‘23 City Prelims Girls 1, 600m - Heat 1
(l-r): Angelina Valladares, Kyra Morris, Sammy Pacheco, Gabi Nascimento
THIS WEEK IN CITY RUNNING
Week Ending April 21st, 2024
ETHAN DIAZ ran the quickest split of 1:56.80 in the lead-off leg to help the Granada Hills boys relay team to a 9th place finish in the 4x800m Invitational race at Mt. Sac on Friday night. ALEC FLORES (2:00.38), RYAN DUDLEY (2:01.54) and DANIEL RAMIREZ (2:00.32) were the other members of the team that posted the 2nd fastest City time of 7:59.04, just missing the City record set of 7:58.77 set by Granada in 2023.
ANGELES FELCIANO (Santee Jr) now ranks in the City top 5 for the 800m, 1600m and 3200m since winning the 800m varsity race in 2:25.84 at an Exposition league cluster meet at Santee High School on Thursday. She’s now #3 on Santee’s top 800m performances all time behind two City standouts, NORMA ALVAREZ (2:21.94 - 2020) and PATRICIA SANCHEZ (2:25.55 - 2017).
GOTTEN FIELD REBOOT
Taft High School - March 7th & April 4th, 2024
The legendary Gotten Field was the site of the inaugural track meet between Taft, Santee and Beverly High Schools on March 7th following the completion of a massive renovation project. A storm rolled in and the meet was cancelled after the 1,600 meter races so many of the pictures in this post are from a 2nd meet on April 4th between Taft and El Camino Real.
Head Coach Mario Castillo, Athletic Director Brian Godsey and Coach Tracy Wilson celebrate their season opener at the new & improved Gotten Field on March 7th (Note ominous clouds in background).
Santee junior ANGELES FELICIANO ran away with the girls varsity 1,600m race in an undisclosed time. The meet on March 7th was called after this race.
Two freshman ISABELLA SAKALOWSKI (Taft) and SCARLETT HARRIS (ECR) ran side-be side for 1,550 meters until Scarlett surged in front to win in 5:52.81; Isabella placed 2nd in 5:53.75. PAVETRASRI SAKTHIVEL (Taft-pictured) placed 3rd in 6:10.40.
Taft sophomore ETHAN BAROK had an easy time of it in the boys varsity 1,600m winning by almost 15 seconds in 4:48.47.
Taft’s HUNTER BENNETT won the varsity 800m in a close race just holding off ECR’s NICOLAS RUIZ at the tape.
JAMES BATES (ECR) starts the varsity 100 meters, one of three events he competed in spanning distances from 100 meters to 3,200 meters.
Taft sophomore DAKSH PRABHU wins a heat of the boys varsity 200 meters.
JAMES BATES (ECR) leads the varsity 3,200m race after the first lap. ETHAN BAROK (Taft) and James ran together for 7 laps with Ethan surging on the final backstretch to take the win. RASA MIRNOORI placed 4th.
DANIEL TOCHNER (Taft) takes the win over ECR’s ALEXANDER BOWEN in the varsity 4 x 400m.
Arcadia Invitational
Granada Hills’ record setting 4x100m team
Gabriella Caldwell, Keira Wyatt, Sophia Harutunian, Ani Brown
BROOKLYN HARRIS takes the 1st turn in the Open 400m race at the Arcadia Invitational.
ETHAN DIAZ leads off the Open Distance Medley Relay for Granada Hills
Venice Junior PAUL TRANQUILLA starts heat 4 of the boys 1,600 meter race. He finished a very physical race in 11th place in a time of 4:24.61.
ALEC FLORES finishes the last leg of the Open Distance Medley Relay
Venice’s PAUL TRANIQUILLA clears 400m in the 1-Mile Open race.
Birmingham senior EMERSON WIGGINS starts the Open 400m race at Arcadia. She posted the 2nd best City time this year 57.94.
JOSEPH VARGAS leans into the final lap of the Open 1-Mile race.
AND SOME OF CITY’S BEST SPRINTERS . . .
KAITLYN WILLIAMS (Carson) posted the top City time in the Open 100m race at Arcadia.
City’s top ranked sprinters ANTRELL HARRIS (Birmingham) and JUSTIN HART (Granada Hills) finish the 200m Open race.
GABRIELLA CALDWELL (Granada Hills) finishes in the Open 100m race. Gabriella also ran the Open 200m where she had the top City performance.
Granada Hills’ KANYE MARTIN finishes the Open 200m race
West Coast Classic
Cerritos College- April 5th, 2024
BROOKLY HARRIS and KELIA NARANJO-CHAMPION finish 4th and 3rd respectively in the 800m varsity girls race.
EVA WALKER (Carson, Sr) leads the City girls out on the 1st turn in the varsity 800m. She placed 5th 2:35.51.
Hamilton Junior ELSA MILLER heads into the final lap in the girls 800m. She placed 8th in 2:36.77.
Western League
Venice High School - April 3rd, 2024
Venice, Palisades Charter, Hamilton, DaVinci
ANNABELLE REFNES finishes her 1st 800m race with a 2:22.28 to win the race and take the top City ranking.
BROOKLYN HARRIS ran in the boys JV 400m race winning in a City best of 56.98. She followed this performance 2 days later at Arcadia with a PR of 56.40.
Venice Junior PAUL TRANQUILLA hands off to JEREMIAH WHITE for the final hand-off in the 4 x 400m race. Venice won in a time of 3:37.97
Irvine Asics
Invitational
Irvine High School - March 8th, 2024
Venice Junior PAUL TRANQUILLA starts heat 4 of the boys 1,600 meter race. He finished a very physical race in 11th place in a time of 4:24.61.
