Pica picks up league, meet record

Prep track and field: Vikes boys and girls sweep 4x100 relays

The 400-meter dash is Sam Pica’s favorite event.

After the Foothill League track and field finals on Thursday at College of the Canyons, it’s easy to see why.

Pica, a Valencia High senior, finished the 400 in 48.08 seconds, setting both a new league and meet record.

Nick Jones, a Valencia graduate who held the previous meet record of 48.65, was Pica’s training partner freshman year and was in attendance for the race.

“He was like, ‘Well, I’m going to be sad but happy at the same time (if you break the record),’” Pica said. “So I was like, ‘I’ll do it for you.’”

Pica also set a new personal and school record in the long jump, jumping 22 feet, 11 inches. He was the anchor of the Vikings’ first-place 4x400

relay team and was a part of the first-place 4x100 relay team.

Valencia swept in the 4x100 relay, with both girls and boys teams at all levels coming in first place.

“Our coach has been telling us, we’ve got to sweep league finals,” said Pica. “We did it. We did it for him.”

West Ranch’s Mya Davis was first in the 300-meter hurdles and second in the 110-meter hurdles.

In boys field events, Golden Valley’s Gabriel Coronado came in first in the discus, throwing 167-10, and first in shot put with a toss of 52-09.

Saugus High’s Mariah Castillo was first in the girls 3200-meter run and the 1600.

Golden Valley’s Shyann Franklin was first in the girls shot put for the second year in a row with a throw of 4205.50 and third in discus with a 113-06.50.

West Ranch’s Natalie Ramirez was first in discus at 137-03.

The top athlete from each event will compete in the CIF-SS preliminaries on May 13. Second and third finishers must meet minimum standards for entry.

Katharine Lotze/The Signal Valencia’s Sam Pica rounds the second turn of the boys varsity 400 meter dash at the Foothill League track and field finals at College of the Canyons on Thursday. Pica won the event and set a meet record.

Katharine Lotze/The Signal (See additional photos at signalscv.com) (Top) Saugus’ Mariah Castillo comes down the home stretch in the 1600 meter run at the Foothill League track and field finals at College of the Canyons on Thursday. (Bottom) Saugus’ Abbey Bryant, left, and Canyon’s Seanna Nalbandyan, right, clear the...