ALL-COUNTY GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD TEAM 2023
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Jada Gatlin, Mission Viejo
Versatility and excellence infrequently coexist in sports.
They did coexist for Mission Viejo senior Jada Gatlin, which is why she is the Orange County track and field girls athlete of the year.
Gatlin displayed her excellence in the triple jump, the long jump and as a sprinter on the Diablos 4×100 relay team.
Gatlin’s top mark this season in the triple jump, her specialty, came in the most important meet of the year, the CIF State Championships. Her mark of 40 feet, 3.25 inches was good enough for third place in the state meet.
Mission Viejo senior Jada Gatlin finished third in the triple jump at the CIF State Track and Field Championships. (Photo by Lou Ponsi)
Her personal-record in the long jump, 18 feet, 7,75 inches, came at the South Coast League championships and made her the league champion in that event. It was the second-longest high jump in Orange County girls track and field this season.
She finished second in the long jump at the CIF Southern Section Division 3 finals, and first in the triple jump at the CIF-SS Masters Meet.
Gatlin won the triple jump at the Trabuco Hills Invitational and at the Triton Invitational.
And she was a member of the Mission Viejo 4×100 relay team — along with junior Hannah Bassett, sophomore Audrey Kays and seniors Emily Psarras — that finished first at the Orange County Championships in April at Mission Viejo High.
The latter was Gatlin’s personal highlight from her senior season.
“That was at our home track,” Gatlin said, “and it was our last time competing on my home track, so it was a special moment for me.”
Gatlin won the long jump at the Orange County Championships that day and finished second in the triple jump.
Another of her highlights was her mark of 40-8 in the triple jump at the Trabuco Hills Invitational on April 1. It would stand as the best girls mark in Orange County this season and the second-best in the state.
The triple jump is simultaneously Gatlin’s favorite event – “I’m better at it,” she explained – and her most challenging.
“You have three jumps,” she said. “And you have to be perfect with each one. If one of the jumps is even the slightest bit wrong then the whole thing goes wrong.”
Gatlin’s 39-10.75 in the triple jump was the best mark at the CIF-SS Masters Meet. Her 39-4 at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational was the third-best mark there.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Brandon Thomas, Rosary
Rosary suddenly is a program on the rise in Orange County track and field.
Rosary in the 2021 CIF Southern Section Division 4 championships finished 35th among the 40 teams that registered points.
In 2022 the Royals finished seventh in the Division 4 team scoring finals. They finished third in the Division 4 finals this season.
Rosary’s Brandon Thomas is the Orange County girls track and field coach of the year for the 2023 season. (Photo courtesy of Brandon Thomas)
“I think all we did differently as a coaching staff is set high expectations for the girls,” said Thomas, who is also the track and field coach at Servite, where his son Max Thomas was the county track and field boys athlete of the year last season. “We raised the bar and held the girls accountable.”
Rosary’s 2024 season could be good, too.
Milan Smith, a junior, finished eighth the 100 meters at the CIF Southern Section Division 4 finals. That division included the deep group of Serra sprinters. In the 100 hurdles, Smith finished seventh and Rosary freshman Jada Faison was ninth.
In the Division 4 300 hurdles finals, Faison finished second, Rosary freshman Lorrin Hervey was fifth and junior Paige Sorenson was seventh. Faison was second in the long jump, too. The Royals finished third in the 4×100 relay and fifth in the 4×400 relay.
A couple of seniors also fared well at the CIF-SS finals. Colleen Schmidt was the pole vault champion and Jeanelle Wilson finished third in the triple jump.
ALL-COUNTY TEAM
(Selections made based on top marks and level of performance in the CIF Southern Section Finals and the CIF State meet.)
FIRST TEAM
(All distances in meters)
100: Ava Simos, Corona del Mar, Jr.,
200: Ava Simos, Corona del Mar, Jr.
400: Maya Woolforde, JSerra, Fr.
800: Keaton Robar, Newport Harbor, So.
1,600: Allura Markow, Dana Hills, Sr.
3,200: Holly Barker, Laguna Hills, So.
100 hurdles: Charis Wondercheck, Pacifica Christian, Sr.
300 hurdles: Lindy Tarvin, Edison, Sr.
4×100 relay: Trabuco Hills
4×400 relay: JSerra
4×800 relay: JSerra
High jump: Natalie McCarty, Newport Harbor. Fr.
Long jump: Jada Faison, Rosary, Fr.
Triple jump: Jada Gatlin, Mission Viejo, Sr.
Pole vault: Jessica Davis, Trabuco Hills, Sr.
Shot put: Alexa Sheldon, Edison, Jr.
Discus: Siena Lambert, JSerra, Sr.
SECOND TEAM
100: Brooklyn Davis, Los Alamitos, Sr.
200: Avery Groves, Santa Margarita, Jr.
400: Hannah Bassett, Mission Viejo, So.
800: Georgia Jeanneret, JSerra, Jr.
1,600: Annie Ivarsson, Dana Hills, So.
3,200: Makenzie McRae, Huntington Beach, Jr.
100 hurdles: Skyler Serrano, Beckman, So.
300 hurdles: Hanna Barmettler, JSerra, Sr.
4×100 relay: Rosary
4×400 relay: Rosary
4×800 relay: Trabuco Hills
High jump: Jaslene Massey, Aliso Niguel, Fr.
Long jump: Jada Gatlin, Mission Viejo, Sr.
Triple jump: Karalyn Cheng, El Dorado, Jr.
Pole vault: Isabella Abrahams, Fountain Valley, Jr.
Shot put: Taylor Hofland Los Alamitos, Sr.
Discus: Alexa Sheldon, Edison, Jr.
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