The 2025 spring campaign was a particularly good one for Marin track & field athletes.

MCAL athletes piled up a total of 15 titles at the North Coast Section Redwood Empire meet with most of them qualifying for state the following week at the NCS Meet of Champions.

In all, Marin athletes claimed four section titles with two in the NCS — Tam’s Caeden Gardner and Redwood’s Julia Bayon — plus two more in the Central Coast Section — both claimed by San Rafael resident Ellie McCuskey-Hay who competes for St. Ignatius High.

The IJ honors them and many others with its selections for track & field athletes of the year.

Boys track

IJ/MCAL track athlete of the year, Tam’s Nate Wanger >> Wanger claimed MCAL individual gold in the 200 and 400 meters, plus team gold in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. At the NCS Redwood Empire Meet, he won the 400 and placed fifth in the 200. He took fifth in the 400 at the NCS Meet of Champions. Wanger, with teammates Dexter Burnett, Cooper Hatch and Caeden Gardner, won the 4×400 relay five times leading up to the NCS Meet of Champions, where they placed second to punch their ticket to state.

IJ/MCAL field athlete of the year, Redwood’s Antonio Bayon >> Bayon, a decathlete, is one of the most well-rounded track & field athletes to compete in Marin County. The Redwood senior qualified to compete at the CIF State Meet in four events, although he was injured during the 110 hurdle trials and could not continue to compete. Bayon was the MCAL champion in the 110 hurdles and high jump, second in the pole vault, and fourth in the discus.

Other standouts >> Redwood’s Marco Cleary was at his best at the NCS Redwood Empire Meet as he placed third in the 200 (21.98) and fourth in the 100 (10.72), both PRs. He advanced to the NCS Meet of Champions in both events.

Archie Williams High’s Will Mulliken was the MCAL’s leader of the pack in the 1,600, winning gold at Redwood Empire and taking second at NCS Meet of Champions with a PR of 4:12.20. Mulliken was 24th in the prelims at the CIF State Meet. He placed second in the 800 behind Gardner at the Redwood Empire Meet. Gardner went on to win the 800 at the NCS Meet of Champions.

Tam’s Will Freas focused on the pole vault this season, besting his previous record by more than 3 feet. Freas outdueled Bayon to win the MCAL title with a new record of 15 feet, 11 inches. Freas took second at both Redwood Empire and Meet of Champions to earn a trip to the State Meet, where he placed 14th in the prelims with a height of 15’6”.

San Domenico junior Omar Williams won the Bay Area Conference championship in the 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles and the high jump. He was second in the long jump. Williams set a PR of 40.44 to win the 300 hurdles at the NCS Class A Championships and advance to the NCS Meet of Champions, where he placed eighth. He also won the high jump at the Class A meet, and placed 20th at the Meet of Champions.

Girls track

IJ track athlete of the year, St. Ignatius’ Ellie McCuskey-Hay >> The San Rafael resident was the most decorated Marin athlete at State. She took seventh in the 100 (11.63), after setting a PR of 11.43 seconds the night before in trials. The St. Ignatius junior also placed eighth in the 200 (24.31) and fourth in the long jump (19’3”).

MCAL track athlete of the year, Redwood’s Julia Bayon >> The sophomore won MCAL and NCS gold in the 100 and 200 meters, as well as the 4×100 relay, advancing to the State Meet trials in all three events. Bayon set PRs of 100 (11.83) and 200 (24.42) at the NCS Redwood Empire Meet. She won the 200 at the NCS Meet of Champions and was third in the 100.

IJ field athlete of the year, Redwood’s Annalise Horn >> Horn still had some spring in her steps toward the end of the season, enough to get her to the State Meet in three events. Horn, the MCAL and Redwood Empire champion in the long jump, set a PR of 19 feet in a second-place effort two weeks later at the NCS Meet of Champions. She nearly equaled that number with a mark of 18’9.5” to take sixth place at State. Horn also won the MCAL and Redwood Empire championships in the triple jump and the 4×100 relay.

MCAL field athlete of the year, Tam’s Ayla Koch-Bergren >> Koch-Bergen of Tam High won the league championship in the shot put with a mark of 31 feet, 3 inches, and was second in both the discus and the high jump.

Other standouts >> Branson sophomores Farah Allen and Hailey Sellers enjoyed plenty of success in the postseason. Allen, the MCAL champion in the 1,600 and 3,200, was 15th in the trials for the 1,600 at State. Sellers won the 800 and was third in the 1,600 at the MCAL championship. She was 18th in qualifying in the 800 at State. Together with Maya Gidney and Imogen Brown they won the 4×800 relay at the NCS Class A championship and took second at the NCS Meet of Champions.

Archie Williams High junior Ani Stieg kept pushing herself and the competition. She was second to Allen in the 1,600 and the 3,200 at the MCAL Championships, and was a top-three finisher in both events at Redwood Empire and Meet of Champions. She was 13th in trials for the 1,600 at state.