On April 25, the Aragon track and field team headed to Mountain View High School to compete in the Central Coast Selection Last Chance Invitational. One of the final few meets on the calendar before the postseason truly begins, the Last Chance is a meet where many athletes are looking to lock down qualifying times and get these times as low as possible before the main championship season begins.
This meet, a qualifying meet for the CCS championship, drew runners from all over the Central Coast, and served as a perfect occasion to measure times for many of the longer events. For Aragon, the meet was useful due to its proximity to both the PAL and the CCS championship season. After the April 25 meet, Aragon went on to compete in the PAL Frosh-Soph Championships on May 2, and the PAL Varsity Trials and Finals on May 9.
A standout performance for the Dons came from senior Tyler Nichols in the 800 meter event. The Aragon senior clocked a time of 1:57.33, a new personal best, and moved him into the 4th spot in school history for the 800 meters. For the whole season, he had been chasing the elusive mark of two minutes, a goal that he finally met with his effort on Saturday.
“I went out controlled on the first lap and just trusted that I had the ability to close,” Nichols said. “Seeing 1:57 on the board, I couldn’t believe it at first … It was definitely a great experience.”
The fact that the invitational took place so close to the postseason also added a competitive element to the meet, raising pressures especially for runners in the longer distance events.
“Everyone knows there aren’t many chances left, and you can feel it,” Nichols said. “Warmups feel different … The races feel different.”
Sophomore Isaac Albert had one of Aragon’s other top performances of the day, setting a new personal best in the 1600 meter race at 4:58.33. Albert stayed with the pack for the majority of the race and kicked hard in the final few hundred meters. The performance marked a major breakthrough for the experienced distance runner.
“The pace went out quickly and I just tried to stay calm,” Albert said. “By the last lap it was just about hanging on and seeing what I had left.”
For many of the runners, especially in the longer races, a meet like the Last Chance can be invaluable in preparing for the pressure of a championship meet.
“There’s something about being in an actual race that brings out a different effort,” Albert said. “You find out a lot about where you’re at.”
In the shorter races, freshman Noah Perfettini-Derenne and sophomore Mario Escalante both ran personal bests in the 100 meters, recording times of 12.53 and 13.35 respectively. Senior Darren Benavente added a personal best 25.06 in the 200 meters.
For now, Albert, along with a large portion of the Aragon team, are looking to make their last big efforts at the upcoming PAL and CCS championships.
“I want to see how far I can go at PAL and CCS,” Albert said. “[You] put in a lot of work during the season and the championship meets are when [you] get to see what it adds up to.”
Freshman Matias Fernandez-Roderiguez , juniors Amelia Hayden-Gephart and Mina Hwang, as well as seniors Tyler Nichols, Luke Novak and Luke Saunders moved on to the CCS finals on May 23 at Gilroy High School.
