Oakdale’s track and field teams dominated the County Clash track and field meet, hosted by the Mustangs on Friday, April 1.
In the Corral, both the Mustang girls and boys track and field teams reigned supreme against the best track and field teams in both Merced and Stanislaus counties. Sixteen other teams descended upon the Corral and, in the end, the girls’ team swamped their competition scoring 146 points on the day. Second place team, the Atwater Falcons, earned 56 points. The Mustang boys found themselves in a slightly tighter situation, but still emerged as the top team scoring 127 points compared to second place Pitman’s 117 points. In major meets such as the County Clash, the top six finishers in a given event earn team points.
On the girls’ side, two Mustang athletes emerged as the class of the meet. Junior Kylie Nunes won four different events: the triple jump (34' 8"), the 100 meter high hurdles (15.91), the 200 meter dash (25.69), and she anchored the winning 4 by 100 meter relay team (50.50). Senior Haleigh Humble earned two first place awards, winning the 1600 meter run in an Oakdale High School record time of 5:05.44 and then anchoring the 4 by 400 meter relay team, which also earned first place with a time of 4 minutes, 17.04 seconds.
On the boys’ side, senior Jacob Guignard earned two second place awards in the shot put (41' 4") and the discus (133' 4"). San Jose State-bound senior sprinter and long jumper, Kevin Camelin was deemed the fastest human in the meet by winning the 100 meter dash with a time of 11.24 seconds. Camelin complemented that win with a third place finish in the 200 meter dash (23.09), a fourth place finish in the long jump (19' 2.75"), and by anchoring the Mustangs’ second place finish in the exciting 4 by 100 meter relay (44.10). Junior Jace Rau also earned three awards with a third place finish in the 100 meter dash (11.40), a third place finish in the triple jump (38' 2½"), and was a member of the second place 4 by 100 meter relay team. Sophomore hurdles sensation Cameron Guthrie won the 300 meter low hurdles event with a time of 42.36 seconds and earned second place in the 110 meter high hurdles (16.21). Prolific junior distance runners Caleb Cavanaugh and Dax Daley each earned valuable points for the Mustangs. Daley earned second place awards in both the 1600 meter run (4:32.07) and the 3200 meter run (9:43.15), while Cavanaugh earned a second place award in the 800 meter run (2:02.15) and finished fourth in the 1600 meter run (4:38.93). Senior Kobe Nunes recorded a first place finish in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 10 inches, while sophomore distance runners Mason and Jackson Oliveira finished fourth and fifth respectively in the 3200 meter run. Aidan Vargas finished fourth in the pole vault (9' 6"), Tyler Cooley earned fourth place in the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, six inches, and Steven Burch earned sixth place in the discus (98' 4").
Also earning first place awards in the girls' meet were senior Savannah Borba in the high jump (4' 6"), freshman sensation Memphis Carr in the shot put (35' 8"), and Brookelyn Baba in the 300 meter hurdles (48.61). Baba complemented her victory in the 300 meter hurdles with a fourth place finish in the high jump (4', 6"), while Carr complemented her victory in the shot put with a sixth place finish in the discus (88 feet even). Borba also finished sixth in the triple jump (31' 1½").
Junior Kassidy Fmura enjoyed an amazing meet, winning the grueling 3200 meter run with a time of 12:08.31 and finishing a strong second to teammate Haleigh Humble in the 1600 meter run (5:33.47). Fmura also was a member of the champion Mustang 4 by 400 meter relay team. Senior Hannah Beth Norman also earned a championship patch for the 4 by 400 relay and garnered a third place award for the 400 meter dash (63.51). Sophomore Kylee O’Neal factored in 13 team points for the Mustangs by being a member of the 4 by 100 meter relay team, finishing fifth in the 200 meter dash (28.48) and sixth in the 100 meter dash (13.51). Emma Weber finished third in the 100 meter hurdles (17.72), Hayden Morton finished third in the discus (102' 3"), Audry Scott finished fifth in the 3200 meter run (13:12.75), Lindsey McPhee earned fifth place in the triple jump (32' 9.75") and fourth in the long jump (15' 1"), Gabriel Carranza finished fifth in the 100 meter dash (13.44), and Ava Calandro earned a fifth place finish in the 800 meter run (2:43.85).
On Thursday, April 7, the Mustangs will host the East Union Lancers in a dual meet in the Corral with the first events beginning at 3:30 pm.
Contributing to this article were Mr. Dave Schlick of Tulare, California and Mr. Lynn Mentzer of Sparks, Nevada.
