For the first time since they’ve been involved with the program, Ryan Shorey and co-coach Rob Macias had to make cuts with the San Benito High track and field program.
From a practical and administrational standpoint, it probably made a ton of sense since a record 300—yes, 300—students signed up for the sport. As of last week, Macias and Shorey had gotten the number down to under 200 and it will gradually decrease as the season goes on, mostly due to attrition and athletes quitting for various reasons.
The Haybalers are always a formidable unit, but they did graduate a dozen of top-flight seniors from last year’s team. No matter: this team has plenty of talent in the cupboard. Andrew Speech and Nate Marquez headline the top returners on the boys team.
A senior sprinter, Speech had a pair of second-place finishes in the 100- and 200-meters at the season-opening North Salinas Time Trials on March 5. Speech ran 23.94 seconds in the 200 and 11.72 in the 100, edging teammate Malachi Zabala—another key returnee—by 1/100th of a second in the 100.
Speech has the Pacific Coast League’s fastest returning time in the 200, clocking a personal-record (PR) 23.50 last year. Speech will also run the 400 and is projected to do both relays, the 4×100 and 4×400.
“He looks excellent to start the year,” Shorey said. “The shapes, the movements, the positions, he’s hitting the marks and has come a long way, so we’re really excited to see how he does this year.”
Marquez took 12th in the Central Coast Section Finals in the triple jump last year and has a PR of 41 feet, ½ inch. Marquez also does the high jump and long jump, taking first in the latter event at North Salinas with a mark of 5 feet, 6 inches.
“Nate has been looking good and has been hitting the weights,” Shorey said. “He’s getting those boulder shoulders and the added strength and power is certainly going to help him.”
While this list is not exhaustive since it’s early in the season, Shorey said he’s expecting a lot out of Jayden Freidt, Isaiha Molina, Nathan Zamzow and Kody Mead.
“Molina is a baseball kid in the spring who came out to track this year and will probably be one of our top kids on both relays,” Shorey said. “We knew he was fast so we’re excited to have him. And Kody is a senior coming out for the first time ever and still has lots to learn, but he’s shown a lot of promise running the 4×400.”
Shorey said Zamzow is projected to hit the low 52 second mark in the 400. Freidt came out as a sophomore, but the season was canceled a week in due to Covid.
He couldn’t compete last year because basketball and track were in the same season in the condensed sports calendar, so Shorey has been eager for Freidt’s return.
Meanwhile, the San Benito girls team has plenty of returning talent, including Jocelyn Alexander, Lillian Thrasher, Gia Felice, Mia Villegas, Gabby Romero, and Isabela Arreola.
Alexander finished 10th in the CCS Finals in the shot put and 11th in the discus last year. She has lifetime bests of 33-7 ½ in the shot put and 105-8 in the discus. The junior standout learned from former Balers standout Julia Hicks and now will serve as a good example for other throwers coming through the program.
“Jocelyn is one of the top returners in the section for her events and now it’s her turn to take the reins and lead the next group of girls as Julia did in the past,” Shorey said.
Thrasher took 11th place in the high jump in last year’s CCS Finals with a mark of 5-0, but she already bettered that with a jump of 5-1 at North Salinas. She’s also strong in the long jump, relays and has taken up pole vaulting this season.
Felice had a breakthrough season as a junior, taking 16th in the CCS Trials in the 400. She’s looking to make the CCS Finals this time around and will be a key cog on one or both relay teams. In the 400 meter race at North Salinas, freshman Madison Minkel led a 1-2-3 San Benito sweep, finishing in 1:03.15.
Felice took second and Romero third. Minkel also was second in the long jump in 14-2, displaying her skill set and versatility.
“Maddie is trying out everything early in the year and is truly getting after it,” Shorey said. “She’s a great athlete and works hard and pushes herself, so it’s super exciting to have her and we can’t wait to see what she’s doing by the end of the season.”
Arreola was first in the 800 in a PR of 2:30.66, a whopping three second improvement from the week before in the school’s Red and White Meet. Arreola also won the 1600 in 5:40.99. Senior Mia Villegas can do several events and will be key on one of the relay teams.
Senior Taylor Manley is poised to have a breakout season and qualify for the CCS Finals in her best event, the triple jump. Freshman Emma Franks has shown plenty of potential in the long jump and sprints events. “Emma did an All-Comers Meet at the beginning of the year and did some absolutely great things,” Shorey said. “Being new to the sport and not entirely having a clue as to what she was doing per se—Emma had never participated in sports before and this is her first sport ever—it’s been great seeing her progress.”
Sports editor Emanuel Lee can be reached at el**@we*****.com
