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, uh, 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.”
