Sahuaro’s Track team’s last Wednesday meet was hosted at Sahuaro and was the senior night. In the middle of the meet, there was a ceremony full of tears and laughs for the seniors who had graduated. Each was given recognition and cheers for their accomplishments during their time on the team.
Zariyah Whitlock has run track for Sahuaro for three years. She runs in the 100, 200, and is on the 4×1 relay. According to Athletic.Net, Zariyah currently holds the school record for the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.24. She is #1 in Arizona Division 3 for the 100m and is #6 for D3 in the 200m. She is committed to running track at Pima College, and signed on May 1st! Zariyah also plays varsity soccer and will be playing during her college years at Pima.
Drazzil Brehmer has run track at Sahuaro for two years. She ran the 100/200 her sophomore year, but she says that she “didn’t take track very seriously, but by my junior year, I began to enjoy track more and the people surrounding me, so that encouraged me to be more involved.” Drazzil ran the 400 last year as her main event, and just this year she completely switched over to hurdles and made that her main event.
Maggie Boyd started track this year, and she immediately jumped into doing hurdles without any experience. Although Maggie wasn’t the best at first, she pushed herself through the strenuous practices and urged herself not to quit. Being the tenacious person she is, she stuck with it and became the 1# female hurdler on the team.
Elijah Smith has run for Sahuaro for three years. He started off sprinting the 100, 200, and 400. At the start of his junior year, he switched to long jump and triple jump, as well as joining the 4×400 team. His jumping skills allowed him to make it to divisionals in his junior and senior years. This year, Elijah says, “I am shooting for state for triple or long jump.”
Montana Poe joined track her junior year. She started with the 100m and ran a 13 flat during her first practice and a 12.9 at her first meet. She was immediately put onto the 4×1 team. Last year, she was the only female high jumper, and she was coached by her own brother. This year, Montana still runs the 4×4 and the high jump, but she also got into long jump and is now ranked #1 in D3 and #5# in the state with a jump of 8′ 8.00”
Marley Gandee is Sahuaro’s top female distance runner. She is ranked #21 in D3 in the 1600 with a time of 5:38.67 and runs the 3200 in 12.20.67. Marley’s mother is an ultra runner who runs marathons and 100ks; she is who inspired Marley to get into distance running. Marley signed at North Park University to run track and cross country with a full ride for academic
Jarmell Webb has been on Sahuaro’s track team for two years. He runs the 100m with a time of 10.96 and the 200m with a time of 22.35. Jarmell is also a starter on the varsity football team, and on May 1st, he signed to play football on the collegiate level at Ottawa University.
Liz Ugwu is #1 in D3 for shot put with a distance of 41′ 9”. She is also #1 for discus with a distance of 133′ 4” and is ranked #3 in the state for girls’ shot put. She signed to Pima Community College along with Zariyah.
Nick Nunez and Madyson Patty are also seniors on the team, and both participated in field events and were both recognized at the ceremony.
