The Mesa League track and field championship meet is scheduled Tuesday, May 2, and Thursday, May 4, at Sweetwater High School. Prelims are Tuesday and finals are Thursday.
It’s always an event not to miss being chock full of the Metro Conference’s top talent.
Otay Ranch looks to liven things up a bit as the Mustangs are out to showcase a potential undefeated Mesa League dual meet championship season in both gender fields.
The last time Otay Ranch’s boys and girls teams both secured undefeated league dual meet titles came in 2011, though the Mustangs did share the league title with Eastlake during the 2021 season.
The Mustangs entered Thursday’s final league dual at Bonita Vista already having secured no worse than co-championships in both gender fields but needed a sweep in both gender fields to post an undefeated season.
“But we aren’t there yet, Bonita is tough and loaded with talent,” ORHS head coach Julian Valdez cautioned. “It’s just been a very fun season for us in which four school records have been broken, with potentially more if the cards fall right.”
Clash of the Titans
Otay Ranch hosted Olympian on April 19 while Eastlake hosted Bonita Vista on April 20 in a pair of highlight dual meet encounters.
Otay Ranch swept Olympian to remain undefeated — winning 91-40 in the girls dual and 85-51 in the boys dual. The Mustangs claimed firsts in 23 of the 32 combined events.
The outcome of the Eastlake-Bonita Vista boys dual came down to the final 4×400 relay in which the host Titan unit of Caleb Kipp, Charles Leon, Nathan Linck and Julian Jimenez posted a winning time of 3:31.64.
The winning team in relay events receives five points in the scoring column with the runner-up team not receiving points. The five-point margin proved the difference after the Barons finished second in the race with a time of 3:42.43.
Bonita Vista had started off the meet by winning the 4×100 relay in 43.3 with seniors Dante Scott and Isaiah Chappell and juniors Austin Snook and Jayden Peterson each running legs.
Linck, a junior, had a very successful day on the oval by winning both the 110 high hurdles (17.34) and 300 intermediate hurdles (43.7).
Scott also had a big day on the track with a spirited win in the 100 dash (11.10) and equally spirited runner-up finish in the 200 dash (22.79) to Eastlake junior Joseph Solomon (22.30) after the Titan sprinter had finished behind Scott in the 100 with a time of 11.32.
A rivalry appears to be making between the two runners if their dual meeting has any lasting meaning.
Scott’s time in the 100 dash was a personal best while Solomon’s time in the 200 was likewise. Scott’s time in the 200 also was a PR.
One constant this season for Eastlake has been freshman distance queen Jaelyn Williams, who has routinely tripled (800, 1600 and 3200) in dual meets this season.
In fact, she has set school records in all three distances her first high school season.
In an April 13 dual at Otay Ranch, she won the 800 in 2:17.27, the 1600 in 4:57.29 and the 3200 in 10:22.34, a personal record.
“I think I did really well,” she said.
In the dual against Bonita Vista on a very warm day, she won the 1600 in 4:51.82 and the 3200 in 10:49.73. She did a personal record in the 1600 distance.
With both boys and girls runners competing alongside each other in the 3200, some thought that Williams would top both gender fields. But that didn’t happen as she dropped back from the front pack as the race wore on.
She was apologetic after placing fifth overall in the combined field.
“I wanted to set a school record in the 1600 and I did,” she said. “In the 3200, I wanted to go under 11 minutes, but I felt a little dizzy after the 1600 because it was so warm, so I just wanted to take it slow.”
Whenever she’s at the top of her game, she’s a danger to win any distance in which she competes. Her top times this season include 2:16.43 in the 800, 4:35.62 in the 1500, 4:51.82 in the 1600, 4:55.10 in the mile, 10:01.72 in the 3000 and 10:22.34 in the 3200.
She set the 800 mark at this year’s Valley Center Jaguar Invitational and the 1500, mile and 3000 marks at the super posh Arcadia Invitational. She recorded her top mark on the 3200 in the dual at Otay Ranch and the 1600 time in the dual meet against Bonita Vista.
