Seven Archer Varsity Track runners competed in Division 4 prelims in Carpenteria, CA on May 5.

Maia Barnett ’14 qualified for the 100 meter dash and the 400 meter relay, but Barnett opted to not participate due to a pre-existing injury. She says, “I didn’t run because I was thinking about the big picture and felt sitting out of the events was the best decision for me and the team. My hamstring was not at 100%.” She came to the meet to support her team.

Yasmeen Namazie ’15 qualified for three events: the 400 meter dash, the 400 meter relay and 1600 meter relay. She had a time of 67:47 in the 400 m. She wishes she had “performed better—the competing schools were much more experienced.”

Marcela Riddick ’16 qualified as an alternate for the 100 meter dash and the 400 meter relay. She says, “Another school false-started during our heat—it was nerve racking especially as the fist leg. Overall we performed really well.”

Qualifiers for the 1600 meter relay included Leandra Ramlo ’16 and Clara Gasperetti ’17 . However, Ramlo was put into the 400 meter relay when Barnett could not participate. Riddick tells the Oracle that she “was very proud of how Leandra performed under pressure.”

Alyssa Downer ’17 qualified for three events as well: the 100 and 200 meter dashes, and the 400 meter relay. Due to an injury in her 100 meter race, she was unable to run the 200 meter. She also ran as anchor in the 400 meter relay in Barnett’s absence.

Two-time CIF qualifier (cross country and track) Leyla Namazie ’17 ran the 800 meter race and the 1600 meter relay at prelims. She ran the 800 meter in 2:38:64, which happened to be the exact time as her League Finals time.

The 400 meter relay placed 20 out of 37 schools with a time of 52:68. The 1600 meter relay broke the school record by .13 seconds with a time of 4:19:17. They placed 21 out of 39 schools.

Coach Amelia Mathis tells her team, “I think you guys did spectacular. The 4×4 team broke the school record. You all showed up not knowing what to expect and nailed it! I couldn’t be more proud of you girls. It is every coach’s dream to send their runners to CIF, and we sent 7!”

Times were obtained from Royal Results.