PALO ALTO – Evan Noonan knows he will have plenty of opportunities in the coming years to compete at Cobb Track and Angell Field as a member of the Stanford program, but the Cardinal commit made sure to take a moment Saturday to appreciate his final opportunity to represent Dana Hills High at the 50th Stanford Invitational.
Kinga Czajkowska, who has spent countless hours during her prep career at Palo Alto High training and racing at the Stanford facility, will travel across the county to attend college at Cornell, which made her final appearance at the annual meet even more significant and memorable.
Noonan secured back-to-back 1,600 victories, lowering his own meet record to 4 minutes, 4.88 seconds to lead five competitors to sub-4:10 efforts in one of the marquee races of the two-day event.
Noonan, who prevailed last year in 4:06.80, covered the final lap in 56.92 seconds to rally past Duke commit Eli Fitchen-Young of Santa Cruz (4:05.14).
Aydon Stefanopoulos of Los Gatos, a UCLA signee, took third in 4:06.62, Arrin Sagiraju from Dougherty Valley finished fourth in 4:08.70 and Javin Schmitt of St. Mary’s Berkeley clocked 4:09.69 to place fifth.
Aydon Stefanpoulos of Los Gatos, left, with Eli Fitchen-Young from Santa Cruz, center, and Evan Noonan of Dana Hills | Photo courtesy of Randy Miyazaki
Czajkowska, who anchored Palo Alto to a meet-record and program all-time mark of 11:46.16 in the distance medley relay Friday, returned Saturday to win the 1,600 in a lifetime-best 4:46.34.
Although the meet record for the full mile is 4:43.27, established by Anna Maxwell of San Lorenzo Valley in 2014, Czajkowska produced the fastest performance in a 1,600 race since meet organizers adjusted the distance in 2018, eclipsing the 2023 mark of 4:46.61 established by Stanford-bound Hanne Thomsen of Santa Rosa Montgomery.
Czajkowska led eight athletes in her section and 10 competitors overall to sub-5 efforts, including junior teammate Amaya Bharadwaj enjoying a seven-second improvement to take third in a personal-best 4:50.32, with Giselle Fernandez from Riverbank placing fourth in 4:51.77 and Ella Mogannam of Lick Wilmerding clocking 4:52.79 to finish fifth.
Kinga Czajkowska of Palo Alto | Photo courtesy of Randy Miyazaki
Eleanor Raker of Galena High in Nevada followed her second consecutive victory Friday in the 3,200 in a lifetime-best 10:22.11 – taking down the meet record of 10:24.72 achieved by Claudia Lane of Malibu in 2018 – by placing second in the 1,600 in a personal-best 4:49.76.
Raker, a New Mexico commit, elevated to No. 3 all-time in Nevada in both the 1,600 and 3,200.
Bharadwaj and Czajkowska joined forces with Kailia Leming and Romy Kiessling to help Palo Alto eclipse the 2007 meet record of 11:51.00 in the DMR produced by Oak Ridge High, with Mountain View St. Francis securing second in 12:02.46 and Montgomery earning third in 12:04.78.
Palo Alto elevated to the No. 12 all-time program in California, producing the No. 16 girls DMR performance in state history.
Lucas Alberts was seeking another win Saturday in the 800 after contributing to Carmichael Jesuit repeating in the boys DMR on Friday in 10:20.76.
Hugh Heyer of McClatchy emerged victorious in a showdown of elite sophomore standouts, winning the 800 by a 1:52.05 to 1:52.66 margin.
Jackson Hein of Pleasant Valley, left, with Hugh Heyer from McClatchy, center, and Lucas Alberts of Jesuit | Photo courtesy of Randy Miyazaki
Jackson Hein of Pleasant Valley (1:52.83) and Evan Gardner from Homestead (1:52.95), both seniors, placed third and fourth in the 800.
Kwanna Smith, Kyle Jakary and Navin Kadel joined Alberts to help Jesuit capture back-to-back DMR crowns, improving on last year’s 10:22.48 effort.
Bellarmine Prep placed second in 10:24.53 and Vacaville took third in 10:26.69.
Alberts did achieve a second victory in the final event of the meet, teaming with Maximillian Gutterman, Jackson Hernandez and Smith to secure the 4×400 relay win in 3:22.69.
Benjamin Bouie of Crystal Springs Uplands, a Harvard commit, won the boys 3,200 in 9:04.50 and also competed in the DMR for the Gryphons.
Owen Anderson of McClatchy was second in the 3,200 in 9:10.32.
Ava Padilla, a freshman at Monte Vista, courageously dove across the line to prevail in the fastest section of the girls 800 by a 2:13.11 to 2:13.17 margin against senior Sabrina Zanetto of Mountain View St. Francis.
Ashlin Mallon of Cardinal Newman, left, with Ava Padilla from Monte Vista, center, and Sabrina Zanetto of Mountain View St. Francis | Photo courtesy of Randy Miyazaki
Ashlin Mallon, a sophomore at Cardinal Newman, was third in the field in 2:13.76, placing fourth overall behind Khloe DeLaTorre from Vacaville, who won her section in 2:13.66.
Dulcinea Vail, a senior at Acalanes, repeated in the girls high jump with a personal-best 5-7.25 (1.71m) clearance on her second attempt.
