Oakmont High School commemorated its seniors on Wednesday, Apr. 22, for their dedication to track and field. The team has 22 senior athletes on the team, ranging from long-distance runners to horizontal jumpers. The school is always proud of its Vikings and where their drive leads the team. 

The sports team of coaches is especially proud, composed of Coaches Nugent, Chamber, Geluk, Lencioni, and Terwilliger. The team itself has 12 boys: Amar Brozovic, Maxwell Carbaugh, Preston Carr, Maxwell Chacon, Logan Cole, Noah D’Lima, Caleb Hernandez, Joseph Lopez, Joshua Montes, Zachary Mquqwana, Sam Patterson, and Lucas Scott. There are nine girls on the team: Devyn Chambers, Tara Chandrapal, Vanessa Lacap, Josella Lamson, Isabella Peters, Jenna Rothlisberger, Alexandra Schofield, Addison Schrey, and Mariah Williams. 

“They’ve all grown, they’ve all improved. 
And the ones that have been with us for several years, they go from little kids that seem kind of lost out there to adults that look like, you know, you’re really excited to see what’s going to happen after they graduate,” Coach Ryan Nugent said.

Many seniors have had notable accomplishments spanning their athletic career at Oakmont, so much so that they are set up for success well into the future. 

Caleb Hernandez made waves this season, competing in endurance running and relays, and having never left the top five rankings in a meet, barring one instance. He has accumulated 11 wins in 20 races and has been recruited to compete in college at Concordia University Irvine. 

Devyn Chambers has also crushed the competition this season, winning 15 out of the 27 races she competed in, whether that be the 100-meter dash, relays, long jumps, or triple jumps. She has numerous podium appearances as well and looks forward to competing for Cornell University next year. 

Oakmont celebrated all our senior athletes in track and field with a memorable Senior Night, marked by celebrations galore.  The meet kicked off at 3:00 on  Oakmont’s home field with some endurance runs around the track, followed by pole vaulting off the side of the field. 

During the entirety of Senior Night, multiple events were held at once, with coaches from both Center and Lincoln High School, as well as Colfax, decorating the field alongside their players. The seniors were also being recognized at various points throughout the night. 

The team continues, with shot puts being done to the side of the track, boys going first, then girls, and not far from them were the long and triple jumps being done. 

Senior Hernandez received the first-place award in the Men’s Varsity 1600 Meters race, with a time of 4:42.11, and in the Men’s Varsity 3200 Meters race, he received first place again with a time of 10:23.58. Another Oakmont Senior, Sam Patterson, was right behind Hernandez in the 3200 Meter race, awarded second place with a time of 10:40.97. 

Chambers received first place in the Women’s Varsity 100 Meters and set a time of her season’s best, completing it with a time of 12.69, and her classmate Mariah Williams was right behind her in third place with a time of 13.09. 

For Women’s Varsity 200 Meters, Oakmont dominated once again, with Chambers and her time of 26.69 securing first place, as well as Jenna Rothlisberger with her time of 27.30 cruising into second place. Rothlisberger then went on to win the Women’s Varsity 400 meters with a time of 1:03.95. 

Oakmont’s Women’s Varsity team for the 4×100 Relay is composed of three seniors: Rothlisberger, Williams, and Chambers, with junior Gracie Grant rounding out the team. The girls dominated the event, winning first with their time of 48.81. 

In Women’s Varsity Discus, senior Tara Chandrapal hit her season best with a score of 68-04, which landed her in fifth place. Isabella Peters won the Women’s Varsity Pole Vault with her score of 8-06.0. 

In Women’s Varsity Long Jump, Vanessa Lacap earned first place with her score of 14-11.0, and Isabella Peters was right behind her with a score of 13-11.5, which landed her safely into second place. 

Senior Night itself contained the seniors arriving at the center of the football field in groups of five, where each one stepped forward, and Coach Geluk announced their years of service to the team. The seniors’ paths after high school were also revealed, whether it be a university or trade school, and they also got to give some advice to the next generation of athletes, while their coaches placed leis around their necks. This meet was especially significant as senior Hernandez’s birthday was celebrated and cupcakes were given out. 

Oakmont will forever remember the impact of this year’s class of seniors on its Track and Field department and looks forward to seeing what they will accomplish in the future.