At Top 8 Classic, Wolfsmith wins 3,200 with fastest time in
section this year
LOS GATOS — Six laps in to his 3,200-meter race, Sobrato’s Lance Wolfsmith took an oh-so-quick glance over his right shoulder. Although few have been able to keep pace with the hungry harrier all season, Wolfsmith was in need of a little reassurance.
“I heard someone say that he was kicking up back onto my heels,” Wolfsmith said at the exclusive Top 8 Track and Field Classic in Los Gatos Friday night, a meet that acts as a preview to the year-end CIF-Central Coast Section Championships.
“I was like, ‘No way,” Wolfsmith added.
“I just wanted to take a quick look back to see if it was true. Usually I don’t look back, but I got caught up in it. But he wasn’t there, so it was a relief.”
Even though there wasn’t much of a view over Wolfsmith’s right shoulder, the senior Bulldog did increase his pace in the final two laps — even delivering upon a negative split in the last mile — almost as if he was being chased.
With Willow Glen’s Nohe Lema finishing approximately five seconds behind, though, Wolfsmith cruised to a 9:15.46 at Top 8, nonetheless, and supplanted Palo Alto’s Phillip MacQuitty (9:16.59) with the top 3,200 time in the Central Coast Section this season.
Wolfsmith, whose personal record in the race is a 9:11.86 set last year, completely shattered the 9:29.36 he ran at Arcadia earlier this season.
“It was just the way I wanted it to go,” said Wolfsmith, who had enjoyed Sobrato’s Senior Beach Day Friday and was unsure as to how he’d feel come race time. “I wasn’t planning on a big PR, but I wanted to have a solid race.”
Mission: Accomplished.
“I wasn’t exactly sure how my legs were gonna feel,” Wolfsmith said, “so I was really happy with the race tonight.”
Wolfsmith’s first-place finish was the highlight for Sobrato, which was without senior hurdler Alex Meldrum. Meldrum, who would have competed in both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles as well as the 4×400 relay, was forced to skip the elite meet due to illness.
The meet wasn’t without a Meldrum, though. Sobrato sophomore Austin Meldrum came in with a seed mark of 10-06 in the pole vault and trumped all-comers in the frosh/soph competition with a leap of 12-0.
He beat Bellarmine’s Jordan Cusick by four inches.
Meanwhile, fellow frosh/soph Bulldog Brandon Mancini was fifth in the pole vault at 10-06, while Winston Van Keulen took 12th in the 1,600 (4:51.39) and 11th in the 3,200 (10:28.10).
“I was really proud of the way we came to race today,” said SHS head coach Dave Wolfsmith. “This is gonna be a big indication as to how the CCS will pan out.”
Senior Ariel Mosbrucker qualified to Top 8 as well, posting a 32-08 in the triple jump and a 4-10 in the high jump.
Junior Alan Rios represented the last of the Sobrato varsity members at Top 8 Friday, and although he was unable to top his seed time of 1:58.71 in the 800 — Rios finished sixth in 2:00.40 — he said he ran one of his best tactical races this season.
“Usually there is only one person to run off of. Today, there was a million,” said Rios, noting the meet’s cream-of-the-crop like exclusivity. “That last lap I tried to run my way through (the pack) and make the best of the situation.
“It’s hard to pass guys like you would (at other meets), but that’s what makes Top 8 special.”
BOYS VARSITY TEAM (TOP 10 OF 35)
- Serra, 44.33; 2. St. Francis (Mountain View), 38; 3. Carmel, 32; 4. Mitty, 31; 5. Valley Christian, 24; 5. Salinas, 24; 7. Bellarmine, 21; 8. Gilroy, 20; 9. Riordan, 18; 10. St. Ignatius, 16; 19. Sobrato, 11.
INDIVIDUAL (SOBRATO ONLY)
800 — 1. H. Morrison, Carmel, 1:58.09; 6. A. Rios, Sobrato, 2:00.40. 3,200 — 1. L. Wolfsmith, Sobrato, 9:15.46; 2. N. Lema, Willow Glen, 9:20.33.
GIRLS VARSITY
INDIVIDUAL (SOBRATO ONLY)
Triple Jump — 1. S. Evans, Leigh, 37-02 ¾; 12. A. Mosbrucker, Sobrato, 32-08. High Jump — 1. K. Dolbec, Saratoga, 5-08; 9. A. Mosbrucker, Sobrato, 4-10.
BOYS FROSH/SOPH
TEAM (TOP 10 OF 32)
- Gilroy, 66; 2. Mountain View, 40; 3. Serra, 38; 4. San Benito, 37; 5. Valley Christian, 33; 6. Bellarmine, 32; 7. Oak Grove, 24; 8. Mitty, 23; 9. Jefferson, 20; 10. St. Ignatius, 17; 14. Sobrato, 11.50.
INDIVIDUAL (SOBRATO ONLY)
Pole vault — 1. Au. Meldrum, Sobrato, 12-0; 2. J. Cusick, Bellarmine, 11-06; 5. B. Mancini, Sobrato, 10-06. 1,600 — 1, S. Davis, Valley Christian, 4:32.88; 12. W. Van Keulen, Sobrato, 4:51.39;15. D. Maciel, Sobrato, 4:58.36. 3,200 — 1. S. Mandac, Westmoor, 9:52.38; 11. W. Van Keulen, Sobrato, 10:28.10.
