BY NICHOLAS YEH
The South Pasadena High School Track and Field team was split across three different meets on Saturday, March 22nd. 50 varsity athletes traveled to San Diego to attend the Jim Cerveny Invitational held at Mission Bay High School. The throwers attended the 79th Pasadena Games held at Pasadena City College. Finally, Abby Errington (12th grade), Saidbh Byrne (12), and Michael Scarince (10), competed at the Hi-Racer Meet of Champions at Arroyo High School, an elite, highly competitive distance meet.
South Pasadena was the only team representing Los Angeles and the CIF Southern Section at the Jim Cerveny Invitational. The relay teams in particular succeeded against new competition in San Diego. The boys Sprint Medley Relay team of David Eisenberg (12), Sebastian Martinez (12), Toshio Matsuoka (10), and Logan Vargas (12) ran a total time of 1:37.52. The team medaled at 3rd in the race and broke the school record again, only 2 weeks after it was broken at the Redondo Nike Invitational.
The girls SMR team of Sophia Allen (11), Zenaida Williams (11), Naya Holden (11), and Kara Wang (10) placed 2nd in the SMR invite (1:55.94). The girls 4x100m team of Jackie Sides (12), Avery Taylor (12), Anna Kowal (11), and Naya Holden (11) placed 3rd (49.62). Sides also placed 2nd in the 200m invite (26.13, -2.4). Taylor placed 2nd with a season best in the 300m hurdles invite (47.23). The boys 4x400m team of Aidan Chavez (11), Peter Dickinson (12), Griffin Matlock (11), and Dylan Revuelta (10) placed 2nd (3:24.15). Dickinson also placed 3rd in the 110m hurdles invite (15.52 -2.5). Leonard Kwak (12) vaulted 12′ 7” to place 2nd in Boys Pole Vault. Kezia Gavlak (12) jumped 34’ 9” to place 2nd in the Girls Triple Jump. Evan Taylor (10) jumped 16’ 1.5” to place 2nd in Girls Long Jump.
In the distance relays, the Tigers entered two teams in the girls 4x800m that placed first and second. The first team of Maya Lee (12), Sofia Humphrey (12), Chloe Koo (12), and Perri Koo (12) won with a time of 10:13.07. The second team consisting of Amada Cortes (11), Amelie Fiss (10), Alice Rowley (10), and Rose Vandevelde (11) earned silver with a team time 10:26.53.
The boys 4x800m team consisting of Ayden Yusef (11), Tyler Jung (9), Jake Lau (12), and Nicholas Yeh (12) placed 3rd (8:54.84). Overall, South Pasadena earned 42 medals at the Jim Cerveny Invitational.
At the 79th Pasadena Games, Omar Soufi (12) won the boys shot put with a throw of 50-07.00, almost five feet further than the runner up.
At the Hi-Racer Meet of Champions, Michael Scarince placed 3rd in his heat of the Invitational Boys 1600m, finishing in a time of 4:17.13. Scarince now holds the sophomore school record for the 1600m, running 1.3 seconds faster than previous record holder Sam Pons, who graduated in 2011 as a two time state champion in cross country and the 3200m. Abby Errington placed 5th in the Invitational 1 Mile, running 4:58.41. Byrne placed 13th in her heat of the Invitational 3200m in a time of 11:21.95.
