Aptos' boys, girls earn team title repeats at SCCAL Track and Field Championships

SANTA CRUZ - Aptos High's Ella Boyes and Scotts Valley's Ava Decleve and went out with a bang at the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League Track and Field Championships at Harbor High on Saturday. The seniors both earned three individual event wins.

Boyes, who is headed to UC San Diego to study public law, was named the 2026 Bob Emswiler Award winner as the high-scoring athlete at the league meet with 36 points. She took first in the 110 hurdles in a personal-best 16.02, 300 hurdles (16.02), and long jump (17 feet, 9 inches), and third in 200 (26.56).

Boyes ran the 200 for the first time this season at Thursday's SCCAL Trials. She added the event in her bid to win the Emswiler Award.

"She has been the MVP for us this year," Mariners coach Thad Moren said. "It was cool to get her the opportunity to do that."

Decleve, who is committed to UCLA, took first in the 200 in a personal-best 25.24 seconds, 400 in 57.30, and 800 in 2:18.85. She also helped the Falcons take second in the 4×800 relay final on Thursday. She finished with 32.5 points.

Falcons coach Todd Hoffman was impressed with Decleve's accomplishments. "That's a hard triple," he said. "She's really strong; she has the mileage and the training. She really crushed it."

The Mariners (220 points), who only have eight seniors in their program of 65 athletes, dominated in earning the girls team title. Scotts Valley (93) took second and was followed by Harbor (54.5), Santa Cruz (52.5), Soquel (42), and San Lorenzo Valley (29) in the standings.

"I'm proud of all of our kids," Hoffman said. "The trials and today. They really went after it."

The top two finishers in each event qualified for the Central Coast Section Semifinals at Gilroy High on May 16.

Unlike Thursday's trials, sprinters had to deal with a damp, heavy air and a headwind. Conditions weren't ideal.

Santa Cruz junior Joy Roberts took first in the 100 (12.83) and second in the 200 (25.85), and teamed with Ila Dawson, Ellery Born, and Joy Hilldale for the win in the 4×100 relay (51.34).

Aptos junior Kenzie Culbertson took first in the 1,600 in a personal-best 5:09.34, second in the 800 (2:19.77) and teamed with Kate Detoso, Mata Overby, and Myla Appleby for the win in the 4×400 relay (4:19.02). She also helped the Mariners take first in the 4×800 relay on Thursday.

Moren was happy for Culbertson, who had to sit our last season after transferring from Mount Madonna. She turned in her third 5:09 in the 1,600 this season.

"She can just about do anything from the 400 to the 1,600," her coach said.

Aptos senior Maya Schiro, who is committed to Chico State, took first in the 3,200 in a personal-best 10:52.23.

Including Schiro, the league advanced four runners to the CCS Semifinals in the 3,200 after Scotts Valley junior Hanna Shehorn (11:00.49), Santa Cruz sophomore Isla Roake (11:00.87), and Falcons junior Hailey Shehorn (11:22.08) were all under the qualifying.

Soquel senior Summer Shields took first in the shot put (27-11) and second in the discus (84-5).

Aptos junior Ellie Marta took first in the discus (104-6) and third in the shot put (24-6.5). Classmate Bella Briceno-Nicholson took first in the triple jump, with a personal-best of 33-8, and high jump (4-8).

Boys

Santa Cruz senior Kaden Steele, who is headed to San Jose State University to major in aerospace engineering, was a rocket in his three events and was the Bob Emswiler Award winner with 24 points.

Steele took first in the 100 hurdles (16.15), 300 hurdles (41.42), and teamed with Angelo Myer, Cruz Snell, Brady Meyer for first in the 4×100 relay (43.82).

"He ran his heart out. He always does," said Cardinals coach Don Roberts.

Aptos senior Brady Bliesner, also a Chico State commit, took first in the 1,600 (4:21.83) and 3,200 (9:45.56) at the SCCAL Championships to help the Aptos (147 points) win the team title.

The Mariners finished ahead of Santa Cruz (122), SLV (101), Scotts Valley (95), Soquel (49), and Harbor (5) in the standings.

SLV sophomore Finn Lonsdale took first in the high jump (5-10) and posted a personal best in the triple jump (39-0) for the win.

Lonsdale edged SLV sophomore Charles Kressman (38-11) by one inch in the triple jump.

Aptos freshman Xander Gonzalez and Soquel senior Django Diallak cleared 5-8 in the high jump.

Scotts Valley senior Anton Khomenko took first in the 100 (11.30) and and third in the 200 (23.42). He also teamed with Evan Wong, William von Haunalter, and Aaron Weiss for first in the 4×400 relay (3:29.84) and ran a leg and rand a leg on the 4×100 relay (43.89), which took second.

The 4×400, the final event of the meet, was a must-watch battle. Scotts Valley, second-place SLV (3:30.62), and third-place Santa Cruz (3:30.72) were separated by less than one second.

Santa Cruz's Myer also took first in the 200 (23.23) and second in the 100 (11.34).

SLV junior Colton Ryssemus finished the 400 in 51.67 to edge Soquel sophomore Tyler Sakkestad (52.07) for the title. Both turned in season best times.

Scotts Valley's Weiss, a senior, also won the 800 title in a personal-best 1:54.29.

Aptos junior Sam Hansen took second in the 800 (1:56.43) and 1,600 (4:27.73), both season-best marks. He competed for the first time since February on April 23 after recovering from a broken collarbone.

"He felt good to run," Moren said. "It's going to be fun to see him train (for the CCS Semifinals). And he'll help Brady as well."

Santa Cruz senior Sebastian Williams took first in the shot put (39-2)

Aptos senior Bryce Hoops dominated in the discus, winning with a personal-best throw of 140-7, and second in the shot put (37-6). He beat the next closest thrower in the discus by more than 20 feet.

Scotts Valley senior Vaughn Chomentowski took first in the long jump (19-6.5). He beat junior Preston Carvalho (19-5) of Aptos by 1.5 inches.

IF YOU GO

CCS Semifinals

When: May 16, field events, 9:30 a.m.; track events, 10 a.m.

Where: Gilroy HIgh

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