This year’s Sierra Pacific track and field team is looking good. Their head coach, Christina Smith, was asked some questions about the team!
She says that the boys end of the team is looking like the best in school history! She says that on the girls side, they’re rebuilding some more talent with the freshmen and sophomore classes. She says she’s seeing so much great talent with this team.
“Our preseason times are matching some season bests from last year which is promising.” She says. This is great for our school! Their team’s meets are usually scheduled on Wednesdays and Fridays, so if you want to watch our track and field team, that’s when you can. Track athlete Mia McLemore, says that while practices can be tough, the reward of winning, or doing well in your event is worth the hurt. Smith says her favorite part about meets is the support that her teammates show each other, as well as seeing the results when the meet is over. However, her least favorite part about meets is the length of them.
“… I get tired and I am not even the one running!” She says. Smith enjoys watching the relays the most because she loves watching the team effort involved in that event! She likes being a track coach because there’s tons of events to choose from, and every single member of the team can find what they’re good at, and things that they don’t enjoy as much.
Let’s take a look at the team’s most recent meet, which was March 21, 2024. On the boys side we had five top-three places. While on the girls side of the team there were 10 top-three places. In pole vault, Sebastian DeCastro won first place as well as beat his personal record at 13-10.00! Some of our other top three athletes include Jacob Hernandez, Nathanael DeMatto, Caleb Chaney, and Julian Villa. With all of this talent, these boys are bound to beat some records. 32 boys beat their personal record, and 11 of them beat the season record. They all did so great in each event, and everyone really showed themselves.
Now let’s talk about the girl’s side of the team! For our top-three placings we have Ella Fritts, Chevelle Gonzalez, and Apajok Ayuen. We did have a couple girls who placed top-three for multiple events! Makayla Sims, Chevelle Gonzalez, and Nyang Ayuen are the girls who really pulled through in multiple events. In our 4×100 relay, our A team won third! The girls in that event are Ava Etulain, Chevelle Gonzalez, Makayla Sims, and Ella Fritts. We came in second in the 4×800 relay with Madilynn Baruch, Jezel Farias, Adison Morfin, and Amelia Carter! 21 girls beat their personal record, while six beat the seasonal record! These girls really set a high standard for talent in their sport!
Overall, Smith is definitely so proud of all of her athletes accomplishments and talent this season. Their team is doing very very well, and they continue to do fantastic at their meets.