Merced Union High School District

Moments before the Buhach Colony High girls 4x400 meter relay team went out to race the final event of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championships, Thunder coach Curtis McClure informed his girls that a first- or second-place finish would clinch the team section championship. 

 

Buhach Colony’s McKenna Hill had just placed seventh in the shot put, to big the Thunder two teams puts and elevating them to 58 points. They were seven points behind Nevada Union with just the 4x400 relay left to run.

 

“That got us fired up,” said Thunder sophomore Emily Gallegos. “Throughout the meet we could see how close the score was. We would check the score after every Buhach girl performed.”

 

The final relay was close as the Buhach Colony team of Chisa Wood, Alicia Silva, Taylor Martin and Gallegos battled Twelve Bridges and Bear Creek throughout. By the time the race got to the final leg it was still tight.  “The race was very hard,” Gallego said. “It was close. I run the anchor leg and I could feel Twelve Bridges on my back when we got the baton. I don’t think they were a second behind us. As I started pulling away, I could hear our crowd cheering. I could hear all our parents screaming. When we won, it felt awesome. That’s what we wanted. That’s what we love to do. We really wanted to do it for our school.”

 

The Thunder 4x400 relay team turned in the fast time of any division, crossing the finish line in 3 minutes, 56.38 seconds. Twelve Bridges finished second with a time of 4:00.28. The victory vaulted Buhach Colony to the top of the team race with 68 points, edging out Nevada Union (65) for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento on Saturday. It’s the first section title in the program’s history.

 

After finishing just short of winning the section title last year, this accomplishment was made even sweeter. “Watching these girls accomplish something they had worked toward for more than two years was an incredible feeling for all of us as coaches,” said Buhach Colony coach Curtis McClure. “It felt like validation for everything they had sacrificed and committed to. This group has already broken Merced County records in individual events as well as the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, so adding a section championship truly felt like the cherry on top.”

 

The quartet of Wood, Silva, Martin and Gallegos led the way, adding a 4x100 relay victory earlier in the day with a time of 47.78 seconds. Martin also won the 400 (57.35) and placed third in the 200 (25.34). Gallegos won the 300 hurdles (44.58) and finished third in the 100-meter dash (11.97). Silvas, who is just a freshman, came up big with a second-place finish in the 300 hurdles (45.93) and third in the 100 hurdles (15.63).

 

“The amount of work this team put in throughout the season cannot be overstated,” McClure said. “One of the biggest things we emphasized all year was taking care of themselves physically and mentally so they could stay healthy during the most important part of the season. We worked hard at practice, but we also focused heavily on recovery and rest.”

 

McClure pointed out it took a team effort from superstars like Gallegos, Martin and Lena Llamas to athletes who made great strides this season.” Athletes like Alicia Silvas, McKenna Hill, and Chisa Wood made tremendous improvements in a single year, and that growth played a major role in winning the championship,” McClure said. “I honestly do not think there is some secret formula to coaching track and field. What I believe our staff does exceptionally well is making track fun. This is one of the funniest and most connected coaching staffs I have ever been around, and our athletes genuinely enjoy being around each other and the coaches. We try to create an environment where athletes feel comfortable, confident, and supported while still being pushed to give their best effort. It feels much more like a partnership than a one-way coach-athlete relationship. Our athletes are never afraid to communicate with us about how they are feeling, and we make sure their voices matter in the process.”

 

Other MUHSD athletes also stood out at the meet. This was the first year the Sac-Joaquin Section held all five division finals at one location in the same meet. Buhach Colony senior Carter Chapman was  a double-winner with victories in the high jump (6-1) and the long jump (22-5.25). El Capitan High senior A.J. Jones finished third in both those events with a leap of 5-10 in the high jump and 21-11 in the long jump. Golden Valley’s Quincy Brown finished sixth in the triple jump with a mark of 44-10. Livingston High’s Roberto Rivera placed second in the Division IV triple jump (42-11.5) and long jump (20-5.75).

 

Golden Valley senior Zoe Gonzales won the 100 hurdles with a time 15.41. It was an all MUHSD 1-2-3 finish in the 100 hurdles with El Capitan’s Rayonn Maxie finishing second (15.58) and BC’s Silvas third (15.63). El Capitan’s Jordynn Middleton finished second in the triple jump (36-10) and third in the high jump (5-0). Gauchos teammate Lia Garcia Del Castillo placed third in the long jump with a mark of 17.75. Livingston’s Arlene Ybarra placed fourth in the Division IV 400 with a time of 1:01.23.

 

The Sac-Joaquin Section Masters meet will be held on Saturday at Folsom High with the top three finishers and those athletes who hit state qualifying marks in each event advancing to next week’s CIF State Championships at Buchanan High School. 

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.