Track and Field Preview: Locals looking for run of success
The track at Burroughs High’s Memorial Field will be a busy place this spring for the local track and field teams.
Along with serving as the home track for the the Indians, Bellarmine-Jefferson will once again be at Memorial Field for some of its league meets and Providence has joined in and will hold its league contests at the facility.
BURBANK
After finishing second last season, the Bulldogs boys are looking to return to the top of the Pacific League as they did in 2016, capturing their first league championship in 31 years.
Leading the way for Burbank is senior Sergio Aguilar, who was the league champion in the 110-meter high hurdles and was runner-up in the 300 hurdles last season. He will also help out in the relays and jumps.
“Sergio is capable of scoring in several events,” said Burbank coach Darin Wolf. “So deciding which four events to put him into each meet is sometimes a challenge.”
Senior Nathanael Ehmann and junior Chris Stanis will also contribute in the hurdles, while junior Oladele Hospidales, who was the freshman-sophomore 100 champion last year, will lead the sprint squad and will be joined by sophomores Cole Le’au and Bryan David.
The distance crew will be led by junior Jahir Olvera and sophomores Victor Goli and Dayne Ellis, while freshman Andres Leon may also make an impact. In the field events, juniors Zion Chavez, Sam Vaseghyzand and Erik Harutyunyan will lead the jumpers, while senior Chris Aslo, junior Aidan Bailey and sophomore James Smyth will contribute in the throws.
On the girls’ side, the Bulldogs have a talented newcomer in freshman Jayla Flowers. Flowers is a decorated junior athlete who in the summer was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the triple jump and No. 4 in the long jump in her age group, advancing to the Junior Olympics in Kansas.
“It’s a nice luxury getting an athlete with the experience that Jayla has,” Wolf said. “We usually have to start from square one with our freshmen, but she’s well on her way and will help us in several areas, not just the jumps.”
Juniors Paula Jaramillo and Isabel Partida will lead the sprinters, while junior Alisa Petrosyan and sophomore Amira Ottosson will compete in the hurdle events. Junior Breanna David and freshman Tamryn Betts will also contribute in those events, along with the relays.
Sophomore Sol Fernandez, along with senior Noemi Apreza and junior Jamie Levin, will lead the distance contingent, while junior Andrea Castresana will contribute in the jumps, along with Petrosyan and Betts, while sophomore Kim Ramirez should be the team’s top thrower.
BURROUGHS
The Indians lost their most successful athlete from a year ago, senior pole vaulter Christian Valles, who transferred to Canyon Country Canyon. The All-Area Boys’ Track and Field Athlete of the Year, Valles won a second straight Pacific League title and advanced to the state meet.
“We have a smaller coaching staff this year, so we also decided to have a smaller team as well,” Burroughs coach John Peebles said. “We definitely have some talent, so it will be exciting who takes the most advantage of their opportunities through hard work.”
On the boys’ side, the Indians should be bolstered by a strong distance and middle-distance contingent, led by a pair of seniors, Jagdeep Chahal and Alexander Hirsch. Chahal won the Pacific League title in cross-country in the fall and was co-champion in the 400 meters in track a year ago.
Seniors David Lennstrom and Aashwin Roy are Burroughs’ top returning sprinters, but sophomore Caleb Black could make an impact in the 400. Sophomore Ryan Thomas should be the squad’s best horizontal jumper, while seniors Grant Housley and Sarkis Tatarian should contribute in the throwing events.
Returning for her senior season for the girls is Emily Virtue, the most decorated distance runner in program history. A three-time state meet qualifier in cross-country, Virtue ran to league championships in the 3,200 and 1,600 last season.
“Hopefully her success from cross-country will carry over to the track and she can finish her time at Burroughs with a great track and field campaign,” Peebles said.
The Indians expect good things from senior Elizabeth Switzer in the pole vault, as well as senior Alex Akobian.
Senior Catrina Villalpando returns to compete in the middle-distance events and the sprinting corps should be led by senior Kate Jones, junior Jada Reese and junior Valerie Reveles. Junior Priscilla Murillo is the Indians’ top returner in the throwing events.
PROVIDENCE
The Pioneers squads will again be small this season and could both be led by some talented distance athletes.
“It is a nice sized group for the amount of kids that we have in the school,” Providence coach Mohammed Haddada said. “But being a small school, we have a lot of kids who compete in other sports, so we have to wait for them to finish their winter sports before we get them out for track.
“But that gives me some time to work with some of the younger athletes. We do have a young group, but I like the group that we have.”
The Pioneers’ girls’ team should be bolstered by sophomore distance runner Carissa Guardado, who didn’t compere in track and field as a freshman. In cross-country, Guardado won a league crown and advanced to the CIF Southern Section finals.
“We are hoping to advance Carissa far in CIF in track and field this season, as well,” Haddada said. “She has the potential to have a very successful season.”
Another key athlete for the girls will be junior Kristen Ayap, who will compete in the sprints as well as the relays.
For the boys, Providence has an accomplished returning distance runner in Ryan Donnelly. During the cross-country season, Donnelly finished fourth in the Liberty League finals.
The Pioneers are also looking for senior AJ Bautista to contribute in the sprints.
BELLARMINE-JEFFERSON
This might be the last season for Bell-Jeff, as the school is set to close its doors following the current school year.
The Guards will have small squads, especially on the girls’ side.
“On the boys’ side, I think we will be able to compete in league because we have some good athletes,” Guards coach Jim Couch said. “But on the girls’ side, we will essentially have one athlete.”
Leading the Guards boys is junior Nick Montijo, who won an individual league championship during cross-country season. Last season in track, Montijo captured a league title in the 1,600 and was runner-up in the 3,200.
Another returning champion is senior Tim Carlson, who captured titles in the 800 and triple jump. Competing in the sprints and relays are seniors Ronald Jurok and Canaan Williams. Junior Jason Rose should be Bell-Jeff’s top thrower.
On the girls’ side, junior Adaleigh Ramos returns to defend her league titles in the 100 and 300 hurdle events.
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