Not confined to just the track or just the field, Aidan had a busy day at the Sonoma County League Championships. He took home four medals, with a win both in the field and on the track. In the long jump, he won a very close competition, jumping 20'1". Margin of victory: one inch! He also went 40'8" in the TJ for 5th. On the track, he dominated the short hurdles, clocking 16.47 (wind +1.2 m/s). He was the only athlete to crack 17 seconds. The long hurdles were also close, with the top 4 separated by less than 6/10ths of a second, though it was Kozel 4th in 42.83. While that was a busy day, he has the same schedule ahead of him at the upcoming Redwood Empire Championships, which should push him to big times, especially in the 110m hurdles where he is easily head and shoulders the best in the SCL.

Making a final or two is usually quite the accomplishment for a freshman, but winning a league title? Well, super-frosh Amy Stanfield of Sonoma took home THREE titles at the Sonoma County League Championships! While winning the 800m and 1,600m is not a terribly uncommon doubles as far as doubles go, Amy added the 400m to her triple-crown. That meant that she had only one event to recover between each of her races (the short-hurdles after the 1,600m and before the 400m and the 100m after the 400m and before the 800m). Wow! She comfortably won the 1,600m, running 5:21.76 to win by over 5 seconds. The 400m came down to less than half a second, but Amy managed the win in 61:09. Finally she won the 800m by over a second in 2:26.20. (Presumably she ran a leg on Sonoma's 3rd-place 4x400m relay as well.) Unsurprisingly, Amy is the SCL leader in all three events this season, and currently sits 3rd on the yearly 400m Empire list. She'll be racing that, as well as the 1,600m and 4x400m relay, at the upcoming Redwood Empire Championships. And of course many more times during her prep career!

Stephanie took home quite a bit of hardware at her final North Bay League Championships, capturing the 300m hurdle title, 5th in the short hurdles, and running a leg for Montgomery's second-place 4x400m relay. Easily the biggest accomplishment there was her win in the long hurdles. In a close battle (she won by only 0.09 seconds), Stephanie made her mark on the Empire History, clocking 46.01 to move to 11th all-time in the history of the Redwood Empire. It also gives her the Montgomery school record by a full second. In the long relay, Montgomery lost a close one, but still clocked 4:06.42, to place 32nd on the all-time Empire list.

Sprint races often come down to mere hundredths of a second, and for Tommy Streb those hundredths couldn't have worked out better. Competing in the League Championships of his prep career, Streb captured two North Bay League titles, capturing the 100m and the 200m by a combined 0.07 seconds. While any title is impressive, one would assume the win in the "century" is the biggie for Streb. There he ran 10.97, cracking that huge 11-scond barrier, a mark broken only by 35 athletes in Empire History, with Streb the first ever from Cardinal Newman. For marks that were wind-legel and FAT, that puts him in a tie for 6th ever in the Empire. And the wind was only +0.2 m/s! While he only won the 100m by 0.03 seconds, his 200m crown was, in a relative sense, even tighter. He crossed the line only 0.04 seconds ahead of 2nd, clocking 22.41, again with a small, legal wind (+0.5 m/s). That mark puts him 27th on the all-time Empire FAT List, and 12th FAT + wind-legal. While the races may have only totaled just over 30 seconds, the glory should certainly last significantly longer!

Malcolm Jenkins ended the regular season in style, winning thrice in the jumps, helping Analy defeat Healdsburg. While he may not have set personal bests, he certainly is setting himself up as a favorite for some very high finishes at the SCL Champs. Currently ranked #2 in the Empire and #1 in the long jump, he nearly reached 20 feet, going 19'6.5". He tied his best HJ with a 5'10" clearance, a mark that ties him for the SCL lead. Rounding out his wins was a 39'3" in the triple jump, another event where he's ranked #2 in the SCL.

