Dolphins Track and Field Dominate Cluster Meet

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

The Palisades Charter High School track and field team hosted its second cluster meet of the season April 12 at Stadium by the Sea, and the Dolphins accumulated the most points competing versus New Roads, Wildwood, Westchester, Hamilton, Geffen Academy and California Academy of Math and Science.

In the varsity boys division, Jayden Joch clocked a personal-best 23.69 seconds to take first place in the 200 meters and fellow sophomore Ronin Sherertz was second in 24.04. Palisades swept the top four spots in the 400, with Sherertz leading the way in 52.25.

Junior Axel Mammen won the 800 meters in a personal-best 2:09.41 and Bodhi Sahakian recorded his fastest time yet (4:57.77) to place second in the 1,600 behind New Roads’ Albert Luthje (4:53.09).

Palisades’ 4×400 relay team, featuring Zach Amster, Sherertz, Kenneth Ojtojich and Dayton Dacay, won the four-lapper in 3:50.90. Kayson Lee cleared five feet, five inches to place second in the high jump, and Demethris King leaped 19 feet to win the long jump.

In the varsity girls division, junior Mikayla Murphy won the 100-meter dash in 12.75 seconds; Elysha Chae was second in the 200 in a season-best 27.76; freshman Annabelle Refnes was second in the 400 in a personal-best 1:01.25; Ava Baak (2:32.18), Layla Adeli (2:40.25), Kyra Morris (2:42.46) and Louisa Mammen (2:43.11) swept the top for places in the 800; and Morris was first in the 1,600 in a season-best 5:31.69.

Sophomore Kate Swain (17.80), freshman Yuan Li Lai (20.23) and freshman Maia Vazquez (20.44) were 1-2-3 in the 100 hurdles, and Swain doubled back to win the 300 hurdles in 52.33. Palisades’ 4×100 relay was second, and the 4×400 relay was first in 4:20.80.

In the field events, Anisa Watkins won the high jump in 4-08.00, won the long jump in a personal-best 15-02.00 and took third in the triple jump (28-05.00), which teammate Keira Ishak won in 30-05.00.

Three days later in the South Bay Varsity Championships at West Torrance High, senior Amari Yolas (also the starting center fielder on the Dolphins’ varsity baseball team) won the 100 meters in a wind-aided 10.75 to edge Kaiden Whitt (10.82) of Culver City. Yolas clocked a personal-best 10.61 (also wind-aided) in the Tiger Invitational on April 7.

Yolas then anchored Palisades’ 4×100 relay team, which placed fifth in 43.92. The Dolphins’ 4×400 relay of Amster, Sherertz, Ojtojich and Dacay won in 3:32.70.

Senior Zaire Peters won the shot put by well-over seven feet with a throw of 52-07.25.

On the girls’ side, Palisades did not fare well in the sprints but Murphy (12.79) got seventh in the 100.

Back was sixth in the 3,200 meters in 11:45.30, while Morris was eighth in a personal-best 12:14.91.

Western League prelims and finals are April 26 and May 3 at University High.