Santa Barbara High track & field competed in a Channel League double dual meet with Buena and Pacifica on Wednesday at Peabody Stadium.
The Dons’ girls team swept the meet with a 97-21 win over Buena and a 76-49 victory over Pacifica, while the Santa Barbara boys took down Pacifica, 64-63, but fell to Buena, 75-54.
“The girls did a great job stepping up and scoring points all over the track and field. We got big contributions from every event group today,” Santa Barbara High head coach Olivia Perdices said.
“The boys did a great job out there, scrapping for every point in every event.”
Elina Stump led the performance for the SB Girls with individual victories in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 100 hurdles. Her time of 12.18 seconds in the 100-meter was a lifetime best.
“Elina has a lot of versatility and we were able to let her do some different events today. She did a great job for us,” Perdices said.
Meanwhile, Olivia Arvelo had a strong all-around performance with a win in the 300 hurdles and a second-place finish in the 400-meter. Ailey Alexander also picked up a win by crossing first in the 800-meter.
“Olivia put all of herself out there today and had some great races,” Perdices said. “Ailey is finally getting over an illness and running like herself. Both of them took big steps forward today.”
Itzel Rayos-Jimenez and Sydney Burgoyne placed first and second, respectively, in both the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter races.
“Challenging temperatures for distance runners. These two worked together and took care of business for their team,” Perdices said.
The 4×400 team of Stump, Arvelo, Alexander and Nicole Buist rounded out the track performances with a first-place showing.
On the field, Shea Gannon won both the triple jump and high jump, and came in second in the long jump.
“Shea is a tremendous athlete and competitor. She’s really just learning some very technical events. She’s got a lot to look forward to this season,” Perdices said.
As for the boys, Malachi Johnston and Emmanuel Malpica were the top two finishers in both the shot put and discus, with Johnston taking first in both. Danny Baizan completed the Santa Barbara sweep of the discus by placing third.
“Awesome day for the throws squad. They’re such a hard-working, coachable group and it’s good to see them finding success,” Perdices said.
The Dons will take on Oxnard High on the road next Wednesday.
San Marcos vs Oxnard/Ventura
The Royals competed in a league double dual meet of their own on Thursday, with both San Marcos squads taking down Oxnard but falling to Ventura.
Avery Leck was a standout for the San Marcos girls, placing first in the 100 hurdles, 100-meter and 300 hurdles while taking second in the 200-meter.
“This was Avery’s first race of the season. Not a bad way to start the season for Avery,” San Marcos head coach Marilyn Hantgin said. “She is looking forward to improving on her times from last year, so this was a great start.”
Harlyn Griffin also had a pair of individual first-place showings in the shot put and discus. Meanwhile, Elsie Tuttle placed second in the 400-meter, third in the 800-meter and joined Maya D’Amour, Story Satterfield and Story Eaton in the 4×400 relay.
On the boys side, Logan Patterson Deakyne had a dominant day. He won the 300 hurdles, 400-meter and 110 hurdles, while also helping take first place in the 4×400 relay alongside Alex Silva, Isaac Yanovich and Dalton Shupe.
“Logan continues to improve, which is incredible that he’s been able to run four events and get faster every week,” Hantgin said.
TJ Deakyne had a strong day of his own, winning the high jump (6-5) and triple jump (42-8), while placing second in the long jump (20-110).
“TJ impresses me in how he can be in three places at once, going from one event to the next and to perform at a high level,” Hantgin said. “I am so happy he’s seeing the results of his off-season hard work.”
San Marcos’ Wyatt Degner also excelled in several events, earning second in both the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles, and tacking on a personal-best time in the 800-meter.
Brody Green was second in the shot put and third in the high jump, while Shupe rounded out the Royals with a third-place showing in the 100-meter.