Menlo’s Summer Young, M-A’s Tatum Olesen medal at Nike Nationals

“You know how good you are on third attempts,” Larsen said. “Just jump a little higher.”

Young delivered on her third attempt, and in doing so wrapped up fourth place and a spot on the national podium in the girls’ high jump. Young — the Central Coast Section champion and runner-up in the CIF State Track & Field meet in the event — was one of two county athletes to reach the podium at the mecca of track and field at University of Oregon.

Recent Menlo-Atherton graduate Tatum Olesen also emerged with a fifth-place finish in the girls’ one mile Saturday with a time of 4 minutes, 47.16 seconds, topping her personal record by just under half a second. It marks her second straight podium finish at the annual season-end meet. Her previous PR of 4:47.61 was recorded last season at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, when she took fourth place in the event.

“She did exactly what she needed to, which was she beat a couple other runners down the last stretch,” Menlo-Atherton Track Club coach Andy Pflaum said. “Tatum is always a good racing head to head ... and she out-kicked some other runners, like she always does ... and she had good reason to be happy with that.”

The Belmont Track Club also reached the podium in the boys’ 4x100 relay Championship section with a fifth-place finish. The Carlmont quartet of Ethan Shen, Gabriel Goncalves, Brian Sagon Jr. and Antonio Campbell Rodriguez ran the finals in 42.61 seconds, this after recording their fastest time of the year in the trials earlier in the day in 42.20.

The top six placers in Championship sections are podium finishes, while also garnering All-American honors.

M-A Track Club travels well

M-A also medaled in the boys’ 4x800 relay Emerging Elite section, with Timothy Rousseau, John Cutler, Rowan Pecson and Aidan Dougherty taking third place with a time of 8:03.65. Because the Emerging Elite section is the second-tier race, after the spotlight Championship section, the third-place finish did not put the quartet from the Menlo-Atherton Track Club on the podium. Medals were awarded, however.

While athletes at the Nike Nationals are not technically affiliated with their high schools, all 11 athletes from the Menlo-Atherton Track and Field club are out of M-A High School. The team traveled with quite a depth of athletes, unlike last year when Olesen was the club’s lone representative in Eugene.

“For us, it just compounds the energy,” Andy Pflaum said. “It’s a multiplier effectively ... because then they’re there all cheering for each other. ... So it’s a really great experience as opposed to just having one or two athletes there.”

For all the recent graduating seniors, the meet served as a swan song for many a high school career. That was highlighted by Olesen’s performance, who ran it two events. She also placed 11th in the girls’ 800 meter Championship section Friday in 2:09.27. Her final event was her podium finish in Saturday’s one mile.

“We certainly celebrated it and honored it as a team after that,” Andy Pflaum said.

Young tops all state high jumpers

After taking second place at the CIF state meet in the girls’ high jump, Young, competing for the iGreyhounds Track Club, was the top placer from California in the event at Nike Nationals.

“That’s bottom line,” iGreyhounds head coach Jorge Chen said. “She went in seeded ninth and she came out fourth place. She hasn’t really had a bad jump all year. She’s always very consistent.”

Karsyn Leeling from Nebraska took first place with a jump of 6-feet; Caroline Mauro from Oregon took second with a 5-10 3/4; and Cali Bryant from Texas matched Young with a 5-7 1/4 but earned the tiebreaker to take third. CIF state champion Valentina Fakrogha was entered in the Nike Nationals high jump but did not compete. The other two high jumpers from California — Laila Florvilus of St. Bernards Track Club, and Lelani Laruelle of Cupertino — did not clear 5 feet.

“I think that’s where [Young’s] competitive, and her just been-there, done-that mentality — she really has a competitive nature in her, so I think that’s going to carry her a long way.” Larsen said.