At her last league meet of the season, Itzel Gonzales showed she's going to be a big threat at the upcoming SCL Championships. Twice on the track and twice in the field, Itzel took home the win. On the track, she took the 100m in 12.9h and the 200m in 25.9h. That 200m, with hand-timed conversion, puts her at (and the SCL lead by a lot) and just cracked the top-50 AT in Empire History. In the field, she took the long jump in 15'10" and the triple in 32'9", winning each by over a foot. Which events she'll focus on come SCL Champs could be very interesting!

You don't often see top all-time marks at dual meets, but that didn't stop Gilmore from launching herself to new hights as Petaluma defeated Piner last week in an SCL Dual. There she cleared 11'1" in the pole vault, making her way back up to a tie for #10 AT, which is the position she held coming into the year, before being bumped down earlier in the season. This new height bodes well as Gilmore looks to defend her SCL title from last season, and possibly take a stab at a State berth next month. Last year she was 5th at the NCS MOC (3 advance), but in the pole vault, anything can happen!

Curren unquestionably had a solid season last year, earning runner-up honors at the SCL Champs and taking some invite wins. However, he's moved from the ranks of quality-vaulter to all-timer, now that he's cleared that 14-foot barrier. Winning by over 4 feet in an SCL dual versus Piner, Curren went 14'1" to move all the way up to a tie for 20th on the All-Time Empire list. That also gives him the yearly Empire Lead by over half a foot. While his silver may have been nice, SCL gold looks like a very real possibility next week!

Competing against large schools from the NBL and beyond, Isazah King showed that you cant count out the little guys, as he torched the sprints at the Viking Invite. He crushed the field in the 200m, running 22.72 (+2.7 m/s), with no one else able to better 23 seconds. That mark easily makes him the fastest CMC athlete of the year, and #2 on the Empire list. It also squeaked into the top-50 FAT in Empire history. And all of that was after his 100m, where he was a solid second in 11.32 (+2.2 m/s) for another CMC leader. Of course, we shouldn't also forget his busy Wednesday, winning both the 100m and 200m at Ft. Bragg, plus a 2nd place finish in the HJ. Needless to say, he certainly looks well on his way to a double title defense come CMC champs.

Saturday must have been a very long day for Windsor's Alyssa Stewart. Two track races or two field events at the Viking Invite would have been a lot for most anyone, but Stewart did that double-double, competing in the 4x100m, 100m, long jump, and triple jump. It was in that last one where she truly made a splash, leaping out to 35'4.5", and landing in a tie for 24th on the All-Time Empire List. That earned her the win by nearly a foot. On the track, she helped Windsor to a close 2nd place finish in the 4x100m, where they lost by less than a tenth in 50.77. She also placed 6th in the LJ (15'7") and 7th in the 100m (13.10).

Rebecca Plattus was a triple winner for the Pumas on Wednesday, helping Maria Carrillo defeat Ukiah in the first NBL meet of the season. While she won the Long Jump (15'1.25") and Triple Jump (31'3") by just under and just over a foot, respectively, her big splash came in the High Jump. Last year's NBL runner-up hit a big PR in clearing 5'2.5". That mark puts her in a tie for 37th in the history of the Redwood Empire. It of course also leads the Empire this year.

In Santa Rosa's first NBL meet of the season, Delano Bell scored wins in both throws to help lead the Panthers to victory. He hit 44'1" in the shot put, good enough to win by over a foot. His margin of victory in the discus, however, surpassed 15 feet, as he crushed the 140-foot barrier, going all the way to 144'5". That mark gives him the yearly Empire lead, and, despite this being the first league meet of the year, already ties his best from last season.

One year ago, Justin Zinnerman set a Meet Record in the High Jump at the SR Twilight Invitational, clearing 6'2". While an amazing performance for most, you'd have to think the NCS MOC champ was a bit disappointed. Well this weekend he was back to his own personal stratosphere, crushing his old MR and winning by over half a foot, thanks to his clearance at 6'7". If he didn't already get into the top-10 all-time in last year's post-season, this would have put him in the top-20 ever in the Empire. And it wasn't only the HJ in which Justin impressed; he also had solid runs on the track. Running into a headwind for both, he placed 3rd in the Invite 100m (11.49, w:-0,7) and 4th in the 200m (23.95, w:-1.0). Quite the triple for the Rancho Cotate senior!