She’s been a factor since her first race of the fall season in cross country and her fleet feet have continued to carry her in the spring track season.
“It’s been going well,” she said. “I knew I would do well my first season, but I didn’t know I would do it so soon.”
She doesn’t appear to be slowing down as the season heads towards its most challenging competitions. She ranks highly in the San Diego Section in the 1600 (fourth) and 3200 (second).
Her goal is to go under 10:20 in the 3200. Such a time could position her for a run at a state qualifying mark.
She advanced to the state cross country championship meet, placing fourth in the Division I race, after placing third at the section finals.
It’s downright frightening to think of what she can accomplish in the future, which is actually right around the corner.
Top marks
Otay Ranch sophomore Zamaria Mack ranks fourth in the section in the girls 100 low hurdles (15.45) while the Lady Mustangs ranks fifth in the 4×100 relay (49.18).
In the weight events, Otay Ranch junior Gabriella Colon Gipson ranks first in the section in the girls shot put at 39-7.
On the boys side, Hilltop senior Malachi McCoy ranks fifth in the section in the boys 400 dash in 49.44, Olympian junior Angel Cordero ranks third in the 800 in 1:55.12, Otay Ranch senior Jacob Juden ranks fourth in both the 1600 (4:16.44) and 3200 (9:14.46).
Otay Ranch senior Kaleb Bowler ranks third in the shot put (50-10) and fourth in the discus throw (150-1).
Bonita Vista’s Chappell ranks fourth in the long jump.
Ladies first
Eastlake swept the top four finishing spots in the girls 1600 in the dual against Bonita Vista with Williams in first, followed by senior Amanda Challburg (5:20.71), junior Vanessa Vuong (5:39.19) and freshman Solana Fulinara (5:54.85).
Challburg (2:23.37), Vuong (2:33.72) and junior Sienna Blanco (2:37.52) finished in order to lead the 800.
Eastlake junior Isabella Robinson doubled in winning the 100 low hurdles (17.55) and 300 low hurdles (50.09) while senior teammate Loren Swisher doubled in winning the shot put (31-2.5) and discus throw (112-3.5), both PRs.
Bonita Vista junior Natalie Guevara doubled in winning the long jump (15-6.5) and triple jump (33-5).
Metro Conference Track & Field Leaders
Boys Running Events
100: 1. Matthew Carr (Mater Dei Catholic) 10.93, 2. Joseph Solomon (Eastlake) 11.01, 3. Javon Jordan (Olympian) 11.02, 4. Dante Scott (Bonita Vista) 11.10, 5. Jaylani Sanders (Otay Ranch) 11.18
200: 1. Joseph Solomon (Eastlake) 22.30, 2. Jaden Dorsey (Olympian) 22.64, 3. Gevonni Richey (Otay Ranch) 22.73, 4. Javon Jordan (Olympian), Dante Scott (Bonita Vista) 22.79
400: Malachi McCoy (Hilltop) 49.44, 2. Gabriel Leyva (Otay Ranch) 51.11, 3. Angel Cordero (Olympian) 51.37, 4. Divad Diaz (Southwest) 51.53, 5. Jaylon Graves (Olympian) 51.66
800: 1. Angel Cordero (Olympian) 1:55.12, 2. Jacob Juden (Otay Ranch) 2:01.80
1600: 1. Jacob Juden (Otay Ranch) 4:16.44, 2. Angel Cordero (Olympian) 4:22.82
Mile: 1. Jacob Juden (Otay Ranch) 4:20.12, 2. Angel Cordero (Olympian) 4:36.26
3200: 1. Jacob Juden (Otay Ranch) 9:14.46, 2. Jake Shorey (Otay Ranch) 9:49.98, 3. Joshua Dunphy (Mater Dei Catholic) 10:00.69
110 high hurdles: 1. Jaden Dorsey (Olympian) 15.09, 2. Deshawn Smith (Sweetwater) 15.60, 3. Jermarrion Williams (Otay Ranch) 16.07, 4. Soloman Ojajuni (Sweetwater) 16.14, 5. Kevin Lemos (Olympian) 16.56
300 intermediate hurdles: 1. Jaden Dorsey (Olympian) 39.33, 2. Jermarrion Williams (Otay Ranch) 43.07, 3. Andrew Mendoza (Hilltop) 43.38, 4. Joaquin Pinedo (Olympian), Aidan Rios (Otay Ranch 43.42
4×100 relay: 1. Otay Ranch 43.38, 2. Bonita Vista 43.66, 3. Eastlake 43.70, 4. Mater Dei Catholic 44.10, 5. Olympian 44.44
4×400 relay: 1. Eastlake 3:31.64, 2. Otay Ranch 3:34.37, 3. Olympian 3:34.39, 4. Sweetwater 3:40.90, 5. Southwest 3:41.10
Boys Field Events
Shot put: 1. Kaleb Bowler (Otay Ranch) 50-10, 2. Christian Ferguson (Otay Ranch) 46-8, 3. Osvaldo Avila (Otay Ranch) 46-2, 4. Santiago Macias (Chula Vista) 45-5, 5. Tyeron Washington (Hilltop) 45-3
Discus throw: 1. Kaleb Bowler (Otay Ranch) 150-1, 2. Kaleo Donaldson (Otay Ranch) 144-9, 3. Gael Lopez (Otay Ranch) 133-8, 4. Tyeron Washington (Hilltop) 132-4, 5. Zaryan Crews (Sweetwater) 128-2
High jump: 1. Malachi McCoy (Hilltop) 6-2, 2. A.J. McIlwain (Otay Ranch) 6-1, 3. Gabriel Valles (Otay Ranch), Jalen Beamon (Eastlake) 6-0, 5. Brady Murphy (Bonita Vista) 5-10
Pole vault: 1. Anthony Wise (Bonita Vista) 11-0, 2. Samuel Herrera (Otay Ranch), Ryan Rodriguez (Otay Ranch) 10-6, 4. Emilio Navarrete Ocampo (Easstlake), Aiden Koenig-Russel (Bonita Vista) 10-0
Long jump: 1. Isaiah Chappell (Bonita Vista) 22-11, 2. A.J. McIlwain (Otay Ranch) 21-7.25, 3. Dante Scott (Bonita Vista) 21-7, 4. Gabriel Valles (Otay Ranch) 20-9.5, 5. Travon Smith (Mar Vista) 20-6.5
Triple jump: 1. Isaiah Chappell (Bonita Vista) 42-4.5, 2. A.J. McIlwain (Otay Ranch) 42-0.5, 3. Anthony Wise (Bonita Vista) 41-10.25, 4. Jaiden Ingram (Otay Ranch) 41-7, 5. Kyler Griffiths (Olympian) 40-8
Girls Running Events
100: 1. Arynn Sanders (Otay Ranch) 12.28, 2, Sofia Buck (Mater Dei Catholic), 3. Aubrey Tibayan (Olympian), 4. Keiani Dye (Otay Ranch) 13.01, 5. JoVonne Moore (Bonita Vista) 13.07
200: 1. Arynn Sanders (Otay Ranch) 25.19, 2. Gabrielle Hawkins (Olympian) 26.48, 3. Amorianna Leviett (Otay Ranch) 26.78, 4. Tatiana Colon (Bonita Vista) 26.94
