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Pitman boys win county track championships, Turlock takes third
Turlock, Pitman girls finish second and third, respectively
Blayne Siebert
Pitman’s dominance of the sprints, with UC Davis commit Blayne Siebert, was too much to overcome for the other schools (Photo contributed).

BY AARON KING

Special to the Journal

The 2024 installment of the Stanislaus County high school track and field championships did not disappoint. Having skipped over last year due to bad weather conditions in the spring of 23, this year‘s competition held at Riverbank High School was piping with competition, drama, and the effects of which would have an outcome on the entire Sac -Joaquin Section. 

With boys and girls team in attendance, 19 schools overall travelled to the City of Action, whose high school has one of the premier track facilities in the county, in order to compete for the bragging rights of the Stanislaus County Championships. From individual events in running, jumping and throwing to relay squads, and overall team competitions, the Stanislaus County meet annually crowns the very best in sport we have. 

The girls team competition got off to an early start with annual favorites to win Oakdale, Pitman and Turlock setting the pace for the day. Pitman girls won two out of three relays and had a one-two punch to finish first and second in the 3200m behind sophomore sensation Avery Carlson and senior standout Aubrey Loscano.

The Turlock girls were competing without two their best — Olivia Walker and Maya Day, who were both in New York competing in the Nike Indoor Nationals.

In the end it would be the Oakdale girls team that would win over second and third place rivals Turlock and Pitman, narrowly becoming champions:

1-Oakdale 113

2-Turlock 112

3-Pitman 84.5

In the Boys competition on the night, the outcome was sealed still with several races yet to start. Pitman’s dominance of the sprints, with UC Davis commit Blayne Siebert, was too much to overcome for the other schools. Rivals had no answer for the Sac-Joaquin Section’s fastest man. Siebert won in dominating fashion the 100m 200m and his relay team was the crown jewel of an overall dominating performance by the Pride, when they won the 4X100 relay. 

The Turlock boys team was down standout Max McFarlane,  who won Sac-Joaquin Section and Masters titles in the pole vault last year and finished tied for second at the state meet, as he was in New York competing in the Nike Indoor Nationals along with his teammates Walker and Day.

“We hit on all cylinders tonight. All of our athletes, boys and girls, came to play. Tonight we saw the dominance of what a full team effort can look like.” said Tim McCabe, head Pitman coach. “We had strong performances from throwers Edgard Segura, and the Lucas’(referring to Lucas Blakemore and Lucas Arrizon). Jumpers and Distance guys and gals stepped up. We had great efforts all around. And we needed everyone of them to step up. And they did,” McCabe finished.

The Pitman boys would outpace the competition with final scores:

1-Pitman 122

2-Oakdale 110

3-Turlock 93

Next up for county track & field athletes is the County Clash, where the best from Stanislaus County meet up against the best from Merced County in an annual ‘Clash’ at Oakdale High on March 22. First event is at 3 p.m.