From scooping snow off of its track the first day of practice this season, the Juan Diego Catholic High School track team emerged as the third-best team in the 3A ranks May 19-20 at Brigham Young University, improving dramatically over a 14th-place showing a year ago. The girls squad placed second and the boys came in seventh.

“We were just so fortunate as coaches to have gotten to work with an incredibly talented and competitive team who always knew how to find big performances in big moments, and then also how to rally after tough performances,” said JDCHS head coach Joe Elliott. “I'm just thrilled that we brought home a big trophy that we can put their names on and have in the great hall of our school, because that's what these kids deserve. It was a long but incredibly fun journey this season, and the destination was fantastic.”

Top-three finishers for Juan Diego were freshman Addison Pettit (second, 400 meters; second,  800 meters), senior Emmalyn Jacobs (second, javelin), senior Dalan Kennedy (second, shot put), the girls medley relay of senior Cate Stevens, senior Nyrvanah Crockett, junior Isabella Pickers and Pettit (second), junior Ethan Stevens (third, 3200 meters), senior Etu Kaumatule (third, discus), senior Crockett (third, long jump) and the girls 4x400 meter relay of Pickers, Stevens and freshmen Hayden and Addison Pettit (third).

Also placing at state were Kaumatule (fourth, shot put), Cate Stevens (fourth, javelin), Ethan Stevens (fourth, 1600 meters; fifth, 800 meters), Pickers (fifth, 400 meters), Jacobs (fifth, discus), Kennedy (fifth, discus), senior Kione Mataele (sixth, discus), the boys medley relay of junior Andrew Garzella, freshman Braylen Fail, junior Connor Orges and junior Curran Madden (seventh), Hayden Pettit (eighth, 400 meters), junior Maui Richmond (eighth, long jump) and senior Chloe Reilly (eighth, 3200 meters).

“It was just an excellent track season,” Elliott said. “We had stellar contributions from a ton of seniors, not only in their last meet, but throughout this season and across multiple seasons, and they truly transformed our team during that time. We're in their debt.”

Also on the JDCHS track team this season were seniors Anthony Bolda, Julia Cunningham, Lily Edwards, Abigail Lockingen, Noah Jones, Nicole Merhi, Simone Nicolodemos, Brayden Ortega, Alea Pindat-Kahele, Jonah Taylor, Thaia Tsandes and Lauryn Zlotucha; juniors Phuonganh Bui, Erin Chan, Elizabeth Cruz, Ayden Davis, John Deffner, Hobie Hodlmair, Matthew Howard, Thomas Jones, Lisa Lin, Adriana Newton, Tanner Nicholson, Jason Parker, Maude Poirer, Gabriel Woods and Olivia Young; sophomores Zach Abbott, Rowan Barker, Tristan Barker, Penelope Faumina, Seabass Galindo-Ramirez, Kenzie Hansen, Lauren Keegan, Ryder Kilfoil, Owen Kotter, Aidric Liljestrand, Mango Madden, Domi Marine, Natalia Martinez, Mia McCaskill, Allie McLennan, Carmen Montoya, Ariella Nelson, Val Noetzold, Jeremiah Onwo, Darion Otto, Julian Perez, Abby Quigley, Jackson Stolz, Matthew Tita, Denver Whaley, Jake Wyatt and Theo Yatta; and freshmen Olivia Adetula, Remington Gray, Jeff Hodlmair, Ila Jacobs, Aidan Janiga, Aven Kuath, Maile Mataele, Juan Pablo Miramontes, Desire Ojo, Ella Sebit, Maddie Sloan and Marlo Trewitt.

Elliott was assisted this season on the coaching staff by Paige Gossard, Kristi Deffner, Kenyon Johnson, Chase Kallas, Tomas Kuhrke, John Morby and Cris Schraegle. λ