This Weekend in Track: April 8-9
Updated: Jun 14, 2022
Arcadia, Arcadia, Arcadia
This week we will preview the epic Arcadia Invitational. Last year's Arcadia Meet was only open to California athletes and the 2020 version was cancelled due to Covid-19. For the first time in three years, athletes from all over the country will compete at Arcadia. Of course we will focus on our west coast distance runners.
Distance Relays
There are three different distance relays at Arcadia. The Friday portion of the meet begins with the 4 X 800 (which is being delayed by 45 minutes due to the hot weather) and JSerra girls will be bringing a strong contingent of runners with hopes of breaking the nine minute barrier. The front runner in the 4 X 1600 are the Buchanan girls who were the division 1 California Cross Country champions. Torrey Pines is the defending champion for the 4 X 1600 and returns to Arcadia. JSerra will try to win two distance relays as they could be the team to watch in the distance medley. LaCanada has a strong team too.
The boy’s distance medley has defending champion Great Oak returning and Bellarmine Prep of San Jose lost to Menlo Park last week at Stanford and the two schools will have a rematch. Santiago of Corona also has a team that could be a threat in the DMR. Newbury Park set the high school record in the 4 X 1600 last month, but their athletes will be focusing on the 3200. The race will still be intriguing with defending champ Bellarmine Prep of San Jose returning along with strong Oregon programs of Jesuit and Central Catholic.
800
Two SoCal athletes have been under 2:10 this season. Arielle McKenzie of La Canada and MacKenzie Browne of JW North have the top two entries. Many of the challengers are from outside the west coast, but look for Anaheim Canyon’s Emma Hadley and Del Norte’s Hannah Riggins to be in the mix.
Jai Dawson of Dana Hills enters with top seed time in the boy's 800 with a time of 1:50 and will be challenged by California athletes like Ellis Delvecchio of Thacher, Yutaka Roberts of El Camino and surging Noah Ray of Buchanan.
1600
The meet record for the girls 1600 is 4:43 and based on the season freshman Sadie Engelhardt of Ventura is having, that record is in jeopardy. Sadie has a seed time of 4:36 and Chloe Foerster of Jesuit (OR) has the ability to test Sadie. Samantha McDonnell has opened the season with a fast 800 and can be a factor too.
West coast athletes to look for in the boy’s 1600 include Aiden Emerson of Arlington in Washington. John Schuler of Jesuit (OR) is another west coast contender. Ethan Godsey of Agoura recently set a school record in the 800 and can be a factor.
3200
Can a female athlete break ten in the 3200? There are several west coast athletes who can accomplish this feat and possibly break the meet record of 9:55. Oregon’s Kate Peters of Lake Oswego ran a fast indoor 3000 which would convert to the ten-minute barrier. Dalia Frias of Mira Costa has already achieved breaking the ten-minute barrier earlier this season. Sophia Nordenholz of Albany ran 10:05 at last year’s Arcadia and freshman Hanne Thomsen of Santa Rosa Montgomery are strong runners heading down from northern California.
All eyes will be on the boy’s 3200 with a loaded field. Colin Sahlman of Newbury Park has already run an 8:34 in the 3200 and the national record of 8:29 is in serious jeopardy. Colin will not be alone in the 3200 as teammates Lex and Leo Young, Aaron Sahlman will be at his heels. Kenan Pala of Francis Parker finished second at Eastbay and can be a challenger. Washington athletes Isaac Teeples of Kamiakin, Zack Munson of Sehome and Ethan Coleman will come south to show off their abilities as will Michael Maiorano of South Medford of Oregon. Chris Caudillo of Clovis is having an outstanding season and set a school record in the 1600 while chasing the Young brothers at APU Meet of Champions a few weeks ago. Frankly, we could list the entire field. Runnerspace is showing the meet for free and being near a computer at 8:50 on Saturday night is a must.
West coast is the best coast and distance runners from Washington, Oregon and California will impress on Friday and Saturday. We will be there to take pictures and share the photos with all of you. Special thanks to Erik Boal of Dyestat.