400: 1. Gabrielle Hawkins (Olympian) 1:00.00, 2. Sofia Nunez (Bonita Vista) 1;00.15, 3. Ivanna Ruiz (Olympian) 1:01.04, 5. Samara Maldonado (Eastlake) 1:01.41
800: 1. Jaelyn Williams (Eastlake) 2:16.43, 2. Amanda Challburg (Eastlake) 2:23.37
1500: 1. Jaelyn Williams (Eastlake) 4:35.62
Mile: 1. Jaelyn Williams (Eastlake) 4:55.10, 2. Diana Loredo (Southwest) 5:52.92, 3. Isabel Lara (Olympian) 5:55.34, 4. Tamara Cornejo (Hilltop) 5:59.22, 5. Renee Khuong (Bonita Vista) 5:59.57
1600: 1. Jaelyn Williams (Eastlake) 4:35.62, 2. Amanda Challburg (Eastlake) 4:51.82, 3. Daycia Fielden (San Ysidro) 5:28.72
3200: 1. Jaelyn Williams (Eastlake) 10:22.34, 2. Amanda Challburg (Eastlake) 11:20.28
100 low hurdles: 1. Zamaria Mack (Otay Ranch) 15.45, 2. Isabella Robinson (Eastlake) 16.28, 3. Natalie Guevara (Bonita Vista) 16.36, 4. Tylia Cole (Bonita Vista) 17.40, 5. Kaya Landry (Sweetewater) 17.67
300 low hurdles: 1. Zamaria Mack (Otay Ranch) 46.62, 2. Tylia Cole (Bonita Vista) 48.27, 3. Alexa Amador (Otay Ranch) 48.97, 4. Isabella Robinson (Eastlake) 49.48, 5. Kahnee Atrushi (Otay Ranch) 51.45
4×100 relay: 1. Otay Ranch 49.18, 2. Olympian 50.46, 3. Eastlake 50.91, 4. Bonita Vista 51.02
4×400 relay: 1. Olympian 4:10.94, 2. Otay Ranch 4:14.42, 3. Bonita Vista 4:21.16, 4. Sweetwater 4:32.79
Girls Field Events
Shot put: 1. Gabriella Colon Gipson (Otay Ranch) 39-7, 2. Zoe Cruz (Mater Dei Catholic) 32-11.5, 3. Loren Swisher (Eastlake) 31-2.5, 4. Ashley Lanier (Otay Ranch) 31-1, 5. Mara Savaiinaea (Otay Ranch) 30-9
Discus throw: 1. Loren Swisher (Eastlake) 112-3.5, 2. Mara Savainaea (Otay Ranch) 106-7, 3. Zoe Cruz (Mater Dei Catholic) 105-0, 4. Gabriella Colon Gipson (Otay Ranch) 102-5, 5. Grace Benson (Otay Ranch) 97-6
High jump: 1. Claire Schroeder (Otay Ranch) 4-11, 2. Camila Mendoza (Sweetwater) 4-10, 3. Jordan Brambila (Mater Dei Catholic), Malia McFadden (Eastlake) 4-8
Pole vault: 1. Rianna Romasoc (Otay Ranch) 9-0, Paulina Escajadillo (Bonita Vista) 8-9, 3. Allison Hurtado (Otay Ranch), Neveah Elefante (Bonita Vista) 8-0
Long jump: 1. Camila Mendoza (Sweetwater) 17-0, 2. Keiana Dye (Otay Ranch) 16-5.75, 3. Havana Jacobs (Mater Dei Catholic) 16-5.5, 4. Natalie Guevara (Bonita Vista) 16-2, 5. Destinee Jones (Hilltop) 16-1
Triple jump: 1. Natalie Guevara (Bonita Vista) 35-0, 2. Rae Ball (Eastlake) 33-10, 3. Paulina Escajadillo (Bonita Vista) 33-4, 4. Havana Jacobs (Mater Dei Catholic) 32-11, 5. Diana Kostina (Otay Ranch) 32-6
SOFTBALL:
Mar Vista 13, Olympian 7
Hilltop 8, Sweetwater 2
Olympian 9, Mater Dei Catholic 5
Hilltop 2, Olympian 2
BASEBALL:
Eastlake 15, Otay Ranch 0
Eastlake 7, Bonita Vista 0
Montgomery 6, Bonita Vista 0
Christian 10, Montgomery 9
