2024 TRACK SEASON
San Diego Association Championships: 40 athletes participated in the meet, which determines the qualifiers for the Regional meet, and the San Diego County award winners. Lukas Derheimer led the way as the County Champion in the 800M, 1500M, and the 3000M. Jackie Seabolt finished first in the Shot Put and Javelin, and second place in the Discus. Julianne Sugimae won the discus with a new personal best. In more distance races, Melia Outman won the 800M and 1500M in her division, and Izzy Mayer followed close behind in second place. Gio SanFilippo won the 3000m and placed third in the 1500M. Sophia Shah won the High Jump and was second in the County in the Long Jump. Others in the top three in the County include Paige Summa finishing 2nd in both hurdles, and teammate Ellie Gamel racing to third just behind her. Braden Pegg finished third in the hurdles. Astrid Nova was second in the 400M, and Aliyah Parker came in third in the 1500M. Jacob Lang in the throws placed second in the Discus and third in the Shot Put. Gabriella Bardaro jumped to a third place in the High Jump, as well as being part of 2 relays teams that finished in the top three in the County. She was joined on the relays by Eva Coker, Farrah Parker, Samantha Chaconas, Liyana Perera, and Paige Summa. Melie Akpom and Wesley Kane soared to second and third, respectively, in the High Jump as well. We had 32 athletes that qualified for the Region 15 Championships.
Region 15 Championships: 32 athletes competed in the Regional finals in San Diego. The Region 15 consists of Clubs from San Diego, Southern California, and Las Vegas. The top 5 finishers qualify for the National Junior Olympics. Leading the group this year is Lukas Derheimer. He was the Regional champion in the 3000m, 1500m, and runner-up for the 800M. Braden Pegg surpassed his personal record in the Pentathlon and finished in second place. Melia Outman ran to a third place in both the 800M and the 1500M. Jackie Seabolt was the Javelin champion and placed third in the Shot Put. Julianne Sugimae placed third in her speciality , the Discus throw. Sophia Shah leaped to a third place in the High Jump and a fifth place in the Long Jump. Paige Summa hurdled her way to the JO’s with a fifth place finish in the 100M hurdles. Gio Sanfilippo and Izzy Mayer both qualified for the National meet with fifth place finishes in their distance races. All these athletes were eligible for the National Junior Olympics.
State Games of America: The National Championship of the State Games was held this year in San Diego. A few of our athletes were able to compete in this meet. Medalists finishing in the top three were as follows: Jacob Lang (Javelin and Discus) and Sophia Shah (Long Jump and High Jump).
National Junior Olympics: Thunderstorms, with lightning and rain, did not deter our athletes at the Junior Olympics Nationals at Texas A&M University. Two athletes, Lukas Derheimer and Sophia Shah were named All-American, based on their excellent performances at the meet. Lukas finished 2nd in the nation in the 1500 meter run, and 3rd in the nation in the 3000 meter run. Sophia finished in 6th place in the nation in the High Jump. Congratulations to both athletes for their hard work and dedication throughout the season. Melia Outman, Paige Summa, Julianne Sugimae performed well and represented our Club proudly. Braden Pegg and Jackie Seabolt had injuries that kept them from participating in this event. Congrats to all of you.
Cross Country Season: With a limited amount of competitions this year, fewer athletes had the opportunity to compete in the distance events. In the Association Championships, Jessica Anderson finished in 2nd place and Rayna Townsend finished 4th overall. On the boys side, Lukas Derheimer led the group and finished 1st in his division, followed by George Topalovic finishing 6th. All qualified for the Regional Championships in Los Angeles. Lukas Derheimer raced to 1st place in the Region, and qualified for the National Junior Olympics in Cross Country in Indiana. There, amongst 410 competitors, Lukas finished 2nd overall, earning All-American honors. What an amazing effort and great year for Lukas.