Area track and field athletes move up in record books

The spring track and field season has already seen some impressive results from area athletes. A handful of those athletes are creeping their way up their respective school’s record list.

Here’s a look at the area athletes that could be setting school records in the near future (all records are courtesy of athletic.net):

SPRINTS

• Douglas sophomore Grace Strabala was quick to make noise in her freshman campaign and is already following with strong performances in her sophomore season.

Strabala put together a 12.84 seconds in the 100-meter dash last weekend, which is the fourth-best time in school history. Jessica James set the school record in 2022 with a 12.47.

• Bliss Moody has the third-quickest 200 in school history, which she set in 2023 at the Class 5A state championships, finishing in 26.04.

Olivia Abbott holds the current record of 25.80 set in 2014.

• Sophomore Katelyn Coons is ninth all-time in the Douglas girls 100-meter hurdles with a 17.24. Coons is exactly one second off the school record time of 16.24 set in 2009.

• On the boys side, junior Joshua Nelson is 11^th in the 100 (11.41) and ninth in the 200 (22.96), recording both of his record times last season.

• Kevin O’Connell is back for his senior season after recording a 52.28 in the 400, which is sixth all-time in the Tiger record books.

• Douglas senior Dylan Spear-Holub posted a 15.9 in the 110-meter hurdles, which is second behind Gabe Hatchett’s 1999 time of 15.31.

Spear-Holub is third in the 300-meter hurdles after his 2023 season with a time of 41.59. Hatchett holds that school record as well in 40.07.

• It’s not a consistently run event, but Tristan Rutledge holds the quickest time in Carson history in the 60-meter hurdles, registering a 9.11 in early February at the California Winter Championships.

DISTANCE

• Carson High’s Sawyer Macy continues to climb up the Senator record book in the 1,600 and 3,200-meter runs.

Macy, a junior, is already top five in the Carson High record books for both events.

His personal record time of 4 minutes, 23.86 seconds at 1,600 — set March 8 at the Bronco Roundup — is four seconds off the top spot set by Richard Shroy (4:18.80) in 2010.

In the 3,200, Macy is already second in the Carson record books after posting a time of 9:18.37 at the Dublin Distance Fiesta on March 16.

Macy trails one name, Bob Ryser, who recorded a 9:11 in 1991 in the school’s record books for that event.

• Sean Thornton has the 10^th-quickest time in school history in the 3,200 (9:52.74) and 14^th-best time in the 1,600 (4:36.25) this spring.

• The distance record books aren’t just being rewritten on the boys side as the Carson girls have multiple athletes working their way up the leaderboard.

Hannah Budd (11:20.43) set the fourth-quickest time in the 3,200 as a freshman last season. Jinnie Ponczoch is seventh in the same event (11:34.37).

• Vea Miner (11:54.07) and Brianna Rodriguez-Nunez (11:55.55) are both in the top 15 with times recorded this season.

• In 2023, Ponczoch, Miner, Rodriguez-Nunez and Budd set the school’s 4x800 relay record, posting a 9:48.52 at the Class 5A state meet last season.

• Douglas High’s Luke Davis is climbing his way up the distance record books for the Tigers.

In the 1,600, Davis posted a 4:30.26 March 16 for the third-quickest time in the event in school history.

John Munyan set the school record in the event in 2017 (4:21.26).

• In the 3,200, Davis’ 2023 time of 10:13.75 is the sixth-quickest time in school history.

FIELD EVENTS

• In the pole vault, Douglas’ school record feels likely to be broken as junior Stella White has cleared 11 feet, 6 inches in back-to-back meets.

The school record pole vault is 12 feet even, set in 2012 by Amanda Brazeau.

• Douglas’ high jump records could also be pushed this season as seniors Moody, Ava Coons and Logan Karwoski are all within the top five.

Moody tied the school record with a clearance of 5-4 in 2022, while Coons (2023) and Karwoski (2024) both have clearances of 5-2.

Moody also holds the school record in the long jump (17-10), but senior Elizabeth Gneiting is seventh with a leap of 16-11 inches last weekend.

• In the high jump, Carson’s Dayna Myrehn is tied for fourth all-time with a clearance of five feet even. Myrehn recorded her personal best clearance March 16 in California. The Senator school record is 5-7, set by Madison Preston in 2015.

(Douglas’ Stella White clears the bar during the pole vault event at Douglas High School earlier this season. White currently has the second-highest clearance in school history with a mark of 11 feet, six inches. / Ron Harpin)