ARCADIA – Many times over many years, the season’s best high school track and field performance in the nation happens at the Arcadia Invitational.
JSerra’s girls distance medley relay team turned in such a performance Saturday at the prestigious meet at Arcadia High.
The Lions’ foursome of sophomores Anastasia Snodgrass and Hanna Barmettler, junior Ashlee Gallegos and Georgia Jeanneret finished their race in 11 minutes, 54.43 seconds, the fastest time in the nation this year. The top mark in the nation had been 11:57.81 by Jesuit of Portland, Oregon, last month.
It is the eighth-fastest time in Orange County history. Corona del Mar set the county record in 2006 at 11:34.65.
The distance medley covers 4000 meters – a 1,200-meter first leg that was run by Snodgrass followed by a 400-meter leg run by Barmettler then the 800 meters run by Gallegos before Jeanneret finished it with her 1,600 meters.
JSerra track coach Chase Frazier spent months analyzing the Lions’ track and field athletes before he decided Snodgrass, Barmettler, Gallegos and Jeanneret could be a special “DMR” team.
“I started thinking about the DMR probably in September,” said Frazier, who as the coach at Mission Viejo in 2019 when that school’s DMR team had the second-fastest time in the event at 11:38.25. “I started thinking about a log of different things like where their strengths are as a team, who I have running where.”
JSerra won the distance medley at 11:54.43 – fastest time in the USA this season and the eighth fastest time in Orange County history- today at the Arcadia Invitational @ocvarsity @ocvarsityguy pic.twitter.com/zWSFGaqNrI
— Steve Fryer (@SteveFryer) May 9, 2021
He also had to think about how to keep the four fresh. They ran events in a Trinity League dual meet on Thursday. They won the 4×800 relay during Friday night’s relays at the Arcadia Invitational.
“We didn’t expect to do this well,” Snodgrass said. “It was an amazing experience. I’m so glad I got to experience it with these girls.”
Servite junior Max Thomas had an outstanding meet. He won the 200 and finished second in the 100.
Thomas took the 200 in 21.37, more than a half second faster than his previous season best of 21.91. Jeremiah Walker of Fresno Central was second at 21.50.
Thomas said the 200 went exactly as planned.
“What I really wanted to do was make up the stagger (start) fast and come off the turn hard and that would set me up for the whole race,” he said. “I made up the stagger, I came off the turn and from that point on it was just give it everything I had left.”
His 100 time of 10.58 bettered his previous personal best of 10.76. The 100 winner was Patrick Izelmayu Jr. of Chaminade.
? School Record, Again! ?
Two hours after breaking the Servite record in the 100, Max Thomas ‘22 does it again breaking the school record in the 200 running a state-best 21.37 at the Arcadia Invitational‼️@ocvarsity @SteveFryer @latsondheimer @C_Morrissette @PrepCalTrack pic.twitter.com/yJaPPjQU0S
— Servite Athletics (@ServiteSports) May 9, 2021
An anticipated sprints dual between Thomas and Mater Dei’s Domani Jackson did not occur. Jackson did not participate in the meet because tightness in his legs that followed his sprints in a Trinity League dual meet Thursday against St. John Bosco.
Mission Viejo senior Sara Pettinger, Orange County’s best girls shot put and discus athlete this track and field season, finished second in the shot put with a mark of 42 feet, 10 inches and was third in the discus at 150-5. Both marks were shy of her season bests of 44-3 in the shot put and 155-10 in the discus, both of which were the top marks in the CIF Southern Section going into Arcadia.
Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks junior Hope Gordon bested Pettinger in the shot put with her throw of 45-7.25. Gordon had also thrown 44-3 earlier this season.
Pettinger expected great competition at Arcadia. Outside of CIF sectional and state championships, the Arcadia Invitational annually is the most prestigious meet in California.
“I’m happy how I performed,” Pettinger, a senior who signed with Cal, said of her shot put result. “I thought I did well, I stayed level headed and didn’t let anything really affect me. She (Gordon) caught a good one and that’s how the game works.”
The girls 800 had to be restarted twice because of early collisions that knocked down Orange County runners. Santa Margarita’s McKenna Bradley was the first to go down. On the first restart it was Fountain Valley’s Kaho Cichon who hit the track.
Race officials decided to separate the 14 runners into two alleys to make sure the third attempt at starting the 800 would be successful.
Bradley and Cichon were able to continue, with Bradley finishing 10th in the 14-runner field and Cichon finishing fourth. Cichon’s time of 2:13.29 was three seconds behind the 2:10.61 of winner Mia Chavez of Chino.
Cichon had scrapes on her right elbow and on both knees. She said getting her mind refocused was not easy.
“I was a little shocked,” said Cichon, a junior. “But then I realized I’ve got to get out harder because everyone else is going to get out harder or they’ll start falling, too. So mentally I prepared myself to get out harder.”
Cichon was pleased with the results.
“I’m pretty sure I ‘PR’d’ in this race,” said Cichon, who did so – her previous best was 2:14.35. “That was my goal coming into Arcadia. I think I could have done a little better, but I’m just so grateful I got to run against these amazing people.”
This post first appeared on ocregister.com
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