Lelani Laruelle of Monta Vista and Jaiden Lynn from Shasta also cleared 5-7.25, but Vail achieved back-to-back victories based on fewer misses in the competition.
Kira Gant Hatcher of St. Mary’s Berkeley was the lone prep athlete to win multiple field events, sweeping the girls long jump and triple jump.
Gant Hatcher secured victory in the long jump with a second-round leap of 18-10.75 (5.76m) and triumphed in the triple jump with a fifth-round effort of 39-2.50 (11.95m).
Gant Hatcher also contributed to St. Mary’s finishing fifth in the 4×100 relay in 48.41.
Twelve Bridges secured the girls 4×100 win in 47.32.
Omar Soufi, a senior at South Pasadena, celebrated a seven-foot improvement in the boys shot put, winning with a lifetime-best mark of 59-3 (18.06m) on his first attempt.
Eliot Traxler, a senior at Amador and a Cal signee, won the discus with a third-round throw of 165-4 (50.39m) and finished fourth in the shot put at 58-0.50 (17.69m), although he had a foul in the final round that had the potential to challenge Soufi for the victory.
Eliot Traxler of Amador, left, with Omar Soufi from South Pasadena | Erik Boal photo
Will Greene, a Utah Tech-bound senior at Vista del Lago, achieved a pair of victories by producing the 400 triumph in 47.42, in addition to running the second leg on the winning 4×100 – including Jushan KalkPrincat, Jahaan Kalkat and Collin Lund – that edged St. Ignatius by a 41.43 to 41.56 margin.
Prince Najeeb Babalola-Buchango, a junior at St. Ignatius, held off Joshua Haven from Bellarmine Prep with a 14.10 to 14.16 victory in the 110 hurdles.
Prince Najeeb Babalola-Buchango of St. Ignatius, left, and Joshua Haven of Bellarmine Prep | Photo courtesy of Randy Miyazaki
Cy Lugo, a junior at Elk Grove, won the 400 hurdles in 53.99, with Placer senior Baylor Kelley placing second in 55.21.
Deshawn Seymour, Jr., a junior at Will C. Wood, edged Lugo by a wind-legal 10.54 to 10.60 margin in the boys 100 final.
Naiaja Sizemore, a junior from Vanden, held off UNLV commit Alysiana Winston of Twelve Bridges with a wind-legal 11.72 to 11.74 win in the girls 100 showdown.
Winston teamed with Zayna Flynn, Amelia Oriel and Jada Go Forth on the victorious 4×100 relay for the Rhinos.
Brooke Blume joined Go Forth, Oriel and Winston for Twelve Bridges in a 3:55.13 performance to win the 4×400 relay, just ahead of Monte Vista in 3:55.63.
Madison Kohli, a sophomore at Los Gatos, ran a personal-best 55.92 to prevail in the girls 400.
Brooke White, a UC San Diego-bound senior at River City, won the girls 100 hurdles in a wind-legal 14.29, just ahead of Daniela Hughes from Los Altos in 14.34.
Starla Skiles of Ripon, left, with Brooke White from River City, center, and Daniela Hughes of Los Altos | Photo courtesy of Randy Miyazaki
Hughes also placed second in the triple jump at 38-5.50 (11.72m).
Avery Leck, a junior at Santa Barbara San Marcos, won the girls 400 hurdles in 1:01.91, in addition to finishing fourth in the 400 hurdles in 15.05 and ninth in the high jump by clearing 5-0.25 (1.53m).
Miguel Long, a senior at Piedmont, rallied to win the boys triple jump with a fifth-round effort of 45-8.50 (13.93m), surpassing Noah Gonzalez of St. Ignatius and his opening-round mark of 45-7 (13.89m).
Ryan Shen, a junior at Monta Vista, won the boys long jump with a second-round leap of 22-11.75 (7.00m), holding off Alex McManamon from Miramonte at 22-11.25 (6.99m) and Ezekiel Castex of Grant Union with a mark of 22-10.75 (6.98m).
McManamon placed fifth in the triple jump at 44-11.50 (13.70m) and Shen earned eighth at 42-6.75 (12.97m), in addition to taking seventh in the high jump with a 6-1.50 (1.87m) clearance.
Kekoa Williams, a senior at Stevenson School, was victorious in the high jump with a 6-7 (2.01m) effort.
Grady Wachob from Benicia and Haven both cleared 6-6 (1.98m).
Zenallah Hatcher Simmons, a senior at Del Campo High, won the girls shot put with a fifth-round mark of 42-7.50 (12.99m), overcoming a 15th-place finish in the discus at 110-4 (33.63m).
Maya Ifo Desai, a senior from Archbishop Mitty, won the discus competition with a fifth-round effort of 152-9 (46.56m), as well as earning eighth in the shot put at 36-10.50 (11.24m).
Jack Marek, a senior at Granite Bay, won the boys pole vault with a 16-2 (4.93m) clearance on his second attempt.
Ryan Auble of Del Campo and Sam Peters from Del Oro both cleared 15-10 (4.83m).
Mackenzie Sellers, a sophomore at Reno High in Nevada, cleared 12-3.50 (3.74m) on her second attempt to prevail in the girls pole vault competition against Avery Boyse of Burlingame, who made the height on her third try.