Yesterday, April 28, the Barons track and field teams traveled to Goldenwest College to compete against Marina, their final meet of the season before league finals.

By the end of the day, our Barons would make a remarkable finish. Boy\’s Varsity crushed Marina. The Baron\’s final league meet was the last step in their campaign for perfection, giving them a record of 5-0.

“This is the best way to end off my senior year with an undefeated season and a spot in CIFs,” says Hassan Ilyas (\’11)

The Boy\’s and Girl\’s Frosh/Soph team also ended victorious, completely dominating Marina, whose efforts were simply marginalized by the Barons unrelenting stride. They too finished with a perfect record of 5-0.

Girl\’s Varsity, as hard as they fought, were unable to dislodge Marina, giving them their first loss of the season. Regardless of a now 4-1 record in league, the Barons still have a chance to compete and win in league championships next week.

Proud of their accomplishments thus far, Coach Bivens had optimistic words for the team. “It will be great if the girls win next week so we can bring it all together,” spoke Bivens.

“We all practiced hard and the energy and effort we put into the meets helped us gain more strength to do better which is our advantage over the other high schools,” states Ilyas.

With the exception of Girl\’s Varsity, the Barons have swept all other high schools which include Edison, Los Alamitos, Marina, Huntington Beach, and Newport Harbor, putting the Barons on top as they continue to League and CIF finals toward the end of their season.

Surely, the Barons will continue to perform excellently, raising the bar that they have continued to raise every season.

Wednesday, March 31st, Los Alamitos High School stepped onto Baron territory to try their measly talents against the mighty Baron track team. They were unsuccessful. Fountain Valley just barely beat Los Alamitos, with heavy reliance on jumpers and distance runners.

Last week FV Track spanked Newport Harbor in almost every event, and with this win against Los Alamitos, they remain undefeated in Sunset League.

This victory was no easy steal, however. The Barons were losing in points until the jumpers, hurdlers and distance runners put on some great performances.

Some eye-catching athletes were juniors Sarah Haydock (jumps), Paige Grigus (hurdles), Catherine Martinez (distance), and Luis Morales (distance), seniors included Erica Recupero (distance), Arturo Diaz (distance), Christian Olive (distance), and Lily Trinh (hurdles/sprints).

The sprinters weren’t channeled into their true talents, considering almost every varsity relay race was lost. Sooner or later, the two mile race came along and tipped the score in favor of the Barons.

Captain Carmille Garcia (’11)said, “Coach Bivens was a great motivator, if it wasn’t for him, the distance crew wouldn’t have been so determined to win. We had no idea that it was all on us.”

The Barons will compete at Arcadia Invitational on April 10th. This will be a chance for the Barons to prove themselves against some of the nation’s greatest athletes.

Sophomore Anderson Hua not only excels in academics as an FVHS Honor Roll student, but also is very impressive in track as well. Besides being the only male freshman to make it to the Simplot Games in Idaho last spring, Hua received 1st place in the long jump and triple jump at the Sunset League Finals this past June. Pretty impressive, right? We caught up with Hua during lunch to ask him a few questions about track.

Baron Banner: When did you start doing track?
Anderson Hua: I started doing track in 7th grade because I thought it would be a good experience for me.

BB: What’s your favorite thing about track season?
AH: My favorite thing during track would have to be the amazing indoor meets that our coach takes us to before season.

BB: Do you have any advice for the incoming track students?
AH: There isn’t really much I could say, except just practice hard and show up at practice. Let Coach Bivens make you faster, and never ever give up!

BB: What got you started and/or kept you going?
AH: It was all from the inspiration I got from watching track on the Olympics.

BB: Where do you see yourself in the near future?
AH: I look forward to getting a track scholarship to a university, preferably USC, and my dream is to one day make the Olympics.

BB: Thank you for your time!
AH: Thank you!

The numbing of your entire legs, the gasping of inevitable air, and the continuous voice saying, “Don\’t give up” is what sprinters have to endure almost everyday. Rapidly sprinting from one part of the track to the next in little over a minute, and doing numerous drills just shows how track athletes work harder than any other off-season sport.

Track and Field meets were held during the extensive summer for extra practice. Now that they are in off-season, Coach Bivens is training sprinters and hurdlers harder than ever. As for upcoming meets, they don\’t start until March and proceed through May.

Most of the athletes that have been all-star players are not practicing during off-season due to other in-season sports and joining back in during second semester.

“Track and Field practices are really hard; but in the end it feels like you\’ve accomplished something great,” says Whitney Ofori-Atta (\’10).

Students arrive to practice daily and work out imperviously.  Once the athletes are done with practice, it is said that they slowly begin to feel their legs becoming feeble and  notice sweat dripping off their faces.