PAUL TRANQUILLA surges at the beginning of the 3rd lap in the 1,600m race.
Venice junior CARYS WILSON heads into the 3rd lap on her way to a 5th place finish in heat 1 of the 1,600 meter race in 6:19.34.
Senior CALEB LONG Venice placed 9th in heat 2 of the 1,600 meters in 4:51.18.
PAUL TRANQUILLA, MILO POP IV and CALEB LONG warm-up prior to the boys varsity 1,600 meter races.
Redondo Nike Track Festival
Redondo High School - March 8th, 2024
Three of Palisades talented underclassmen pose prior to the start of the the frosh/soph 3,200m race
ZOEY MORIS, GABRIELLA GILYARD, LOUISA MAMMEN
Palisades freshman ZOEY MORRIS runs in the lead pack on the 2nd lap of the frosh/soph 3,200m. Zoey placed 2nd in the race and 12th overall in a time of 11:28.18, the top City time so far.
Another Palisades freshman GABRIELLA GILYARD, broke 12 minutes in her 1st 3,200m to place 8th in the frosh/soph race in 11:59.31.
ELIOT LOPEZ hands off to NATHANIEL MELGOZA on the 2nd exchange in the boys varsity 4x800m relay.
Senior Cavalier ALEX MENDOZA runs the final leg in a very competitive 4x800m relay. Cleveland placed 7th in a time of 8:22.39.
DAILA HARINCK leads off the 4x800m relay for Palisades Charter in the frosh/soph race.
Palisades sophomore BLAKE SIGWORTH posted a 22 second PR of 9:34.0 placing 17th in heat 5 of the 3,200m boys varsity race.
AXEL MAMMEN (Palisades Charter-Senior) competes in heat 4 of the varsity 3,200m. He was 1 of 3 Palisades boys to break 9:50 posting a time of 9:45.3.
Another big day for the Palisades Charter varsity boys distance team:
(l-r) BLAKE SIGWORTH, MAX FIELDS, OWEN LEWICKY
Trevor Habberstad Distance Carnival
Canyon High School - February 24th, 2024
Boys Varsity 4 x 800m
Granada Hills - 3rd Place 8:33.27
Ethan Diaz, Ryan Dudley, David Priem, Alec Flores
Girls Varsity 4 x 800m
Granada Hills - 2nd Place 10:39.05
Reece Trice,Lilianna MoreIira, Sophia Battle,Kiana Diamond
Senior JOSEPH VARGAS leads off the varsity 4x800m relay for Cleveland followed closely by Granada Hills’ ALEC FLORES.
Kennedy Freshman MATEO CEDILLO finishes in 4:53.76 to place 14th overall in the varsity 1,600m with the 2nd fastest freshman time on the day .
LUCY CULLITON recovers after her 11th place finish in the varsity 1,600m in her 1st race of the ‘24 track season.
ELIOT LOPEZ takes the win in heat 2 of the boys varsity 800 meter race at Habberstad. His time of 2:10.98 was the 8th fastest time on the day.
Granada Hill’s senior RYAN DUDLEY rounds the turn on the final lap of the varsity 1,600m. He posted the fastest City time on his way to a 10th place finish overall in 4:46.31.
Some of LA City’s best start the varsity 800m rate at the Travor Habberstad Distance Carnival. Cleveland junior MEZTLI VELAZQUEZ placed 2nd in the race in 2:27.36 to post the 3rd fastest City time so far this year.
(l-r) Yana Sen (Cleveland), Lilianna Moreira (Granada Hills), Kiana Diamond (Granada Hills), Meztli Velazquez (Cleveland)
Freshman KIWA MCKNELLY placed 2nd in her heat and 7th overall in the frosh/soph 1,600m race. She also won miss congeniality! :)
Westlake Distance Carnival
Westlake High School - February 17th, 2024
Granada Hills 4 x 800m Meet Champions
(l-r) Alec Flores, Ethan Diaz, Daniel Ramirez, Ryan Dudley
Granada Hill’s ETHAN DIAZ edges out Camarillo on the final leg in the varsity 4 x 800m relay to take the win and set the meet record. Ethan ran the fastest split on the day 1:58.17 to come from behind for the win.
Granada Hill’s sophomore Sammy Pacheco starts the varsity 1,600m race at the Westlake Distance Carnival on February 17th. She placed 2nd in 5:28.70 against one of the top runners in the state Payton Godsey.
JOAQUIN ORTEGA-TOMESALLI (Granada Hills), GABRIEL PEREZ (Taft) and HUNTER BENNETT (Taft) all set PR’s in the 1,600m varsity race at the Westlake Distance Carnival.
REECE TRICE hands off to LILIANNA MOREIRA for the final leg of the varsity 4 x 800m relay. Granada Hills placed 2nd in 10:34.52.
DANIEL RAMIREZ leads a tight pack to the finish in the 1,600m. DIEGO OLIVERA is close behind.
‘The Drive’
Is dedicated to LA City’s high school distance running community
The goal is to evangelize exceptional teams and athletes with high quality, curated content and editorial perspectives in an online periodic publication.
Each volume will include a ‘Special’ section, as well as Athletes of the Week/Month, ‘The Week in Pictures’ including a ‘Picture of the Week’, ‘The Numbers’, and ‘Heard on the Trail’.
ENJOY!