This blog will be an attempt to name the James Lick all Decade Team. The main criteria for this list will simply be the best marks achieved in this decade, under the hypothetical of a championship meet where the team can only enter 3 athletes in each event. The main complication to this simple procedure is in the case of athletes who excelled in a variety of events when athletes are limited to a 4 event maximum.
I will explain my logic in who I’d pick and why, and I will include 2 alternates in each event in the case of extenuating circumstances, these athletes would step in.
For the sake of context, I’ll go through each event and explain how well the Comets would do in each event by using the 2019 BVAL Finals meet for comparison, where the best athletes from all 3 divisions compete together.
4×100:
4×100 |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
2019: 45.06 |
2018: 53.85 |
2. |
2018: 45.50 |
2016: 54.14 |
3. |
2017: 46.88 |
2015: 55.04 |
As you can see, the best 4×100 teams of the decade for the Comets were the 2019 boys squad and the 2018 girls squad. The 2019 boys team had the following competitors along with their best 100m times.
1. Raven Alcantara: 11.47 2. Salvador Lopez: 11.84 3. Geovanny Campos 11.87 Rodolf Ocampo: 12.06. They are the #2, #4, #5 and #7 Comet sprinters of the decade. For the purpose of the all decade team, I’d substitute Sal and Rodolf Out as both boys excel in other events, and substitute in Davion Thomas (11.42) and Ace Medina (11.68). Assuming similar handoffs, this team would run approximately 44.2. which would have been good for 4th at BVAL finals last year.
The 2018 girls squad consisted of: 1. Natalie Rem: (13.49), 2. Lisbeth Galdamez (13.90) 3. Yeimili Adame (14.44) and Justine Austria (14.54). Despite the 53.85 time of the team being tops in the decade, On paper this team could be improved alot. Natalie and Lis are the top 2 Comet sprinters of the decade, but the addition of Maria Mendoza (13.94) and Andrea Ortiz (14.04) would likely bring this team down to a high 52, maybe 52.9. This would only be 9th at BVAL finals last year, as girls sprints have been a weak spot this decade.
4×100 all decade teams:
- Raven Alcantara: 11.47 1. Maria Mendoza: 13.94
- Ace Medina 11.68 2. Andra Ortiz: 14.04
- Goevanny Campos 11.87 3. Lisbeth Galdamez 13.90
- Davion Thomas: 11.42 4. Natalie Rem: 13.49
(Alternates): Jose Limon 11.97 Karen Montes (14.19)
1600 All Decade Team
1600 |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Azael Zamora: 4:33.64
Class of 2018 |
Daniela Camacho: 5:27.54
Class of 2015 |
2. |
Erik Olsvold: 4:37.19
Class of 2019 |
Arlet Miranda: 5:31.27
Class of 2019 |
3. |
Karan Singh: 4:39.91
Class of 2015 |
Belen Sanchez: 6:01.67
Class of 2019 |
This team is pretty straight forward. Azael, Erik and Karan are the 3 fastest milers of the decade, and all have great experience in running it. On the girls side, Belen is actually the 5th fastest lady Comet of the decade in the 1600. That being said, there is a big gap from Daniela and Arlet down to #3 (Maria Mendoza at 5:52). Even more so to Paloma Contreras (6:01.00). Both Maria and Paloma are more useful to the team in other events however, yielding the 3rd spot on the all-decade team to Belen.
Both dual meet squads will be dominant in the ‘C’ division, Strong in the ‘B’ division and decent in the ‘A’ division.
Boys Alternates: Ricardo Flores: 4:42.18 Nathan Bernardo: 4:47.52
Girls Alternates: Ashley Preciado: 6:09.84 Daisy Nava: 6:11.20
100/ 110 Hurdles All Decade Team
110/110H |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Rodolf Ocampo: 15.97
Class of 2020 |
Valeria Cortez: 16.75
Class of 2019 |
2. |
Cody Huoch: 16.59
Class of 2018 |
Andrea Ortiz: 17.10
Class of 2016 |
3. |
Hadji Yono-Cruz: 17.83
Class of 2018 |
Kirsten Yutuc: 18.22
Class of 2020 |
This list is again quite straight forward, these are the top 3 hurdlers of the decade for the Comets. This would be quite a formidable team as all 6 of these hurdlers made BVALS in this event at least once in their careers and Rodolf and Valeria both made CCS. Valeria was a 2 time ‘B’ division champ in this event, and this squad would score points in a dual against every BVAL team.
