In the late hours of March 7 and March 8, 2025, the Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) track team took on the Don Green Memorial Track Meet and Distance Carnival (Don Green). Here the Dragon athletes would face down some of the best competition in the California Southern Section. The following week the team competed in the annual Rio Mesa Spartan Relays where the team found much success throughout the various events. Throughout these two meets, the Dragons displayed their prowess in a myriad of events with several runners bringing home hardware and reaching personal bests (PR).
Don Green Meet
The first day of the Don Green meet on March 7, 2025, had Foothill Tech’s distance, throwing and vaulting team stepping to the line, with the cheers of fellow competing athletes and fans alike creating an electric atmosphere in the stadium.
Exiting day one of the meet, the Dragons walked off the field with several notable performances from Foothill Tech’s top runners. Chance Leandro ‘25 would feel the pressure of the fastest heat of the boys varsity 3200-meter event, placing tenth and holding his own with a 9:31.22, just short of his personal best.
Following shortly behind would be Baker Carlisle ‘26 and fellow teammate Eli Billings ‘26 who would both lean at the line for impressive 15th and 16th place finishes respectively. Foothill Tech’s Asher Fields ‘28 would go on to win the frosh-soph 3200 setting a freshman record for the Dragons in 9:56.28
Baker Carlisle ‘26 reflected on the tense moments leading up to his race and shared his strategy during the event, stating, “The race was super fun running with Eli.”
The varsity girls 1600-meter event marked a strong performance for Keera Wallace ‘26 who dominated her heat coming up just shy of a podium finish, running a time of 5:27.02, a seasons best earning her fifth place.
The following day, March 8, 2025, Foothill Tech came back and competed in events such as sprints, throw and field events.
Ian Clayton ’25 made a lasting impression with a season best time while competing in the 200 meter race. Clayton came in at a 23.17 taking 10th place where he just finished the race milliseconds after a few of his competitors. Clayton not only performed in the 200 meter race but also made a stand in the 400-meter event placing 20th with yet another season record of 54.26.
Clayton reflected on his race and his thoughts on his performance that day, stating, “My 200 honestly felt fast coming off the curve, it felt faster than my race that broke the school record so I was a little disappointed seeing that it wasn’t a PR.”
In the 100 meter race Lauren Kaller ’25 placed 31st overall with a time of 13.69 which was followed by the 200 meter race run by Lexi Mohror ’28 where she placed 54th overall, finishing her race with a 29.40.
Although Foothill Tech did not compete in the relay races during this meet, they made up for their absence in throw and field events. Coming in at 13th place in shot put was Elijah Spencer ’26 with a 21.71 meter throw which was followed by a 15th place throw in discus by Spencer at 35 meters.
The Dragons’ progress continues as they prepare for their upcoming race, the 2025 Spartan Relays on March 14 and March 15, 2025, where they hoped to continue their upward progression.
Spartan Relay Meet
Following their strong performance at Don Green the Foothill Tech track team laced up and headed for Rio Mesa High School (Rio Mesa), to compete in the two-day Spartan Relay meet going up against over thirty teams from across Southern California. The meet stretched from March 14 to March 15, 2025, with the Dragons competing both days.
The Dragons left their mark on the track, clocking personal bests and bringing home plenty of hardware to show for their efforts in their respective races.
The first shot from the starter’s pistol rang out through the stands, signaling the start of the two-day meet with the boys varsity 800-meter event. Foothill Tech’s top runner, Andres Hernandez ’26, set a personal best of 2:07.68, securing a ninth place finish in his heat. Another standout performance came from Camden Taylor ’27, who crossed the line at 2:12.06 to win his heat.
Taylor commented on the atmosphere of his race on the line and the work put in behind the scenes to execute his race, “I performed fairly well … I was thrilled to be able to win my heat of the races. The atmosphere of my race was fairly calm … Overall a great and fun experience.”
Another notable performance came from Asher Fields ‘28 who delivered a very strong performance in the boys varsity 1600-meter event. While only a freshman, Fields placed sixth in his respective heat and had the fastest mile time of the dragons, clocking a time 4:38.17 through the line.
The second day of the meet brought a similar energy as the Dragons continued to battle against fierce competition, delivering more standout performances and pushing for personal bests across each event as the day went on.
One of the most highly anticipated events of the meet, the girls varsity 100-meters, saw Lauren Kaller ‘25 toe the line and deliver a season record of 13.53, securing a second place finish and flying past the line to lock up the podium finish.
In the 300-meter hurdles, Connor Bursek ’25 came just shy of a podium finish, crossing the line in 42.22 to take fourth place. The performance not only marked a personal best but also earned his name into the Foothill Tech record books as one of the program’s best as Bursek broke the Dragons school record in the event.
Bursek shared some insight into his performance during the race, adding, “I was really nervous before the race because you never know what can happen, especially in the 300 hurdles. But once I got out of the blocks the pressure lifted, and I was locked in.”
As the Dragons closed the meet, they also look ahead with the distance team bound for the Adidas 2025 Meet of Champions Distance Classic at Arroyo High School along with both the sprinters and throwers heading for the Maurice Greene Invitational at Oaks Christian High School, both meets taking place on March 22, 2025.
