Impressive starts for track and field athletes
The track and field season leaped into action over the weekend at the Stanford Invitational.
St. Mary’s-Berkeley sophomore Malcolm Clemons recorded the nation’s secondbest long jump of the young season with a leap of 24 feet, 5½ inches to outduel R.J. Stevenson of Great Oak-Temecula (23-10¼) and St. Ignatius senior Alex Enos (23-8¼).
At the Kiwanis Bellarmine Invitational on March 10, Enos set a school record with a winning mark of 24-2½, which ranks sixth nationally and second in the state.
Enos had another fine performance at Stanford, but was outdone by Clemons.
Clayton Valley-Concord senior Aidan Jackman posted the nation’s top 400-meter hurdles time, winning in 52.85 seconds. The second-best mark in the country is 54.78.
Marin Catholic-Kentfield senior Max Glasser broke the Marin County Athletic League record by winning the 400 meters in 47.31, the ninth-best mark in the country.
Santa Rosa senior Kirsten Carter won the girls 400 hurdles in 1:02.18, the nation’s fourth-best time.
In a fast early-season 1,600, Redwood-Larkspur senior Gillian Wagner recorded the nation’s fifth-best time (4:50.09), but it was good enough for only fourth in the race. All-Star games: The 11th annual City All-Star boys (8 p.m.) and girls (6 p.m.) basketball games — pitting the top seniors from San Francisco high schools — are scheduled Thursday at CCSF.
The games, which honor the memory of former Bay Area boys coach Mike Gragnani, also feature three-point shooting and slamdunk contests.
Among the top female players are four girls from Northern California Division 1 champion Sacred Heart Cathedral: Errayanna Hatfield, Yaniah Fleming, Rainah Smith and Gianna Silvestri.
Academic Athletic Association Co-Players of the Year Yasmin Jimenez and Fiona Tam of league champion Lincoln, along with Olivia Pan, from NorCal D5 champion Lowell, are scheduled to play.
Among the top boys: University’s Spencer Spivy and Julian Manyika, Lick-Wilmerding’s Walter Lum, St. Ignatius’ Darrion Trammell, Brandon Beckman, Matt Redmond and Teddy Snyder, SHC’s Gary Hudson and Amin Ogelsby, Riordan’s James Chun and Travis Benham and Mission’s Anthony McBride, U’Jah Pratt and Robert Lee. Football award winners: All-Metro quarterback Robby Rowell (Acalanes-Lafayette), lineman Isaac Hodgins (Berean Christian-Walnut Creek) and running back William Irons (Sacred Heart Cathedral) were among 24 football players honored by the Northern California chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame last month in Burlingame.
The top scholar-athletes from 12 counties were selected based upon at least a 3.0 grade-point average and leadership qualities both at school and in the community.
Of the 24, 11 boasted GPAs of at least 3.70.
Others honored included: Pranav Amuthasenthl (Dublin), Peter Brown (Marin Catholic-Kentfield), Wiley Geiger (Redwood-Larkspur), Nicholas Goldthorpe (Rancho Cotate-Rohnert Park), John Hanley (St. Ignatius), Jacob Jeffries (San Mateo), Sami Katwan (Mountain View), Isaiah McGlown (Mt. Eden-Hayward), Tanner Mendoza (Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa), Dante Pacini (Aragon-San Mateo) and Jordan Seiden (Moreau Catholic-Hayward).