Boys Alternates: Josh Merin: 18.07 Mark Orpia: 18.47
Girls Alternates: Yesenia Martinez: 18.43 Susie Peterson: 18.85
400m All Decade Team
400 |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Misael Herrera: 54.51
Class of 2019 |
Paloma Contreras: 1:02.54
Class of 2015 |
2. |
Gustavo Aguilera: 54.70
Class of 2017 |
Yeimili Adame: 1:05.65
Class of 2020 |
3. |
Salvador Lopez: 54.97
Class of 2020 |
Cierra Gutierrez: 1:07.59
Class of 2018 |
3 Comets managed to break 55 for the 400 this season, so unsurprisingly they make the cut here. Gustavo Aguilera won a ‘C’ divsion 400m title as did Paloma Contreras, the #4 girl in school history the event and also a CCS qualifier. Yeimili is a clear #2 before a list of 5 comets between 1:06 and 1:07. From Andrea Ortiz, Maria Mendoza and Arlet Miranda, the team has 3 girls at 1:06 who are better at other events. This continues with Daniela Camacho at 1:07.54. This leads us to a freshmen who had a lot of ability who did not stick with the sort in Cierra Gutierrez. Cierra was not the most reliable runner, but her talent make her a high risk high reward option in the 3rd slot.
The boys 400 squad would only be moderately strong in the ‘B’ division. The 1-2 punch of Paloma and Yeimili would be solid even in the ‘A’ division (mainly because of Paloma) though this is not one of the team’s stronger events this decade.
Boys Alterantes: Jose Limon (55.28) Cesar Azevedo (55.28)
Girls Alternates: Gabriela Aguilar: 1:09.39 Justine Austria: 1:10.11
100m All Decade Team
100m |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Raven Alcantara: 11.47
Class of 2020 |
Natalie Rem: 13.49
Class of 2021 |
2. |
Davion Thomas: 11.43
Class of 2016 |
Lisbeth Galdamez: 13.90
Class of 2020 |
3. |
Ace Medina: 11.68
Class of 2018 |
Maria Mendoza: 13.94
Class of 2017 |
The boys list is very clear here as only 3 boys in this decade ran under 11.8, let alone 11.7. Raven and Davion as a 1-2 punch would do well in even the ‘A’ division as both are near CCS caliber runners. Ace would be a strong 3rd. On the girls side, this is one of our weaker events. Natalie is the only lady Comet in the entire decade to score points at division finals for the team, but the 3 girls on this list are the only sub 14 second girls of the decade.
Boys Alternates: Geo Campos: 11.87 Jose Limon: 11.97
Girls Alternates: Karen Montes: 14.19 Marquise Nelson: 14.19
800m All Decade team
800 |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Erik Olsvold: 2:05.90
Class of 2019 |
Daniela Camacho: 2:27.64
Class of 2015 |
2. |
Jerricho Habon: 2:06.52
Class of 2020 |
Arlet Miranda: 2:28.08
Class of 2019 |
3. |
Nathan Bernardo: 2:07.85
Class of 2017 |
Daisy Nava: 2:41.58
Class of 2017 |
The 800 is the strongest running event of the decade for the girls, the only running event with two different CCS qualifiers. Those two would do well in any division. The 3rd spot in terms of time would be Paloma at 2:37, but it’s difficult to come back after the 400 wit a fast 800 so I would sub her out for Daisy Nava at 2:41.58. Maria went a tick faster at 2:40, but could do more in the 300 hurdles which would be the event next up, which makes Daisy the best option in the 3rd spot. That trio could sweep half of the teams in the BVAL.
On the boys side, the top 2 are clear, though this has been the weakest distance event for the boys this decade. The team has produced 5 BVAL qualifiers but no one close to CCS level. Azael and Karan are the 3rd and 4th fastest boys of the decade, but both are better at the 3200. It makes more sense to go with Nathan as a result, considering he was only marginally slower than Azy and Karan. This boys squad would not be competitive in the ‘A’ division but would do well against many BVAL teams.
Boys Alternates: Ricardo Flores: 2:08.xx Hector Ramirez: 2:12.57
Girls Alternates: Ana Tapia: 2:46.00 Brianna Flores: 2:46.56
300 Hurdles All Decade Team
300h |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Cody Huoch: 42.62
Class of 2018 |
Andrea Ortiz: 50.19
Class of 2016 |
2. |
Gustavo Aguilera: 44.67
Class of 2017 |
Maria Mendoza: 51.28
Class of 2017 |
3. |
Rodolf Ocampo: 45.46
Class of 2020 |
Kirsten Yutuc: 51.80
Class of 2020 |
The girls list is very straightforward, the top of the decade. Andrea was a CCS qualafier in the event and near ‘C’ division champ. Even in the ‘A’ division this squad would do fairly well. In the ‘B’ division the trio would be dominant.
On the boys side, Cody was a CCS qualifier in the event, Gustavo and Rodolf both BVAL level qualifiers. Sal was a bit faster than Rodolf in the 3rd spot but his versatility makes him more useful in other events.
