By Bill Ford
Special to The Catholic Voice

The annual CYO Championship Meet was held with 42 parish and school CYO track teams participating from CYO Track and Field in the Oakland diocese. More than 500 boys and girls in grades 3-8 participated in the two-day event at James Logan High School, Union City and Granada High School, Livermore. This past season, more than 2,500 runners participated in CYO Track and Field. The meet was the final event in the three-month CYO track season.

Events included 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1600 meter runs; long jump; softball throw; tetherball toss; high jump; shot put and a variety of relays. The meet included a parade of athletes, an opening prayer featuring runners from St. Jerome CYO, El Cerrito and St. Philip Neri CYO, Alameda, along with the presentation of adult recognition awards.

Several young athletes broke diocesan records at the meet. Mikayla Scott from Holy Rosary, Antioch, broke the record in the Seventh Grade girls 400 meter with a run of 58.9 seconds. Her brother, Dylan Scott, set a new record for the Seventh Grade boys 800 meter with a run of 2:16.9. Mikayla also holds records in the Fourth Grade girls 400 meter (1:07.0) and the Fifth Grade girls 400 meter (1:03.57). Dylan holds the record in the Fourth Grade boys 400 meter (1:05.8) and the Fourth Grade boys 800 meter (2:36.9). The two runners are triplets, sister Jasmine also runs for Holy Rosary CYO.

Other records set: Sierra Ransweiler from St. Joan of Arc set a record in the Fourth Grade girls 800 meter with a run of 2:39.8 breaking the old record set by Christina Chenault, St. Mary, in 2007. The boys relay team from St. Ignatius, Antioch, established a record in the Fifth Grade 4X100 meter relay, running in 55.4 seconds, breaking a record set by Christ the King in 1991. Emma Hight, St. Mary's, Walnut Creek, tied a record in the Eighth Grade girls 800 meter set by Crystall Threatt, St. Augustine, Oakland, in 1991 with a mark of 2:21.9.

Records for the Diocesan Track Meet have been kept since the first Diocesan Meet, more than 45 years ago.

Adult coaches and meet officials were recognized for outstanding contributions to the CYO program during the opening prayer ceremony at the meet. Lifetime achievement awards were presented to: Sister Mary Denise, PBVM (CYO Track Section 2), Boyd Fottrell (St. Isidore/St. Joan of Arc), Jack Kearney (St. Mary, Walnut Creek). Recognition awards for outstanding service were presented to: Maurice Atendido (St. Patrick, Rodeo), Erik Hoglund (School of the Madeleine), John Embody (Transfiguration) and Fred Powell (Assumption).

For complete meet results or for more information on CYO Track and Field, visit the track page of the CYO website: www.oaklandcyo.org.

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