Junior Vincent Faylor barreled down the track, only 10 hurdles between him and his goal. To secure a spot in CCS, he needed to place in the top six in the event, the 110m hurdles. As he sprinted past the finish line on May 15 at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) Qualifying Meet, he looked expectantly at the scoreboard. His time of 15.90 seconds was no personal record, but it was good enough for him to go to CCS.
Faylor is one of 12 individuals and two relay teams who participated in SCVALs; of the 12, six qualified for CCS.
Among them were senior Steven Sum, who won both the 1600m and 3200m; junior Tanner Zuleeg, who placed first in shot put; and freshman Chloe McGhee, who placed sixth in the 300m hurdles. CCS will take place May 29 at San Jose City College.
Senior Puck De Roos, who will be running Division 1 college track at UC Santa Barbara this coming fall, tied for second in high jump and placed fourth in the 100m hurdles but didn’t qualify for CCS in her other two events, the 4x100m relay and long jump.
De Roos noted that the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams are not as strong this year as before and only placed third among seven teams in the El Camino League.
Still, De Roos is proud of the team and recognizes track as an important part of her life.
“[Being on the track team] has helped me work hard,” De Roos said. “Since I know that they won’t let me run track if my grades are bad, I am more motivated.”
Two of De Roos’ role models, head coach Archie Ljepava and sprint coach Michael Xautry, will also be leaving at the end of the year.
Ljepava said his decision to leave was an emotional one and that coaching track has been a fun and exciting ride.
“I have seen a lot of athletes break school records and move on to run at the college level,” Ljepava said. “[But] I have my own kids growing up and would like to spend more time involved as a father. I will forever miss my time out on the track.”
Xautry has also received his teaching credential and wants to focus on his career, senior sprinter Avery Gigoux said.
Gigoux also said both coaches have been with the current seniors for four years, and since track is a significant time commitment, it is “understandable and fitting” that they leave with the seniors this year.
“We have a really young team, with only 17 seniors,” Gigoux said. “[The coaches leaving] will not affect the team that much because [the team] didn’t get to bond with the coaches as much as [the seniors] have.”
As the season comes to a close, Gigoux believes the team has “become more of a family.”
“I just want the community to stay together, and I hope we leave an impression that track is more than just a sport,” Gigoux said. “We were the first team to do team dinner and chants. I hope it stays close, and kids still push and try.”