Boys Alternates: Mark Orpia: 45.50 Jonathan Rodriguez: 46.87
Girls Alternates: Valeria Cortez: 52.12 Yesenia Martinez: 54.72
200m All Decade Team
200m |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Davion Thomas 23.19
Class of 2016 |
Paloma Contreras: 28.81
Class of 2015 |
2. |
Raven Alcantara: 23.97
Class of 2020 |
Mya Hammond: 29.89
Class of 2021 |
3. |
Ace Medina: 24.17
Class of 2018 |
Justine Austria: 29.91
Class of 2020 |
The boys list would stay within the top 3. Davion made CCS in the 200 making him formidable in even the ‘A’ division and that trio would do very well in the ‘B’ division as well. The girls 200 is arguably the team’s weakest event of the decade on the girls side. The team’s top 3 is Maria, Paloma and Andrea, and both Maria and Andrea were better at the 300 hurdles which is right before the 200, basically eliminating both from the squad.
Knowing that this event isn’t one of the team’s best, I’d skip the 300 hurdlers to let them focus on their main events, which brings us to Mya and Justine as the 2-3. This team would scrape some ‘B’ division points but not do too much more than that.
Boys Alternates: Jose Limon: 24.22 Misael Herrera: 24.56
Girls Alternates: Karen Montes 30.09 Yeimili Adame: 30.10
3200 All Decade Team
3200 |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Azael Zamora: 9:55.14
Class of 2018 |
Daniela Camacho:12:18.13
Class of 2015 |
2. |
Erik Olsvold: 10:20.72
Class of 2019 |
Arlet Miranda: 12:28.59
Class of 2019 |
3. |
Karan Singh: 10:23.00
Class of 2015 |
Belen Sanchez: 13:15.40
Class of 2019 |
I wouldn’t change this list from the natural top 3. Both squads would be successful ‘A’ division squads, and very strong ‘B’ division squads. I’d skip Nathan as an alternate to let him focus on other events.
Boys Alternates: Hector Ramirez: 10:42.15 Inteus Castro-Lopez: 10:51.01
Girls Alternates: Elizabeth Guevara: 13:23.07 Ashley Preciado: 13:41.31
4×400 All Decade Team
4×400 |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
2019: 3:36.78 |
2015: 4:31.12 |
2. |
2018: 3:39.83 |
2016: 4:33.15 |
3. |
2015: 3:40.13 |
2018: 4:34.35 |
The 2019 4×400 team was tops in the decade with the #1, #3, #4 and #7 boys of the decades. Misael at #1, Sal at #3 and Jerricho at #4 can all stay. We would sub out Erik (55.4) for Gustavo at 54.7 to get a little faster. 3:36 is a CCS level time.
On the girls, the squad of 2015 had Paloma at #1, Daniela at #6 and then Daisy and Gabby (#11 and #8 of the decade). The addition of Maria Mendoza at 1:06 along with Andrea at 1:06 could help this team run as fast as 4:22 which would be a school record and borderline CCS level time. Subbing out Daniela for Yeimili would make it a borderline 4:20 team.
-
- Misael Herrera (54.51) 1. Paloma Contreras (1:02.54)
- Gustavo Aguilera (54.70) 2. Yeimili Adame (1:05.65)
- Salvador Lopez (54.97) 3. Andrea Ortiz (1:06.35)
- Jerricho Habon (55.28) 4. Maria Mendoza (1:06.50)
Boys Alternates: Jose Limon: 55.28, Cesar Azevedo: 55.36
Girls Alternates: Arlet Miranda: 1:06.80 Daniela Camacho: 1:07.54
Shot Put All Decade Team
Shot Put |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Robert Rios: 43-2
Class of 2015 |
Alejandra Ceron: 35-8.50
Class of 2018 |
2. |
Josh Garcia: 42-9
Class of 2018 |
Marquise Nelson: 33-8
Class of 2019 |
3. |
Kevin Baltazar 39-5
Class of 2014 |
Valeria Cortez: 33-7
Class of 2019 |
Both Shot Put Squads would do very well throughout the BVAL and even in the ‘A’ division. Of the 6 Comets on this team, 5 made CCS in the event Alejandra is the school record holder in the event and even finished top 8 at the CCS top 8 meet in 2017. Robert Rios was a 2 time ‘C’ division champ and Alejandra even won a ‘B’ division title in the event.
