Calabasas Girls Shine with 4×100 Relay Victory at Mt. SAC Relays

Calabasas Coyotes Break Meet Record at Mt. SAC Relays

The Calabasas girls’ 4×100 relay team showcased determination and skill this past Saturday at the 66th annual Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut. The Coyotes clocked a remarkable 44.48 seconds to set a new meet record, successfully avenging their earlier loss to Fullerton Rosary at the Arcadia Invitational.

“We didn’t like that feeling of losing,” said senior captain Marley Scoggins, who led off the race with a strong first leg. “Taking that ‘L’ last week gave us motivation.”

Strategically, Coyotes coach Jeff Clanagan adjusted the order of his runners to help secure an early lead. Scoggins was paired with Olivia Kirk, who had led off in the previous week’s race, while Malia Rainey and Devyn Sproles filled the second and third legs. This element of surprise proved effective.

“You always look at matchups, and in a relay, you want to get out first to force a mistake by another team,” Clanagan explained. “Marley is our best starter off the blocks, and I felt this change might give us a mental edge. We kept it a secret right up until race time.”

In a tight finish at Arcadia, Scoggins was narrowly edged by Rosary’s Maliyah Collins, resulting in a second-place time of 44.54, while the Royals shattered the state record with a time of 44.23.

“I liked starting today — it felt powerful to put us in front,” Scoggins noted. “We’re trying to go 43 seconds; we can definitely drop time.”

The Coyotes finished the race with Rosary following at 44.94 and Steele Canyon in third at 46.62.

“This is the first time I’ve anchored in a while, and the girls always give me a lead,” Kirk remarked, expressing confidence in their performance. “We knew we wanted to come here and take our win after last week.”

Calabasas has now defeated Rosary in two of their three encounters this spring, having recorded a time of 44.95 at the Mt. Carmel Invitational in late March.

The Coyotes will next compete at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, where they will aim to make an impact on the international stage. “No U.S. team has beaten a Jamaican team in 20 years,” Clanagan highlighted. “We’re hoping to change that.”

Shortly after the relay, Rainey and Sproles participated in the Invitational 100-meter dash, where Justine Wilson of Rosary outpaced Rainey by a mere three hundredths of a second, finishing in 11.65 seconds.

In the 200 meters, Collins demonstrated her prowess with a winning time of 23.25 seconds, narrowly missing the meet record set by Allyson Felix in 2002.

The boys’ 4×100 relay also made headlines, with Servite breaking their own Mt. SAC record for the second consecutive year. The team of Jace Wells, Benjamin Harris, Jorden Wells, and Kamil Pelovello completed the relay in 39.98 seconds.

Individually, Torrance’s Nicolas Obimgba claimed victory in the Invitational 100 meters with a time of 10.24 seconds, just off the meet record from the previous year.

In the Invitational 400 meters, Loyola’s Ejam Yohannes won with a time of 46.29 seconds, despite battling illness. “I usually finish stronger, but I’m still confident I can run a 45 [seconds] or even lower,” he stated.

San Jacinto Valley Academy’s Kaahliyah Lacy broke the Mt. SAC record in the girls’ 300 hurdles with a time of 39.93 seconds and also triumphed in the 100 hurdles.

Other notable performances included JSerra’s Reese Holley in the 800 meters, Clara Adams of Long Beach Wilson in the 400 meters, and various strong finishes in specific field events.

Overall, the day was marked by exceptional performances and record-breaking outcomes, underscoring the competitive spirit and athletic talent present at the Mt. SAC Relays.