Track season ends with varsity girls’ success

The varsity girls ended with a strong season record, placing ninth overall in CCS Championship Finals on May 27 at Gilroy High School.

They were represented by juniors Ailene Nguyen, Crystal Yen and Michelle Cummins, as well as sophomore Melodie Bellegarda. The four girls were the only members of the team to qualify for CCS finals.

The varsity girls’ team also placed third overall in SCVAL finals, while varsity boys placed 13 out of 14 teams. SCVAL finals were held May 13 at Santa Clara High School and determined the qualifiers for CCS semifinals held on May 21.

Nguyen led the way at SCVAL finals, placing first in the 100m and long jump, and second in triple jump. Yen dominated at the 100m and 300m hurdles, placing first in both events. The girls 4×1 relay team, consisting of Nguyen, Yen, Cummins and Bellegarda, placed first in their event.

“We were all so excited,” Cummins said. “We all had a group hug, and were on this happy high for the rest of the day.”

The four varsity girls made a strong showing at CCS Championship Finals, placing ahead of strong competitors such as those from Gilroy and Homestead.

“I didn’t know we would do so well,” Cummins said. “It’s pretty cool that we placed so high with so few of us.”

Nguyen and Yen once again placed high in their respective events. Yen’s third place in 300m hurdles qualified her for state, but she is not going due to schedule conflicts. Her fourth place in 100m hurdles left her just short of qualifying in that event. Nguyen also fell barely short of qualifying in triple jump and long jump by finishing fourth in both.

Nguyen felt disappointed, especially since she placed just one place below the borderline to qualify for the state tournament. However, she is looking forward to the next season, which promises to bring many more opportunities.

Also, Cummins placed seventh in triple jump, and the 4×1 relay team placed seventh.

“I’m really proud of us because every time we ran we got a better time, and in the end we improved by two seconds,” Yen said about competing in the 4×1 with her peers.

Though the varsity boys did not qualify for CCS finals, the team performed well in SCVAL Finals.
In boys’ varsity long distance, senior Kyle Fukui placed tenth in the 1600m run. Sophomore Aasim Naqvi and senior Garrick Chan placed 12th and 16th in the 800m run respectively.
Senior Carlos Kasik placed fifth in high jump, with a height of five feet eight inches. He was able to qualify for CCS semifinals and placed 10th.

“There was the best of the best [at semifinals],” Kasik said. “I was surprised to see so many people who could jump so much higher than I could have.”

As a senior, Kasik feels that he has improved compared to his previous year in track, and is glad to have competed with many of the same people.

For many of the non-graduating members of track, the end of the season brings bittersweet feelings.

“I’m actually kind of relieved, because I’m not used to such a long season,” Cummins said. “But I’m going to miss track until next year!”