Addition to the Track Story
The CCHS Track and Field team had an amazing finish in CIF finals this past week. The boy’s team won the CIF title for the first time in the history of CCHS and Uni. This was a huge accomplishment and something to be very proud of. The girls placed fourth in CIF and showed a great performance as well. The five individuals qualified for the State Meet in Clovis, CA are Caitilin Krol in the 1600, Luke Whitmarsh, Lucas Lawson, Grant Zebold and Tanner Carter in the 4×100 relay. Grant Zebold qualified for the 300 hurdles as well.
Original Story
The Cathedral Catholic boys and girls track teams are moving through CIF prelims this week and are looking forward to winning another CIF championship title. They have had a very successful season thus far. Both teams have had some all-star athletes this year. Here are a few of them.
Jake Williams
Senior Jake Williams has certainly been a standout athlete on the team, breaking records in the mile 1600m with a 4:15.04 and in the 800m with a 1:54.16. This is a huge accomplishment for Jake who, this year, has participated in the 3200 meters, 1600 meters, 800 meters, and 4x400m relay, but his main events are the 1600m and 800m. In the CIF prelims, Jake and a good number of other runners qualified for CIF finals.
When asked about what it has been like to be a part of the CCHS Track team, Jake said, “I’m just so proud to be a part of such a hard working team this year. Our coach would always tell us, ‘The great thing about the sport of running is that you only get back what you put into it. We’ve broken more school records than any year before us, and it just shows the dedication our team has put into our daily practice, and our coaches dedication to seeing us succeed in our events.”
Anthony Ajlouny
The season for the throwing team has been great with contributions from new coaches and assistants from UCSD who focused on improving the team’s strength. One of the most prominent throwers on the team, Anthony Ajlouny, has had a solid season overall. He was happy with his improvement in shot-put, which he considers his weaker event, and has grown a lot stronger from conditioning and strength training. Unfortunately, Anthony did not place in the top 9 to move on to the CIF finals, but he preformed spectacularly considering his sprained ankle. On a happier note, Anthony will be attending Marquette University in the fall and will be a part of the throwing team there.
Caitlin Krol
Caitlin is one of the strongest and most talented runners on the team, is aiming at qualifying for State prelims. Caitlin will be continuing her career at Wake Forest in the fall
Kelsey Jess
Kelsey is one of the most hardworking seniors on the team, participating in the 1600, 3200, 4×400 relay, and the 4×1600 relay this year. According to Kelsey, CIF Prelims this past Saturday went really well. The team had a lot of girls and guys move onto CIF Finals.
Kelsey has been very proud of how the team has preformed this season. “Being a part of track has changed my life. Not only has it given me a family, but it has helped me get into a great college, and it has showed me that running is like life: you get out of it what you put into it.”
The track team is known as one of the most successful athletic programs at CCHS simply because they are “a family because we all are working towards the same goals,and we push each other to do our best everyday,” said Kelsey.
Be sure to look out for these athletes, and many more as they compete in the CIF finals on May 26th and the State finals on June 1st and 2nd.