Storm can’t stop the Russell Cup

On a stormy Saturday on April 13, Carpinteria track and field hosted 50 teams for the 104th annual Russell Cup at Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium, where athletes, coaches and volunteers battled through wind and rain for a long day of competition.

Carpinteria’s varsity girls track and field athletes had an impressive day, winning several individual events and holding on to a narrow lead until late in the day. In the end, the Warriors girls took second to Kern Valley, which won the varsity girls competition with 61 total points. Carpinteria finished with 53.

Carpinteria junior Averi Alexander continued her dominant season in the jumping events, taking first place in both the long jump (15’10’’) and triple jump (32’2.5’’). Senior Mika Mullikin took first place in the girls 300-meter hurdles with a time of 50.9 seconds, and senior Audrey Kramer fought through a torrential downpour in the girls 3200 meters to take third place with a new personal record of 12:40.3.

The younger Warrior athletes also had an impressive day, with the freshman and sophomore group of girls setting a new school record in the 4x100 relay. The team of freshman Izzy Scott, sophomore Giarys Gomez, sophomore Vivian Huskins and freshman Kaydance Gardner took first place with a time of 52.65, breaking the previous underclassmen record of 53.08, set in the 2001 Russell Cup. 

Another Carpinteria local, Elsabet Schlobohm, made her Russell Cup debut competing as a freshman for Providence School. The freshman runner took first place and set a new personal best in the freshman/sophomore 400 meter sprint along with a third-place finish in the girls 1,600 meters.

On the boys side, Carpinteria took fourth overall, while Oakwood and Edgewood tied for the top spot, both finishing with a team score of 45.

Carpinteria’s varsity boys 4x400 relay team of senior Daniel Velazquez and juniors Nathan Carrillo, Andriy Alvarado and Joel De Lira took the top spot in the final race of the day, providing one last highlight on a wet and rainy day with a first-place time of 3:47.7. Carrillo also set a new personal record with a second-place finish in the varsity boys 300-meter hurdles with a time of 44.7.

“All in all, it was a challenging but rewarding day for the Carpinteria squad,” said Carpinteria coach Van Latham. “I want to thank our outstanding cadre of volunteers who provided excellent help during trying conditions. The Russell Cup is an outstanding event because of these fantastic people.”