Boys Alternates: Daniel Medina: 38-6.5 Alejandro Alonzo: 36-3
Girls Alternates: Charli Chircop: 32-10 Leysmi Saldana: 24-7
Discus All Decade Team
Discus |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Alex Alonzo: 111-8
Class of 2017 |
Charlie Chircop: 118-2
Class of 2018 |
2. |
Daniel Medina: 108-6
Class of 2018 |
Valeria Cortez: 116-10
Class of 2019 |
3. |
Josh Garcia: 107-6
Class of 2018 |
Alejandra Ceron: 106-8
Class of 2018 |
Girls discus was the EVENT of the decade for the Comets. A streak of 5 straight individual division champs in the event to end the decade, with 6 total CCS qualifications and two different school record holders, the team would dominate most leagues in the event. The boys squad would be competitive in the ‘B’ division as well.
Boys Alternates: Pablo Segovia: 105-5 Brando Meclhor: 105-3
Girls Alternates: Marquise Nelson: 94-5 Mariah Santos: 86-3
Long Jump All Decade Team
Long Jump |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Salvador Lopez: 20-2
Class of 2020 |
Lyndel Ventura: 16-7
Class of 2018 |
2. |
Davion Thomas: 19-10
Class of 2016 |
Natalie Rem: 15-1
Class of 2021 |
3. |
Geo Campos: 19-2
Class of 2020 |
Elyse Elder: 15-0
Class of 2018 |
This is another straight forward team. 3 Girls broke 15 feet in the decade. On the boys side 4 boys cracked 19 feet, and the top 3 are our jumpers. Both teams would be competitive in the ‘A’ division but do very well in the lower ones.
Boys Alternates: Nathan Bernardo: 19-1.5 Raven Alcantara: 18-7.5
Girls Alternates: Kirsten Yutuc: 14-9 Marquie Nelson: 14-9
Triple Jump All Decade Team
Triple Jump |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Cody Huoch: 40-3
Class of 2018 |
Natalie Rem: 33-4.25
Class of 2021 |
2. |
Nathan Bernardo: 39-5
Class of 2017 |
Lyndel Ventura: 31-0
Class of 2018 |
3. |
Hadji Yono-Cruz: 38-10.5
Class of 2017 |
Kirtsen Yutuc: 30-10
Class of 2020 |
Natalie’s triple jump puts her at a CCS level, and the girls trio in general would be a solid ‘A’ division group. The boys squad would struggle in ‘A’ but do very well in the ‘B’division.
Boys Alternates: Salvador Lopez: 38-2.5 , Jordan Lagura: 37-9.5
Girls Alternates: La-Ree Tea: 30-0 Yesenia Martinez: 28-8
High Jump |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Karan Singh: 5-8
Class of 2015 |
Elyse Elder: 4-8
Class of 2018 |
2. |
Ace Medina: 5-8
Class of 2018 |
Yesenia Martinez: 4-6
Class of 2020 |
3. |
Salvador Lopez: 5-8
class of 2020 |
Lisbeth Galdamez: 4-4
Class of 2020 |
Elyse is the clear top jumper of the decade at 4-8 and was a near CCS level high jumper. Paloma and Lis both went 4-4 but Paloma already has a heavy load on this list so Lis at 3rd spot makes more sense. That team is a solid ‘B’ division level team. On the boys side, 3 different Comets went 5-8 this decade, making the squad a solid ‘A’ level team and a strong ‘B’ division squad.
Boys Alternates: Jonathan Rodriguez: 5-6 Erik Olsvold: 5-5
Girls Alternates: Marquise Nelson: 4-4 Brecia Dagio: 4-3
Pole Vault All Decade Team
Pole Vault |
|
|
Place |
Boy |
Girl |
1. |
Mark Orpia: 10-8 |
Yesenia Martinez: 6-0 |
2. |
Rodolf Ocampo: 10-2 |
|
3. |
Adrian DeLaRosa: 8-6 |
|
We only just brought back pole vault in 2018 and the boys squad is quickly coming up with Mark in particular nearing a CCS caliber level. Since many teams do not even have vaulters, we would do quite well in this event overall.
Decade Summation:
This will hopefully go down as a historic decade of turnaround. The decade began with 4 straight winless seasons. 0-14 Records from 2010-2013 got team off to a 0-56 start to the decade.
In 2014 we got a win on each side for a combined record of 2-12, and then 2015 was our big jump, going 10-4 with a 6-1 record on the girls side.
We won two league championships in girls track, the first 2 in school history in 2016 and 2017 before moving into the ‘B’ division. Even in the ‘B’ division we’ve fought hard going 6-8 and then 7-7 last year. From 0-48 in ‘C’ to 13-15 in ‘B’ to end the decade is quite a significant turnaround, especially considering the back to back titles and 25-3 record of the 16-17 teams along the way.
I’d like to thank every member of the team who participated and helped make this turn around possible, as well as the fantastic coaches of James Lick over the past decade. From the birth of a throws dynasty under coach Jon Vela, to the revival of Pole Vault under coach Raul Lopez, this has been a decade of great growth for James Lick Track, and the members of the 2020 squad will look to keep the momentum going in the next decade.
Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!