“Track and Field is extremely difficult and afterwards you feel the pain; it\’s way harder than it looks,” exclaims Shaunté Hough (\’13).  In addition to that, practices are pretty prolonged and arduous, “Track and Field takes time and dedication,” says Victoria Luong (\’13).

This year, there is no doubt that Track and Field is going to wipe out imminent rivals. All of the Barons\’ hard work during off-season is sure to pay off. With a start this strong, the Barons have a guaranteed bright season ahead.

On Wednesday, April 22, the Esperanza Aztecs outran the Fountain Valley Barons Track Team.

Varsity members Carmille Garcia (‘11) and Lauren Erickson (‘09) battled Esperanza\’s infamous Teeny Adams, one of Sunset League\’s fastest runners, in some of the longest races. Garcia placed fourth, running a 5:34 mile, with the first three places taken by the Aztecs.

However, Marissa Nickels (‘12) won first place in her level, setting a personal record of 5:47 in the mile, and Madyson Ward (‘11) won by a landslide, with a 2:35 half mile.

Collin Niselman (‘10) and Joel Gilbert (‘10) also surprised their team in their half mile races, achieving times of 2:10 and 2:03 respectively claiming first and third place wins in each level.

The girls\’ distance coach Jenny Sears demonstrated her support and belief in her runners when she said, “They competed really hard and showed a lot of heart. We also set many personal records.”

Unfortunately, the sprinters didn\’t fare quite as well. For them, the meet began with a disqualification due to a dropped baton in the 4×100 boy\’s JV race. The boy\’s Varsity 4×100, which usually dominates, ended with defeat.

Fortunately, the girl\’s lower level 4×100 races claimed victories for FVHS. Krissy Knowles (‘09) won the 100-meter dash in a quick 13 seconds and also came in first in the 100-meter hurdles race. Paige Grigus (‘11) also stood out with a lower level 100-meter hurdles win.

The jumpers were some of the biggest contributors to the Barons\’ points with a dominating 9-0 pole vaulting score. Jeff Tran (‘09) and Josh Alvaro(‘10) displayed their pole-vaulting skills with impressive 11-foot vaults.

Runner Stefanie Delgado (‘11) expressed her high spirits and determination, saying, “We are a much better team than what was displayed today. We will surely beat Esperanza in Sunset League Prelims!”

By Camille Reed, Staff writer 

Through invitationals, possible record breakers, and scary competitors, FVHS sophomore track runner Mady Ward sums up everything we should know and look forward to this track season. 

Baron Banner: Which athletes promise success this season? Any possible record breakers?

Mady Ward: You should definitely keep an eye on junior, Kyle Middlebrooks; senior, Austin Israelski; senior, Krissy Knowles; and senior, Bree Ramsy. I think Kyle will definitely break some records. In Idaho he got 6.8 seconds for 60 meters and the record is 6.6 seconds. 

BB: So what do you guys do to prepare for the season?

MW: I practice a lot! I also listen to my coach\’s advice, go to the weight room every week, and run in practice meets every Saturday.  

BB: With your heavy workout schedule, do you get to eat anything you want?

MW: Not really, I try to eat as healthy as possible. I bring sack lunches and stay away from the cafeteria food. Fruits and veggies are key eats in my nutrition, along with lots of water! 

BB: Are there any meets or events you\’re particularly looking forward to this season?

MW: I am looking forward to the Arcadia Invitational, one of our most competitive meets of the year. It\’s really fun because you get a chance to show your stuff.  

BB: Who, in your opinion, are FVHS\’s biggest competitors?

MW: Our biggest competitors are definitely Esperanza and Edison. They both look very strong this season and have always been our main opponents.  

BB: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me.

Both the girls and the boys\’ teams came through with strong performances at the Orange County Track and Field Championships meet.

The girls\’ squad had many athletes sick or injured and did not did not showcase their full potential. Senior Elizabeth Coe as usual continued her dominance by running a personal best in the 1600m of 5:00.24 and placing seventh. Coe impatiently strives for sub-5 in the mile, but claims to give it a try once more at Sunset League Finals. Later in the afternoon, she placed fourth in the 3200 of 10:57.

The big show was the varsity boys, who placed 5th place in the county. Only a sophomore, Kyle Middlebrooks won the county 100m in 10.81 and later came back and ran the 200 meters in 22.09, placing a very close second. Middlebrooks was featured as the Orange County Register Athlete of the Week for his performance on Saturday. Senior Kevin Jones, a multi-event athlete, also scored big winning the 300HH, his favorite event. With a personal best from Arcadia Inviataional in 38.35 seconds, Jones was also an Athlete of the Week by the Register earlier in the year.

Jones said, “I felt excited, but knew I had to step it up, and I felt good.”

Coach Brian Bivens claimed Jones is one of the hardest workers on the team.

Last but not least, senior Russell Westphal shocked himself with a new personal record of 9:32 in the 3200m and placing fourth among some of his toughest foes.