Another amazing track and field season has passed, and what a season it has been. It’s a short early recap since the season doesn’t conclude until late May; however, including it in the Summer Issue was necessary to reflect on the success and growth Analy’s team has seen this year. Of course, an incredible thank-you to the lovely coaching staff who make our seasons possible. Andres Leung, Carole Hakistan, Mike Hudges, Jonathan Lopez, Brian Gaylord, Thomas Pirinoli, Angela Reed and Jefferey Hergenrather truly put so much love and effort into making practices and races the best they can be for us athletes.
Team Captains this year were chosen with thought to highlight leaders and hardworking athletes who can help bring our team forward both physically and mentally. Overall, the captains this season were Emma Wenzel James and Lucas LaGrave. The Throw Captain was Zayn Gillory. Sophia Broadbent-Bell and Caden Quinn were the Jump Captains. Pole Vault Captain: Landon James. Sprint Captains were Nylah Hudgens and Evan Foley. The Hurdle Captain was Lyla Hanauer. Lastly, the Distance Captains were Miriam Hall and Owen Dawson.
To begin, the girls’ squad, both Varsity and JV, had an outstanding season. Notably, the girls’ Varsity 4×100, split 50.24 at a home Dual meet vs Mario Carrillo earlier this season. They also qualified for NCS Redwood later this season. Nylah Hudges ran a personal best (PB) of 13:09 in 100m, while sophomore Chole Alley took the season record of 13:02. Emily Norton, Charlotte Feuerherdt, and Marrianna Campanile were standout freshmen this season, with impressive times and incredible work ethic. Lena Yakzan, Ashea Sheffield-Banks, Ella Baldwin, Eva Hyer, and Mesa Moore competed for the girl’s hurdles this season with energy and great times. The girls’ distance squad also put in lots of hard work this season and put out incredible times that show in competition, expressing their wide variety of talent in all events. Emma Wenzel James had a PR of 2:17.99 in the 800m, a reflection of her dedication and love for the sport. Miriam Hall proved her place in the 1600m with a PR of 5:19.92. Bea Katz and Isabelle Eichenseher also had an outstanding season as incoming freshmen and are looking forward to what’s to come next season. Priya Duong, Harmonee Dannewitz, Soleil Vanden Heuvel, Elia DelMonte, Haley Daham, and Jenevieve Shaw rounded out the girls’ distance squad this season.
The boys’ side was also packed with huge PRs and incredible teamwork. Senior Owen Dawson beat the previous 1600m school record set last year, with a time of 4:16.51. The boy’s 4x800m team (Owen Dawson, Jefferey Gonsalves, Logan Dickson, and Quince Holman) also raced at the Arcadia Invitational in LA this season, one of the most competitive, elite high school track meets in the country. Freshman Jack Stouman performed excellently in the boys’ 3200 with a blazing time of 9:43.94. For sprints, Jackson Rinkor took the season record in the 100m with a time of 11:13, followed by Brady Andrews and Dennis Yakzan. Kiddell Moore, Songsten Hergenrather, Jack Kelso, William Crandell and Boden Ruddick were more amazing athletes in the boys sprint section this season. Standout hurdle athletes included Rowley Morgan-Aneloski, Leo Ducker, Parker Antognini and Lucas LaGrave.
For the girls field events, Ella Reed took the season record of 14’ 10’’ in the long jump. Cassidy Whitestine and Sophia Broadbent-Bell also competed well in the long jump this season. Junior Lucy Lombardo performed incredibly well for her first season in pole vaulting to represent Analy, with a PR of 9’ 0’’. Abigail Foster, Alisia Gutierrez, Emily Little, and Ruby Abrone showed up in throws and all reached PR’s this season.
For the boys, Brady Andrews has the season record with 21’8 in the long jump. Jordan Jones, Andrew Reed, Zachery Walsh, Gabriel Jaffe-Stock, Lars Hanauer, William Crandell, and Lorenzo Godoy make up the boys’ jump team this season. Landon James took the season’s record in the pole vault with 11 ‘6. While Dillon Drew took the shot put (12lb) season best and PR of 40 ’11’’.
Overall, not just Varsity, but JV relied on training on hard, long days on the track to compete with determination and excitement. There were tons of highlights and hard work that showed up in both groups this year. Early in the season, Distance Coach Carole Hakstian said, “…probably one of the most enjoyable things is seeing everybody cheering everybody on – it’s just a cool thing. When you get encouragement from your peers, there’s nothing like that.” There was so much support this season that it created an environment where the times encouraged themselves. The season was impressive, and Analy’s program is always changing for the better.
