TRACK SEASON SEES ATHLETES START TO PEAK

By Shania Oyardo

The ISA track and field season continued Thursday afternoon with Meet 5(A) held at the JFK Field, featuring the Guam High Panthers, GW Geckos, FD Friars, GAA Angels, Tiyan Titans, and the ND Royals.

As the season enters its final stretch, teams are rushing to place in the top 12 in hopes to qualify for all island, but once again, the Guam High Panthers proved they remain firmly in control of the competition.
After arriving from the Far East Championships just earlier that morning, the Panthers wasted no time carrying that high-level momentum into local competition. Facing elite regional talent, the Guam High boys secured an impressive third-place overall finish at Far East, backed by multiple podium performances across key events.

Leading that charge was Caleb Steele, who delivered a standout performance in the 800-meter finals. Steele surged to a first-place finish with a personal record time of 1:56, setting a new high school record in the event. (Awaiting official word from GTFA)

“It was really fun to race in Japan and compete against schools we don’t normally go up against. The other schools were highly competitive,” said Steele.

In the sprints, Rai Johnson clocked a personal best 50.82 to take third in the 400-meter finals, with teammate Braden Flinn close behind in fourth at 50.95. Christian Poolite added to the Panthers’ medal count with a gold medal finish in the 300-meter hurdles (40.56), while Kaden Guerrero dominated the field events, claiming first in the discus with a throw of 44.21 meters.

The Panthers capped off their far east showing in dominant fashion, winning the 4×400-meter relay behind the team of Flinn, Wesley Augustine, Noah Harris, and Johnson—further highlighting the team’s depth and closing strength.

“When I take a team to the far east, it’s more of individual events than anything else. Part of the reason why is because they don’t give us enough time to qualify,” said head coach Joe Taitano. “Nonetheless, I’m very proud of the performances we had at Far East.”

Despite the quick turnaround after just competing on Wednesday, the Panthers showed no signs of slowing down at Meet 5(A). Instead, they continued to build on that momentum, delivering commanding performance across multiple events.

Polite, Egbert Lead Panthers at Meet 5

Back on island, the Panthers boys once again leaned on their depth across events. Christian Polite emerged as one of the meet’s top performers in the sprints, capturing first place in both the 100-meter (12.00) and 400-meter (55.15), showcasing his range across sprint distances.

In the distance events, Egbert continued to anchor the Panthers’ dominance, taking first in both the 1500-meter(4:44) and 800-meter races (2:09).

“Hoping that everything goes well, this year is probably the best we have statistically speaking. We are deep in almost all the events. I feel really good about how the team is lining up and ranking against the competition,” said coach Taitano. “This is all due to the hard work of the kids. Not even just last year or this year, but this work ethic started years ago when they were underclassmen.”

While the Panthers once again controlled the spotlight, other teams continued to show flashes of competitiveness with podium finish performances from GAA Angels Mateo Anderson in high jump and teammate Evan Mendiola in the throws. The Friars also put on some standout performances from Leland Plinske in the 110m hurdles, Isaiah Salas in javelin and Kaden Sablan in the jumps.

PHOTO GALLERY BROUGHT TO YOU BY: