On the same day its girls’ swim team won the CIF State Championship, the Santa Margarita High School girls’ track team won the CIF-Southern Section Track and Field Division 3 Championships, held May 11 at El Camino College in Torrance.

It was the fifth straight CIF-SS title for the Eagles under head coach Gil Garcia, the sixth for the Orange County school, and the 11th time in the last 12 years that at least one Catholic school has won a girls’ track and field championship.

In Division 4, traditionally a strong category for girls’ Catholic schools in track, Serra of Gardena (last year’s champion), St. Anthony of Long Beach and Mayfield of Pasadena were second, third and fifth, behind winner Oaks Christian.

Individual stars of the meet included senior sprinter Tessa Green of Santa Margarita, who won the D-3 100 and 200 Meter dashes and ran on both winning relay teams. In D-4, St. Anthony  sophomore Asjah Atkinson won the 100 Meter Hurdles and long jump, and ran on both relay teams that placed in the top six.

The top performers from last weekend will participate in the CIF Master’s Meet May 18 at El Camino College, with berths in the CIF State Championships May 24-25 at stake.

Division 3

The Eagles rolled up 89 points, well ahead of runner-up Orange Lutheran’s 54. Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks was fourth with 38 points, and Alemany and Chaminade tied for seventh with 25. Other Catholic schools included Bishop Amat, 15 points (15th); St. Joseph/Lakewood, 13 (18th); JSerra, 6 (25th); and St. Lucy's, 1 (38th).

Green won the 100 in 12.18, ahead of Notre Dame sophomore Dior Asamota (12.29), and the 200 in 24.5, leading Chaminade senior Bailey Umans (third) and Notre Dame sophomore Madison Dietz (fifth). Santa Margarita sophomore Lauren Memoly won the 400, with Umans again third, Notre Dame freshman Ava McCumber Gandara fifth and ND senior Gabrielle Ellis sixth.

In the 4x100 Relay, Santa Margarita’s Green, Memoly and juniors Olivia Guida and Makena Eddy (47.84) edged Alemany’s Zeniah Ellsworth, Ariana Rodriguez, Jasmin Dudley and DaJahnae Jackson, (47.84). Notre Dame (Asamota, Dietz, Ellis and Gabrielle Jackson) was fourth and Chaminade (Jazmin Jackson, Mia Brittingham, Samantha Patierno and Jennifer Uyanga) was sixth.

The 4x400 Relay also ended with Santa Margarita, Alemany and Notre Dame 1-2-4. For the Eagles, it was Green, Memoly, Sophia Morris and McKenna Bradley; for the Warriors, Rodriguez, Jackson, Ariana Butler and Audra Coleman; and for the Knights, Dietz, Ellis, McCumber Gandara and Nia Brown.

Chaminade’s Jazmin Jackson won the 100 Meter Hurdles; junior Ry'ann O'Bannon of St. Joseph/Lakewood was second in the high jump and fifth in the triple jump; Santa Margarita sophomore Nathalie Barnes was second in pole vault; and her teammate Memoly was second in long jump, with Bishop Amat sophomore Summer McNeil sixth.

McNeil also took fifth in discus and second in shot put, followed by Alemany sophomore Nailah Bombata (third). Santa Margarita junior Erin Biddiscombe was third in triple jump; her junior teammates Sophia Morris and Jessica Elizalde-Rendon were third and sixth in the 300 Meter Hurdles, with Notre Dame’s Gabrielle Jackson fifth; and two more Eagles, sophomores Kendall Saeger and McKenna Bradley, were fifth and sixth in the 800.

Division 4

Although Oaks Christian dominated with 73 points, runner-up Serra (49), third-place St. Anthony (37.5) and fifth-place Mayfield (36) had their share of individual stars.

For St. Anthony, Atkinson won the 100 Meter Hurdles ahead of runner-up A'Lena Chaney, Serra senior, and third-place Brianna Smith, Paraclete senior who won the 300 Hurdles. Atkinson also led a 1-3-4 Catholic school finish in the long jump, with Serra’s Chaney third and Mayfield sophomore Jolie Beegle fourth.      

Serra senior Jazmyne Frost, a star at last year’s CIF and State Meets, won the 100 with senior teammate Destine'e Reid fifth, and was second in the 200, followed by third-place Sydney Bentley, St. Bernard senior. Bentley was second in the 400, with St, Mary’s senior Isreal Conerly third and La Reina junior Jenna Krostag sixth.

Mayfield’s stars included sophomore distance ace Audrey Suarez, who won the 1600 Meters, was second at 3200, and ran on the fifth-place 4x400 Relay along with Beegle, senior Laura Arcia and sophomore Sarah Tupy. St. Anthony was fourth in the relay, with sophomores Atkinson, Jaena Bell and London Lee joined by junior Aniya Terry.

In the 4x100 Relay, Serra (Frost, Reid, Chaney and junior Taler Jones) was second; St. Mary's Academy (Conerly and sophomores Maigan Adams, Summer Reid and Vinae Edwards) was fourth; and St. Anthony (Atkinson, Lee, Bell and freshman Simone Terry) was sixth.

St. Paul senior Aleena Garcia won the discus, with senior teammate Danielle Mataele sixth and La Reina senior Madeline Thatcher fourth. Thatcher was second in shot put, followed by Rosary freshman Rebel Tuinukuafe (third) and St. Paul’s Mataele (sixth).

La Reina junior Charlotte Allison was second in high jump, with St. Anthony’s Lee fifth. The versatile Beegle of Mayfield took third in triple jump, with Serra’s Chaney fourth and St. Mary’s Edwards sixth.

Team scoring in Division 4 also included La Reina, 24 (eighth); St. Mary's Academy, 17 (11th); Paraclete, St. Paul and St. Bernard, 16 each (12th); Rosary, 6 (28th);  Notre Dame Academy, 2 (35th); and Marymount, Immaculate Heart and Flintridge/Sacred Heart, 1 each.

Division 2

Mater Dei scored 11 points, in 19th place behind champion Mission Viejo. Senior Sophia Chiaramonte was second in long jump, and junior Sophia Zarcone was sixth in pole vault.

No Catholic schools competed in Division 1.

Mike Nelson is the former editor of The Tidings (predecessor of Angelus News). 

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