Junior Melina Sibal, claimed an upset victory against Citlali Trujillo and Abby Sanchez from Segerstrom High School, putting her first in league in the 200m sprint. On paper, she was expected to lose by a .37 second and .14 second gap. Sibal finished with a time of 27.12 seconds. She has also established first place in her 100m sprint, being undefeated throughout the league season.

“I established that spot last week against Segerstrom, especially in the 200 meter. Two of the girls were set up to beat me and I locked in and pulled through. So currently I’m first in league.”

Although it may seem daunting to go into league finals with the pressure to hold a reigning title, Sibal feels confident in her abilities to continue her performance.

“It can come with a lot of pressure, but I’ve been doing track since I was 10, so I’m kind of used to these types of expectations. I know that even if I do bad, I can still do better in another meet or competition. I know that I will perform well if I believe in myself. Which I do believe in myself.”

Today, the Track & Field team will be traveling to Valencia High School to compete in League Prelims. The boys varsity team currently sits 2nd in league, and the girls in 3rd, after their most recent win against Segerstrom, which ended with a 3-1 win across all 4 levels.

To receive a co-championship in league with Valencia, the boys varsity will have to take league finals in an upset victory. In order for the girls to win the league title, they will need to win at league finals, as well as have Valencia score higher than Segerstrom.

League prelims will have no effect on scoring for league placements but is necessary for athletes to qualify for finals where they will then be able to score points for league standings.

The team went into its final league match-up on April 16 against Segerstrom as the underdog and came out on top, according to head coach James Krawczyk.

“On paper, we were supposed to not win both varsities, and we weren’t supposed to be that close in girls varsity. So, yeah, we made it come down all the way to the very last event. It is definitely a tougher type of competition being in the new league.”

With this fighting mentality, the team has been able to overcome the obstacles that this tougher league has brought to the table. Especially with the talent of some top performers in sprints, players feel confident heading into prelims and finishing out league with hopes of advancing to individual CIF.

Senior Heikki Kohlenbeger also proved to be an essential role in team successes yet again as the 3rd leg in the 4x400m relay, as well as anchoring the 4x100m relay. Aside from the group races, Kohlenberger also championed many first place titles throughout the season as a top scorer in his 200m and 400m sprints.

“The season has been pretty surprising. Um, I’ve hit some PRs that I didn’t expect to hit, so I’ve surprised myself a lot. My PR for the 200m is 22.75. For the 400, it’s 51.29 and for the 800, it’s 2:04.”

Kohlenberger also implemented new racing strategies which have helped him to improve significantly.

“I’ve definitely improved on my racing strategy since last season in the 200 and 400. It’s kind of hard to explain, but last season I wasn’t really putting in enough effort at the start of races. This season I’ve started to like pace it more equally, so now I go out harder and that just leads to a lot faster PRs.”

Junior Dylan Cobbs has also had a successful season, taking first in his 300m hurdles throughout the league. Cobbs recognizes that physical preparation for an athlete is a key aspect to success, alongside a strong mentality.

“Before meets, I usually prepare a lot. I drink a lot of water the day of, like at school. And I try to eat healthy, or healthier than I usually do, during the week. During the meet I also drink a lot…mostly just a lot of hydration.”

Adding on to the sprinters’ success, the distance runners participating in events from the 800 meter to 3200 meter races, have contributed points to the team with their various top three placements in league meets.

Fullerton has 10 boys under the 2:10 mark in the 800 meter distance, with Dylan Cobbs leading the boys with a sub two performance of 1:59. In the renowned 1600 meter race, senior Jack Golla is at the top of the list with a 4:35. The next seven best times are all under 4:50. In the 3200 meter race, freshman Tyler Der sits at the top with an impressive 10:12, which also serves as the 3200 meter freshman school record.

On the girls side, sophomore Keely Gallagher is making a statement in the 800 meter distance with a solid 2:31 performance. The top five girls 800 meter times are all 2:33 or under. In the 1600 meter race, freshman Arizona Fuentes leads the girls with a 5:36. Fuentes also holds the fastest time in the 3200 meter distance this season, as well as the 3200 meter girls freshman school record, with a 12:04. This time ranks Fuentes as third in the Golden West League, making her a contender for the last CIF preliminary qualifying spot at League Finals. 

Finally, field event athletes have put up multiple points as well. Senior Marcos Lerma has led the boys with his marks of 44’5” in the shot put and 127’8” in the discus. Lerma placed first in the discus and second in the shot put at the recent Fullerton-Segerstrom dual meet. For girls, Mahlia Jordan has the top shot put mark this season with 31’10.5” and Olivia Yturriaga has the top discus mark with 103’8”. Both of these athletes have placed in the top three in recent league competitions, with Yturriaga taking the win in both the discus and shot put at the Fullerton-Segerstrom dual meet.

FUHS jumpers have leaped to success as well. Junior Chris Cooper has jumped 5’4” in the high jump this season, sophomore Jayden Bae has reached 20’4.5” in the long jump, and junior Micheal McMackin has jumped 41’5” in the triple jump. All three boys made the podium in their respective events at the Fullerton-Segerstrom dual meet. Girl’s high jump record holder Zoe Healey leads the girls with a 4’6” in the high jump, Madison Sibal is at the top of the long jump list this season with a jump of 15’1”, and Madeline Capp holds the top mark in the triple jump with 30’7″.