Piner High’s Gold Rush Relays on Saturday, had a definite silver lining to it as the predicted thunder storms never happened and the meet enjoyed cool yet dry weather.
The Prospectors, led by two of the state’s best track athletes, Luis Luna, and Kyra Johnson, took advantage of the day by breaking a number of meet records. Luna anchored a strong distance medley team to one record as his 1,600 meter split of 4:18.6 finished off a record 10:35.2 time. As fast as that is, Luna was looking for even more. “I was happy that the weather allowed us to run but I was disappointed that I didn’t bring my time down even lower,”said Luna.
With only 40 minutes rest after running the DMR he was back on the track to anchor a co-ed 4 x 800m team to another meet record. “I was two minutes into my cool down from my first race and they had the first call for the next race,” Luna said.
With Kyra joining him and her sister Dezirae, and Epi Nunez, the Piner group cracked the nine minute barrier finishing in 8:59.3 with Luna anchoring in 1:59.7.
Earlier, Kyra had bettered her own meet record in the 300 hurdles with a 45.3 clocking. “I actually felt unusually tired in that race and smashed my knee into a hurdle coming out of the turn,” said Johnson.
Maria Carrillo’s Siobhan Anderson continued her pole vaulting demonstrations as she cleared 11-8.
In the boys 100 Healdsburg’s Andrew Kozel defeated Rancho Cotate’s David Forman in the final heat as both of them, plus Cardinal Newman’s Bryan Nunez from an earlier heat all ran 10.9 to better that meet record.
Casa’s Adam Lundquist ran a number of fine races including a fast 300 hurdle race in 39.8.
Santa Rosa girls 400 relay team bettered the meet record in 50.8. Later the Panther’s 800m Sprint Medley team ran the fifth fastest time in Empire history with a 1:52.2.
Cardinal Newman’s boys Sprint Medley team ran the fourth fastest time in Empire history with a 1:37.5.
Rancho Cotate’s Cicely Walden topped the field in the girls 100 in 13.0.
Rancho’s Ricky Garcia had a good day out jumping all others with a high jump of 6-2 and a triple jump of 39-4½.
Montgomery’s Meili Bartholome had a nice triple jump mark of 32-1 to lead the girl’s jumpers.