Prep track: Redwood boys lead Marin contingent at section qualifier

Redwood High senior Ethan Werner led a pack of Marin runners six deep across the finish line to win the 3,200 meter as the scorching heat started to abate late Saturday afternoon, the penultimate event in a dominating effort from the fastest and strongest track and field athletes from the MCAL.

Marin athletes won 11 events at the Redwood Empire Meet at Santa Rosa Junior College, with the Giants leading the way. The Redwood boys took home the team title, beating second-place Cardinal Newman by 20 points. Tam finished third with 52 points, 32 behind the Giants, while Archie Williams (39) placed fifth. San Rafael placed 17th, with Marin Catholic and San Marin tied for 19th, and Novato tied for 21st with Piner.

The Redwood girls placed third with 55 points, behind Maria Carrillo (85) and Montgomery (67). Marin Catholic finished seventh (22), followed by San Marin in ninth place (18), Archie Williams in 12th (16), Tam in 15th place (13), and 18th-place Terra Linda (9).

The top six finishers in each event advance to the NCS Meet of Champions in Dublin, to be held Friday and Saturday.

“Some of the events will be held at night, so it should be cooler and people will be running faster,” Werner said, looking ahead to the opportunity to set a new personal best in both distance events at the MOC.

Werner led the first half of the 3,200 race, but MCAL champion Ian Sharp of Archie Williams started to close the gap halfway through. Novato’s Nick McAuley decided to make his move in front of Werner late, but Werner quickly retook the lead and powered ahead for the win in 9 minutes, 41.43 seconds.

“I was happy with my performance, but it was tough in this heat,” said Werner, who finished a half-second ahead of Tam’s Dylan Collister. The Red-tailed Hawks’ Max Dunmire took third with a personal best 9:42.85, followed by McAuley, Sharp and Redwood’s Calvin Tudor.

“It was tough in this heat, after running in the rain last week at MCALs,” Werner said.

Werner’s 4:22.01 time was good enough for second in the 1,600, as the Peregrine Falcons’ Will Mulliken led wire to wire with a PR of 4:15.58.

Redwood’s William Ghalam and Antonio Bayon each won two events, and Tam won the boys 4×400 relay.

On the girls side, San Marin’s Sicily Grasso won the 100, Archie Williams placed first in the 4×800 relay, and Redwood’s Trinity Chancellor finished well above the rest of the field in the pole vault at 9 feet, 11 inches, more than a foot better than the second-place effort. The Giants’ Annalise Horn took home an easy win the long jump at 17′-5.75″.

Archie Williams’ 4×800 relay team of Ani Stieg, Alyssa Silverstein, Brooke Lee and Alexandra Greenwald took first place (9:54.13), nearly 20 seconds ahead of the second-place team from Maria Carrillo.

Redwood’s boys powered through the heat of the day against fast competition, too.

Ghalam earned gold in the 400 with a PR of 48.51 seconds in the morning, and followed that with a win in the 200 in the afternoon.

Ghalam held off Cardinal Newman’s Liam Currie for a close win in the 400, just a third of a second ahead of Currie. Archie Williams’ John Minutoli took third overall (50.11), with Nate Wanger of Tam (50.21) on his elbow to finish fourth, all in the same heat. Ghalam won the 200 in 21.91 seconds to edge Rancho Cotate’s Jacob Pruitt (21.96).

Ghalam capped his day in the final event event of the day, the boys 4×400 relay, with Finn Nelson, Marco Cleary and Paolo Guerrero to claim second place (3:29.73), in a close three-way finish ahead of Tam and Archie Williams.

Bayon set a PR of 15.29 seconds to win the 110 hurdles and overcame a challenging environment to win a three-way showdown in the pole vault at 14-2. Bayon also took third in the triple jump (42-10.5) and ninth in the long jump (20-0.25).

Bayon finished ahead of second-place Shea Sorcher of Tam (15.88). The Hawks’ Kiernan Connolly (16.32) placed fifth, with the Falcons’ Nick Ferguson (16.34) sixth. Sorcher (40.16) and Ferguson (41.50) both set new PRs to finish third and fifth, respectively, in the 300 hurdles.

In the boys 800, Mulliken took second with a new PR (1:57.13), with Tam’s Caeden Gardner (1:57.57) third. Terra Linda’s Annie Carmona finished third (2:19.50) in the girls 800, with Tam’s Estella Wong sixth (2:23.20).

Marin Catholic’s Jarred Geissberger won his 100 meter heat in 11.20, good enough for sixth place overall.

In the girls distance events, Redwood’s Marley Nacco was third (5:07.54) in the 1,600, with Stieg fourth (5:08.38) and Tam’s Emma Gardner sixth (5:13.69). Tam’s Ellery Barnes (11:49.76) placed sixth in the 3,200.

The Giants’ Ruby Hauth (16.35) finished third in the 100 hurdles, ahead of sixth-place Laura Shapiro of Tam (17.57).

Marin teams dominated the girls 4×800 relay, with the Falcons leading the way. Marin Catholic (10:16.86) took third, with Redwood (10:28.25) fourth and Terra Linda (10:36.74) fifth.

Marin Catholic’s Kyree Marshall set a new PR at 6 feet to finish third in the boys high jump, with San Marin’s Cody Urban fifth. San Rafael’s Perez Sam was second in the long jump with a new PR (21-09). The Mustangs’ Jack Golan finished fourth (20-09.25).