While the days only continue to lengthen, the track and field season shortens to its inevitable close. Exceptional Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech) athletes competed at the CIF preliminary meet across the various running, jumping and throwing events for the chance to take on the CIF stage. Those who qualified for CIF Finals meet returned the following week to put up a diligent fight all the way to the finish line, bringing home the highest honors a high school athlete could dream of. To explore the highs and lows, personal bests and the records of a division champion, read on below.
Eight athletes qualify for CIF Finals at the CIF Prelims Division Four meet
On the afternoon of May 10, 2025, Foothill Tech’s qualifying athletes went on to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Preliminaries, where the Dragons fought to hit qualifying placements and marks to progress further into the postseason.
The meet was hosted at Carpinteria High School and featured athletes from dozens of schools within the Southern Section, creating a highly competitive environment that pushed each athlete to perform at their very best.
Some of the first Foothill Tech athletes on the line were Ian Clayton ‘25 in the boys’ 100-meter, running a time of 11.58 seconds to secure a 24th place finish and coming up just shy of his 11.45 second personal record. In the girls 100-meter, schoolmate Lauren Kaller ‘25 ran her way to a 33rd place finish with a time of 13.14 seconds.
In the distance events, the boys’ 1600-meter carried out two stand-out performances from Foothill Tech’s athletes. Chance Leandro ‘25 led out the race and took first place over the entire field, bringing home hardware with a new personal record of 4:21.10. Trailing closely behind was teammate Brandon Wofford ’25, who went on to shave seven seconds off his personal best, closing the gap in the final meters of the race to secure a fifth place finish with a time of 4:22.04.
Wofford shared some insight into the emotional weight of a race that had secured him a spot at CIF Finals, stating, “I was very nervous going into the race, I really was just hoping I’d qualify for CIF Finals … I was very happy realizing I qualified for both Finals and college running.” Ultimately, the race had helped Wofford hit the qualifying standard for collegiate running, which he plans to pursue at San Jose State University.
The girls team also shared in the success of the 1600-meter with Keera Wallace ‘26 crossing the line with a time of 5:18.45 to take an eighth place overall finish. Meanwhile, teammate Auden McCoy ‘27 achieved a personal best in the event, coming in at 24th for a 5:43.12.
On the field, Elijah Spencer ‘26 stepped up for shot put and went on to throw a best of 45 feet and 5.5 inches which earned him both a qualification into CIF Finals and a seventh place finish overall in the event. Amelia Gerk ‘26 competed in the girls shot put, throwing 27 feet to lock up a 33rd place overall finish.
Foothill Tech’s distance running coach, Carol Leandro, shared insights into the work the team has invested to hit those qualifying marks, as well as their performance as a whole, clarifying, “It was a day full of highs and lows. We had great performances with many athletes moving on to CIF Finals, unfortunate injuries that unexpectedly took athletes out of competition, others who gave it their best but not quite what was needed to move on and then our 4×4 team running their hearts out to end the day on a high note and move on.”
With many of the Dragons’ seasons concluding, those who qualified will compete in CIF Southern Section Finals and hopefully secure more honors to bring home for the team.
The final eight dragons cap off an impressive season at CIF Finals, Rodman to move on
On may 17 of the following week, the qualifiers from the preliminary meet wrapped up their seasons in the CIF Southern Section Finals meet, which was held at Moorpark High School. Foothill Tech, showing playoff spirit and determination, walked away with one individual champion in Division Four, as well as podium placements for each Dragon in their respective events. The boys’ team finished third overall out of 51 teams. The girls’ team finished ninth overall out of 51 teams.
Bennet Rodman ‘26 participated in both girls’ pole vault and high jump events. She capped off an impressive high jump performance with a final jump height of 5 feet and 2 inches, earning herself the title of Division Four Champion and a spot in the CIF Masters meet on May 24.
Clayton competed in the boys’ pole vault event. Clayton earned himself a third-place podium performance with a final vault and personal record of 12 feet and eight inches.
Wallace was the first Dragon to compete in a running event as she secured third place in the girls’ 1600-meter race. Wallace ran a four second personal record of 5:14.87. “CIF is an amazing environment,” Wallace said, “I’m so grateful I was able to compete.”
Leandro and Wofford both returned to compete in the boys’ 1600-meter race. In photo-finish fashion, Leandro lunged across the line to secure third, with Wofford finishing just three hundredths of a second later. Leandro and Wofford finished with times of 4:21.71 and 4:21.74, respectively.
Andres Hernandez ‘26 competed in the highly-competitive boys’ 800-meter race. Continuing his hot streak of personal records, Hernandez placed third with a blazing fast time of 1:59.09.
Connor Bursek ‘25 raced in the 300-meter hurdles race. The postseason energy was evident through Bursek’s performance as he set a school record in his event with a time of 41.91, earning third-place.
Finally, Spencer returned to throw in the boys’ 12-pound shot put event. Spencer secured fourth place points for the Dragons with a throw of 46 feet and 6.5 inches.
The meet served as an excellent send off for the seniors who competed their last events in a Foothill Tech uniform. Although the season wraps up for the rest of the Foothill Tech track and field team, spirits run high in light of what next year may hold.
