put, Sacred Heart Prep senior Evelini Mila reached the podium with a sixth-place finish, featuring a top throw of 35-4. Hollister’s Godla Demby won the title with a 42-8.

In the girls’ discus, Sequoia junior Desiree Huffer reached the podium, earning a sixth-place finish with a throw of 110-11. Terra Nova sophomore Gabriela Dyogi took seventh with a 109-00. Hollister’s Golda Demby claimed the title with a throw of 139-07. Huffer also took eighth I the shot put with a 33-8 1/2.

In the girls’ 4x100 relay, Mitty took the title in 47.62 seconds, with Los Altos second (47.98) and St. Ignatius third (48.19); Menlo-Atherton made the podium with a fifth-place time of 49.02.

In the girls’ 100 hurdles, Mitty swept the top three spots, led by Laniah Simpson in 14.63. M-A’s Sara Nordlund took fifth in 15.17, and Notre Dame-Belmont’s Sydney Domingo took sixth in 15.48.

Nordlund also reached the podium in the girls’ 300 hurdles, taking fourth in 44.46. Burlingame’s Reichow took fifth in 44.68.

In the girls’ 200, North Salinas’ Clara Adams took the title in 24.62.

In the boys’ 110 hurdles, Mitty’s Prince Najeeb Babalola-Buchango took the title in 14.55. Serra Yoon reached the podium in sixth place in 15.21.

In the boys’ 800, Homestead’s Evan Gardner took the title in 1:53.99.

In the girls’ 4x800 relay, St. Francis took the title in 9:24.50. Carlmont reached the podium in fifth place in 9:52.25.

In the boys’ 4x400, Bellarmine took the title in 3:21.30, while St. Ignatius wrapped up the team title with a third-place finish of 3:21.88.

In the boys’ discus, Silver Creek’s Kyler Headley took the title with a throw of 178-10.

In the girls’ triple jump, Hollister’s Hannah Vincent took the title with a 37-10 1/2.

In the boys’ long jump, Wilcox’s Tyson Bonilla took the title with a top throw of 23 feet, 4 3/4 inches. Serra’s Yoon took ninth with a 21-1 1/4, and Serra’s Green took 10th with a 20-6 3/4.