Track standouts show out at Viking Classic

PREPS OF THE WEEK

Nate Wanger of Tam (right) crosses the finish line of the boys 4x400 meter race during the MCAL Track & Field Championship at San Rafael High in San Rafael in May of 2024. DOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN — SPECIAL TO THE MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL

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By Ian Ross

iross@marinij.com

The Tam High boys track team enjoyed a huge day at the Viking Track Classic at Montgomery High in Santa Rosa on Saturday, winning the event in landslide fashion.

Five different Red-tailed Hawks won individual events, led by Nate Wanger who won the 200 meters, the 400, and participated on a winning relay.

Redwood’s Julia Bayon also had a strong performance at the event, winning both of the sprints. Elsewhere, San Rafael resident Ellie McCuskey-Hay was named the top girls athlete at the Central Coast Section Top 8 meet.

In softball, San Marin and Archie Williams both went undefeated to move into a three-way tie for first place with Redwood. San Rafael got big games from its top three hitters in a crucial victory against Marin Catholic.

Redwood, MC, and Novato benefitted from some hot hitting in baseball this past week. MC’s boys golf team won five head-to-head matches to finish with 15 wins in the campaign. The MC boys lacrosse team capped an unbeaten league season with a pair of victories.

Nate Wanger, Caeden Gardner, Finn Harrington, Kiernan Connolly, and William Freas, Tam boys track >> Wanger set a pair of personal records en route to winning two individual events and three total at the Viking Track Classic. Wanger finished the 200 in 22.19 seconds for one win and ran the 400 in 48.86 for another victory. Wanger is the defending MCAL champion in the 400. Wanger along with Burnett, Cooper Hatch, and Caeden Gardner were victorious in the 4×400 relay. Gardner also posted an individual PR in the 800, winning the race with a time of 1:54.91. The Red-tailed Hawks dominated the team competition with 113.5 points — well clear of second-place Cardinal Newman’s 66. Other highlights for Tam included Harrington winning the 3,200 in a PR of 9:30.01, Connolly winning the 110 hurdles in 16.14, and Freas winning the pole vault with a mark of 15-feet ,6.5-inches — more than 3 feet clear of the field.

Julia Bayon, Redwood girls track >> Bayon was victorious in both sprints at the Viking Track Classic on Saturday, claiming the 100 with a PR of 11.85 and the 200 with another PR of 25.05. Bayon finished in front of the defending MCAL champion in both events as San Marin’s Sicily Grasso placed second in the 100 (12.35) and third in the 200 (25.44).

Ellie McCuskey-Hay, St. Ignatius girls track >> The San Rafael resident was named the Girls Athlete of the Meet at the Central Coast Section top 8 Classic at Los Gatos High on Saturday. McCuskey-Hay won the 100 in 11.55 then took the 200 in a school-record time of 23.96. McCuskey-Hay also won the long jump with a distance of 18',6.5? and helped the St. Ignatius 4×100 relay team to a second-place finish in 48.39. The St. Ignatius girls tied for first place at the meet with 54 points.

Thomara Drummer, Sophia Everett, and Gabby Rodriguez, San Rafael softball >> The top three hitters in the Bulldogs’ order were all swinging hot bats last week as San Rafael picked up an impressive 3-0 win against Marin Catholic then battled co-league leader San Marin into extra innings before falling 4-2. Everett reached base three times against MC and was driven in twice by No. 3 hitter Rodriguez. That was more than enough support for Drummer, who tossed a complete-game one-hitter with 15 strikeouts to earn the win. Everett accounted for all of San Rafael’s scoring against San Marin with a pair of solo home runs. Drummer and Rodriguez had two hits apiece. Drummer also pitched all eight innings, allowing nine hits and three earned runs.

Lauren Fong, San Marin softball >> Fong had a monster game in a 7-5 victory over Novato on Monday, with a pair of triples among her three hits. Fong drove in four runs and scored two more. Fong reached base three more times in a 4-2 win against San Rafael with a hit, two walks, and a run scored.

Paige Murphy, Archie Williams softball >> Murphy was dominant inside the circle and at the plate as the Peregrine Falcons won a pair of games. Murphy held Tam to four hits and one earned run while striking out 12 in seven innings. Murphy also had three hits and scored a run. Murphy was even better against Novato, holding the Hornets to one hit in six shutout innings. She also had a pair of hits, including a home run, and drove in four runs. Her three-run homer broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning.

Kaelin Christman, Redwood baseball >> Christman piled up six hits over two games as Redwood rolled past Terra Linda 18-0 and 14-0 last week. Christman had two hits, two RBIs, and scored twice in the first game, then added four more hits, two RBIs, and a run in the second meeting.

Luke Martin, Marin Catholic baseball >> Martin came up to the plate seven times against San Rafael on Tuesday and, more often than not, he made the Bulldogs pay for pitching to him. Martin, MC’s leadoff hitter, piled up four hits — including a home run — drove in four runs, and scored five times in a 23-1 victory. Martin added another hit and another RBI as MC swept the series with a 3-1 win on Thursday.

Gio Castaing, Novato baseball >> Castaing, who hits leadoff for the Hornets, also had a four-hit day on Tuesday. Castaing finished a home run shy of the cycle, driving in two runs and scoring three times in a 13-5 victory against Tam.

Theo Anderson, Marin Catholic boys golf >> Anderson took medalist honors on Monday and Tuesday as MC picked up five victories to finish the regular season with a 15-1 record. Anderson shot a 32 at Meadow Club to lead MC to a huge win against Tam and a win against Archie Williams. Anderson shot a 34 the following day at Meadow Club as MC defeated Branson, Novato, and Archie Williams. Anderson and MC head into next week’s MCAL Championships with some momentum. The event was moved to May 1 at StoneTree with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.

Chase Ruegg and Tate Sedlachek, Marin Catholic boys lacrosse >> Ruegg and Sedlachek combined to score nine goals on Wednesday to help Marin Catholic cap an unbeaten MCAL campaign with a 17-5 win against Redwood. Ruegg led the way with five goals and Sedlachek scored four times against MC’s long-time rival. The Wildcats took down San Marin 20-0 the following day to complete their run through the MCAL with an 8-0 record.

Tyler Smith, Novato boys lacrosse >> Smith scored three goals in every game last week as the Hornets went 3-0 with wins over San Rafael, University, and Sonoma Academy. Smith had three goals and five assists in a 17-3 win against San Rafael, three goals in a 9-7 win against University, and had had three goals and three assists in a 12-5 win against Sonoma Academy.