The track and field team traveled to Sequoia High School on Saturday to compete in the PAL Finals. The Bears had an outstanding meet all around, showing effective teamwork and determination throughout the day. The boys finished in first place, and the girls came in second.
In the boys’ 100M race, senior Jacob Roeder sprinted his way to first place with an outstanding time of 10.67, breaking the school record. Sophomore Kyle Gabriel also performed well, earning fifth place with a time of 11.20 seconds. Later on, in the boys’ 200M race, Roeder continued his aggressive performance by finishing in first place with a time of 21.78 seconds.
The girls continued with the top performances. In the 100M race, sophomore Diya Mahadevan got third place with a time of 12.35 seconds. In the 3200M race, senior Matilda Smart earned third place with an impressive time of 11:37.40 after running at a consistent pace. Right behind her was senior Paige McGaraghan, who finished four hundredths of a second behind Smart for fourth place with a time of 11:37.44.
“I was honestly expecting this to be my last meet, so I am super pleased that I get to run another and continue practicing with my amazing teammates,” Smart said.
For the girls pole vault, senior Katie Cueva got an outstanding performance by clearing 11-02.00, landing in first place for the Bears. Not too far behind Cueva was senior Lily Pellican, who also had a strong performance and cleared 9-00.00 feet, placing fourth.
As for the boys high jump, Gabriel continued his extraordinary day by earning third place after clearing 5-1.00. Gabriel showed great athleticism and focus throughout the day, helping the Bears add more points to their overall scores.
In the boys’ 1600M race, the Bears dominated, taking all three podium spots and demonstrating teamwork and leadership. Junior Evan Chopra led the race in first place, followed by senior Aidan Sharp in second place. Junior Calvin Blanford also delivered a powerful performance, earning third place. This race contributed many points to the Bears overall score.
In the girls shot put, sophomore Fane Mataele was exceptional in her event, placing third with a throw of 31 feet and 07.00 inches. Her performance showed strength as she went against top performers at the PAL Finals.
In the girls 4x100M relay, the Bears earned fourth place with a strong time of 50.94, improving the team’s standings. Mahadevan and junior Mo’Rhai Balinton, along with junior Alex Jones and freshman Avery Hintze, all contributed to the relay’s success with fast running and smooth handoffs throughout the race. Their teamwork and determination helped the Bears stay competitive against some of the top teams at the PAL Finals.
“The team is super strong, and we work super well together. Winning the league title shows how hard we’ve worked every day,” junior Grant Bennitt said. “I’m looking forward to racing at CCS and Nationals with the team.”
The Bears put in all their time and effort during the season to reach this meet, and they continue to show off their hard work.
Overall, both teams performed very well at the meet. The boys team placed first overall with 94 points, demonstrating consistent effort and success across many events. The girls team also competed really well, earning second place with 68 points. Both teams showed teamwork, determination, and improvement throughout the competition, which helped them finish near the top in the final standings.
The Bears will compete in CCS this Saturday at Gilroy High School starting at 8 a.m.
