At the Annual Trackrabbit Track Meet on Saturday, February 23rd, Poly hosted a huge track meet at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Long Beach City College.
Poly’s annual Trackrabbit invitational brought out about 15-20 high schools from LA County to kick off the Track season. Schools such as Redondo Union and Citrus Valley came out to participate in this event.
The head of girls athletics, and head of track and field, Ms.Irving, gathered many volunteers to help make this track meet possible. The long distance, short distance, and fields really showed out throughout the meet.
According to Ab Tudayan, the long distance team, Long Distance Track Take Dubs at this annual event.
Long Distance Track (LDT) is composed to several people from the tree of running. Majority of runners come from cross country season with a few runners from mid-distance track joining the party.
Three events took place at the Track Rabbit Invitational which are the 4x1600m relays (1 mile), 4x800m relays (2 laps), and Distance medley relay races (DMR). Distance Medley Races are each runner in the relay run different distances, in order it is the 1200m, 400m, 800m, 1600m.
With dominating track runners from Wilson, Redondo Union, Milikan, Lakewood, Warren, and Citrus Valley High School, how did previous Poly boys and girls cross country runners fair in their new environment?
Starting off with the 4x1600m relays, Poly LDT varsity dominated in both girls and boys varsity taking first place in that category.The girls came in striking with there varsity 4×1600 with runners Sydney Carlson, Olivia Boyce, Laura Yontz, and Ailene Rios. They finished with an overall time of 23:40:68, an average of a 6:15 1600 meter run per runner.
The boys too replicated the girls success with runners Alex Matos, Danny Bautista, Aldo Kiev, and William Frankenfeld taking first in 4×1600 relays. The boys ran in a total time of 18:30:50 with an average of a 4:57 1600m. Boys dominated the field by gapping the following team Warren High School by 20 seconds. Both boys and girls runners received an blue Nike backpack for their performances.
Aldo Kiev one of the 4×1600 varsity boys runners voiced that it was, “an exhilarating start,” to the season and that, “(the invitational) reminded what runners across all levels should expect in future races.”
Ailene Rios the varsity 4x1600m runners states it was a, “phenomenal start,” to the season and is, “up and ready,” for the future races and events this semester. A good attitude to begin the new LDT season.
Although Poly’s LDT did not place 3rd or higher in any other events through all levels, it is a mere rough start to the season and expect them to be striking back March 1st at the Griffin Relay races.
As for the short distance, the varsity the star relay teams on both girls and boys won their sprint medley event. For the boys, :Kenyon Reed (senior), Anthony Johnson (junior), and Kejuan and Keon Markham (seniors), ran a 1:31:00. Their competitors had no chance against this dream team. The twins, Keon and Kejuan, remarked, “Hard work beats talent,” as they encourage the lower division athletes and future track runners.
As far as varsity sprints team for girls, they won first place in their 4 x 200m relay and placed second, losing to the Wilson Bruins, in the sprint medley. This team consisted of Saundria Martin (senior), Zanae Wood (freshman), Qween Okoh (senior), and Kenya Payne (senior).
The girls took another victory on varsity in the 4 x 400m with Saminah Haddad, Kenya Payne, Kennedy Butler, and Saundria Martin. Kenya Payne quotes, “hard work pays off and that’s all we do,” after the meet.
Tag: Track
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Things The Trackrabbits Did: That!
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Track Goes to New York
Poly’s boys and girls track and field athletes are heading to New Balance Indoor Nationals at the Armory Track in New York this weekend, March 10-12. The athletes will compete in a variety of events against schools from other states. Junior Ariyonna Augustine will be competing in the 60 meter dash and 200 meter dash. Last year Augustine won CIF-SS Division 1 championship in the 100 and the 200 meter dash.
Augustine said she is scared of the competition but “confident” and wanting to “out everything on the track.” Her goal is to get a personal record, faster than 6.4 seconds in the 60 meter dash.
When asked about their upcoming meet in New York, sophomore Jaelyn Predium felt “very excited” and glad to go somewhere she has never been before. Jaelyn will be competing in the 60 meter dash emerging elite. The other track and field athletes that will be attending this New Balance indoor meeting will be Zhane Smith in the girls long jump and triple jump, Zion Bowens and Aaron Shampklin in the 60 meter championship series, De’Varriea Oleas in the 60 meter hurdles, and Tariq Harness and DeAngelo Chester in the 60 meter emerging elite. Poly will be also represented by girls 4×800 and distance medley relay teams.
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Spring Sports 2017 Preview
Track:
As track season is rapidly approaching, the Trackrabbits are getting ready to dominate. In order to prepare for the season they are “training for two to three hours after school and on Saturdays,” said senior Lauren Fillipow who is committed to Southern Oregon. This is a tight-knit team whose goal is to “just push each other to do our best, so that we can all improve together and since a lot of the team is seniors, we want to have a great last high school season,” said senior Melissa Tanaka.
Nate Cooper, a junior who recently participated in a cross country race in Oregon, stated, “My personal goals for the season are similar to everyone else’s goals on the team. I hope to make my times as fast as I personally can, and to help my team as much as possible.” Hopes are high for the Trackrabbits, and we can be positive that they will live up to their expectations.Swim:
The next sport for the Poly Jackrabbits in the upcoming spring season is swim. Last season for girls swim, junior Tevykah Pouv coined the Varsity group as the “dream team.” Looking back on last year, junior Priscilla Long said, “Last season for Moore League we won and it was such an amazing feeling” and for this coming season Long wants to “work towards the same goal we had last year. I’d like our team to continue to work together and stay united no matter what the outcome is.”
For boys swim, Poly came in second with Wilson in first. Junior Ethan McCarthy stated, “This year I think we have high hopes for beating Wilson at Moore League and that’s the goal, too.” Both girls and boys swim are looking towards a bright, ambitious season.