Delaney was a double winner at the moderately new but quite competitive Santa Rosa Twilight Invitational, crossing the line first in both the 1,600m and the 3,200m. In her first race, the Invitational 1,600m, White clocked an impressive 5:11.79 to absolutely destroy the meet record by over 10 seconds. This mark puts her onto the All-Time Empire list, currently at #44. While she missed the Invite 3,200m record by just about a second, Delaney successfully defended her 2014 Twilight Invite title to complete the 2015 double, winning by over seven seconds. This certainly bodes well for her double-double attempt at the NBL Championships come the post-season!

In the history of the Redwood Empire, only 13 girls have run under 5 minutes for 1,600m. On Saturday at the Stanford Invite, Rylee Bowen joined that exclusive club with a 4:57.52 full mile, winning her heat and taking 3rd overall. And that was only her second best mark of the weekend. On Friday, Rylee lined up in the highly competitive Stanford Invite 3,000m (video), where she took the win in a thrilling battle down the homestretch. Her time of 9:49.31 leads the nation for 2015, and sits behind only national XC champs Sara Bei and Julia Stamps on the All-Time Empire list. While her state XC title came against a weaker Division 5 field, Rylee is certainly making a case to be one of California's top runners of any division, in any grade, so don't be shocked to see some T&F State hardware come season's end.

It's no stretch to say Alex Netherda is one of the Redwood Empire's most accomplished long hurdlers. He has the Empire freshman record. He's #2 on the sophomore list. Back to #1 on the junior list. And that mark as a junior puts him #4 overall in Redwood Empire history. Where will he end up come season's end? It's impossible to tell, but on the strength of his 400m hurdle at this weekend's Stanford Invite (video), we're not ruling anything out. While HSers typically race the 300m hurdle, this is one of the few meets of the year where they can step up to the collegiate and professional distance of 400m hurdles, which is often in the discussion for the most grueling event on the track. And he faired mightily well, placing 2nd in the race and 5th on the all-time Empire list. While that may have been enough for day one, Alex came back for double relay duty on Saturday, running a leg on both the 4x100m and the 4x400m. In the longer race, he was integral to the Pumas clocking an Empire-leading 3:28.87. Not a bad weekend, especially given he couldn't even race his main event!

Given he's the defending CMC champ in both shot put and discus it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that Will Smith absolutely dominated the throws at Wednesday's five-way meet at Fort Bragg. But that certainly doesn't make it any less impressive. His 43'10" in the shot won the competition by over 7 feet. But it was his discus throw of 141'1" that wow'd the competition. He won by nearly 50 feet, a ridiculous feet in and of itself, and his mark is currently leading the Empire for 2015. Expect Smith to defend both CMC titles this year, and be more than just a field-filler come NCS MOC.

Makayla made a mark on the CMC last year, as evidenced by her conference title. But after her dominating performance at Wednesday's five-way meet at Fort Bragg, Makayla has made her mark on the entire Redwood Empire. Not only did her put of 37'10.5" give her the Empire lead by over two feet, it moved her to 24th All-Time in the Empire. Not only did she win the shot by over 6 feet, but she took the discus by over 20, throwing 111'6". That mark leads the CMC and sits her second in the Empire for 2015, behind only reigning Athlete of the Year. Given how this season has started, a medal or two is not out of the question come NCS MOC.

