Cougar runners break local records

 
Two relay teams from San Lorenzo Valley High set new school track and field records at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in Los Angeles last weekend, while several runners broke league records.
A team of Kjell Johnson, Lucas Sinnott, Sid Chi and Cody Johnson took first in their heat in the boys 1,600-meter sprint medley relay, clocking a school record and a Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League record of 3 minutes, 31.83 seconds.
Jessica Jensen, Claire MacMillan, Summer Wallen and Anna Maxwell broke the school record in the girls 4-by-800-meter relay, finishing fourth in 9:28.65.
“I am really proud of all the kids,” said coach Rob Collins. “They ran fast at (the) Stanford (Invitational) and at Arcadia.”
In addition to the relay, MacMillan ran a personal-record mile in 5:03.92, the fifth-best time in her Saturday heat.
But it was Maxwell, a junior, who stole the show.
Maxwell, who recently changed her diet to eliminate gluten, according to Collins, broke the school and SCCAL record in the 3,200 meters with the second fastest time in the country this year. She finished in 10:10.51, just shy of Sarah Baxter of Simi Valley who ran 10:08.76.
Maxwell’s time shattered the 2000 school record belonging to Alejandra Barrientos, 10:11.19. Barrientos still holds school records in the 800 and 1,600 meters.
“I thought (the 3,200) was going to be the hardest to break,” Collins said.
Maxwell, 17, has qualified to travel to Ukraine to participate in the World Youth Championships from July 10 to 14, Collins said.
On the boys side, Cody Johnson ran a stellar 1:53.65 in the 800 and finished ninth after tripping at the start.