GALT, CA (MPG) - Hawk Stadium came alive on Saturday, Feb. 28 as Liberty Ranch hosted a track and field invitational, welcoming nine schools including cross-town rival Galt High. With athletes competing across frosh/sophomore and varsity divisions in both men’s and women’s events, the meet produced impressive individual performances and personal bests from athletes representing both local programs.

In the team standings, Galt’s men’s frosh/sophomore squad was the local highlight, finishing third overall with 57 points behind Chavez and Tokay. Liberty Ranch’s women’s frosh/sophomore team claimed third place with 47 points. On the varsity side, Liberty Ranch’s men tied for seventh with 24 points while Galt’s women finished fifth with 27 points.

Liberty Ranch senior Daniel Sosa turned heads in the varsity 100 meters, posting a personal best time of 11.71 seconds to finish eighth overall: the top local finisher in the event. Senior Francisco Ramos followed in 12th with an 11.86. In the 300 meter hurdles, senior Michael Lamson was outstanding, claiming second place with a time of 43.77 seconds, while junior Jose Lara III finished third at 44.29, giving Liberty Ranch a dominant one-two punch in the event.

Lamson also delivered in the varsity 400 meters, finishing fifth with a solid 54.08 seconds. The Liberty Ranch varsity 4x100 relay team of Lamson, Sosa, Devin Saechao and Ramos finished fourth with a time of 45.45 seconds.

In the frosh/sophomore division, Galt’s MC Azubuike led local sprinters with a fourth-place finish in the 100 meters at 12.03 seconds, while Liberty Ranch’s Malakai Gomez was right behind in fifth at 12.16. Gomez proved his versatility, also finishing fourth in the 400 meters with a personal best 57.51 seconds, while teammate Gunnar Rohner placed fifth at 57.97.

Galt’s distance runners dominated the frosh/sophomore ranks. Daniel Crownover placed third in the 1600 meters at 5:19.03 and followed with a second-place finish in the 3200 meters at 11:47.01. David Espinoza and Aaron Garcia added fourth and sixth place finishes respectively in the 3200. The Galt frosh/sophomore 4x800 relay team of Crownover, Aaron Gonzalez, Garcia and Espinoza claimed first place with a winning time of 9:45.49: the top team finish of the day for either local program.

Galt’s frosh/sophomore 4x100 relay team of Azubuike, Amilio Gomez, Mark Grammer and Jayden Sirben finished second with a strong 46.71, while the 4x400 team claimed second with a time of 3:56.42.

Liberty Ranch freshman Marwa Yosra was the standout performer of the women’s meet, sweeping the frosh/sophomore sprints with a fifth-place finish in the 100 meters at 14.28 seconds, fourth in the 200 at 28.32, and third in the 400 at 1:06.35. The Liberty Ranch frosh/sophomore 4x100 relay team claimed second place with a time of 55.06.

Galt senior Shayla China delivered one of the day’s most impressive performances, winning the varsity 100-meter hurdles outright with a personal best time of 20.84 seconds. China also placed 17th in the varsity 100 meters at 15.06 seconds.

Liberty Ranch senior Gwen Lindberg was sharp in the varsity 300 meter hurdles, claiming second place with a season best 56.16 seconds. Galt’s Nella Feilbach added fifth place in the same event.

Galt’s Emily Razo was the top local distance performer on the women’s side, finishing third in the varsity 800 meters with a season best 2:48.69 and seventh in the 1600 at 6:07.71. Freshman Danielle Aragon anchored Galt’s frosh/sophomore distance efforts with a third-place finish in the 1600 at 6:22.29 and second in the 3200 at 16:13.36.

With league season approaching, both programs showed the depth and talent necessary to compete at the highest level.