In the history of the Redwood Empire, less than 30 girls have ever run 16 seconds or better for the 100m hurdles. This past week, Maddie Call achieved that feat. Twice. Her week started with a convincing win at Montgomery HS, where she ran 16 seconds to win by over a second. Given that the meet was hand-timed, one wouldn't faulted for thinking maybe something was up. Well, until she did it again with fully automatic timing on Saturday. At the Chip Castleberry invite, Call was officially timed at 15.99, making there be no doubt that this sophomore is a major player in Empire hurdling. She again got the win by over a second, though 2nd place Tori Mollard did turn the tables in the 300m hurdles, beating Call 50.06 to 50.44. But we have to look past her hurdling as well. That's right, Call isn't just a force on the track, but in the field as well. At Montgomery she also captured the long jump by over 3 feet, going 16'4", a mark bettered only once so far this year.

Watching the home straight at the Dublin Distance Fiesta, arguably the biggest distance/middle-distance invite of the early season, you'd be forgiven for thinking you had deja vu. After a 20-heat build-up, Rauch towed the line with the other top NorCal milers in the 21st and fastest heat of the 1,600m, but this was no contest. Rauch got the win in 4:19.20, exactly four seconds than the runner-up. And he was similarly dominant in heat 28/28 of the 800m, winning by over a second in 1:56.17. Both times not only lead the Empire this year, but the North Coast Section as well. And while the NCS Meet of Champions is still a ways off, Rauch may have to start thinking about which event he wishes to compete at the State Meet. Don't forget last year, only a junior, Rauch qualified in the 1,600m, and just missed a second trip in the 800m. So we don't know what exactly his future holds, but we're pretty sure "State Meet" will be on the bib somewhere.

Normally an athlete who places 5th (39'0.5" in the triple jump) at an early season (Windsor Relays) invite doesn't earn AotW honors. But he had a much bigger splash in the long jump, taking a close win in 19'8.75". Of course, both pale in comparison to his win in the high hurdles. We're not sure what's more impressive. Winning by over a second, or his time of 15.83. Well, that time ties him for 20th all-time FAT wind-legal in the Redwood Empire, so we're leaning that way. Still, expect to see Geddi attack that 15.5 barrier; after all, he did run a wind-aided 15.54 last year!

Allison didn't move up on the all-time lists this weekend, or set any personal bests. But when you're the 2nd furthest thrower in Empire History, the reigning Athlete of the Year, and a California State Medalist, well, we can't hold it against you. Allison unsurprisingly dominated the discus at the Windsor Relays, throwing 126'10". If she hadn't thrown a ridiculous 141'3" last year, that would have been good enough to be 8th all-time. Not too bad for the second week of the season! And she's not just a one-event star; Allison took the weight double 34'7" in the shot put. That was over 5 feet beyond 2nd place. Both throws unsurprisingly lead the Empire this year.

Winning an event at a large invitational is a big deal for anyone. But to win two individual events and anchor the winning 1,600m relay, well, that's a great way to cap a senior season. So what do you say when that is the first ever meet for a freshman?! In her first race ever as a Santa Rosa Panther, Kristen Carter has shown she can be a force to be reckoned with for the next four years. She ran a scintillating 57-high split on the winning 4x400m relay, as well as posting a dominant win in the 100m dash. Her time of 12.32 not only won by a ridiculous half-second, but set the Santa Rosa school-record, and is the 6th fastest ever in the Redwood Empire. But the highlight of the meet had to have been her 18'11" long jump. That's over a foot longer than the old freshman record, and puts her third for all grades in the history of the Redwood Empire. She jumped just a quarter of an inch shorter the 30 year old SRHS record, and over a foot longer than anyone else has in the last decade.

Three has got to be Lani Gaspar's lucky number. Three wins, three jumps (okay okay, a hop, a skip, and a jump) made for one impressive season opener. Lani took the 100m dash by a full quarter-second, clocking 11.06, the 9th fastest wind-legal time ever. In the 200m, he absolutely shattered the old school record of 22.90 (set by, you guessed it Lani Gaspar 2014), running 22.07, to win by over a second. That mark ties him for 6th fastest FAT/wind-legal in Empire history. But Lani doesn't only have speed; he has pop. He torched the competition in the triple jump hitting 42'8.5" to win by nearly two feet.