The Servite 4×100 relay team did it again.
The Friars foursome broke their own Orange County record in the event Saturday with a time of 40.56 seconds in the Trabuco Hills Invitational and Distance Carnival at Trabuco Hills High.
The team is made up of sophomores and freshmen. The sophomores are Robert Gardner and Benjamin Harris. Kamil Pelovello and Jorden Wells are the freshmen.
The time of 40.56 is the fastest in California this high school season and the 11th fastest in the nation.
The foursome tied the county record of 41.24 in the Trabuco Roundup meet on March 1, broke the mark with a 40.98 at the Redondo Invitational on March 8 and broke it again with a 40.82 in the Trinity Cluster meet on March 20.
The Friars 4×200 relay team also set a county record in the event March 28 with its time of 1 minute, 25.55 seconds at the Texas Relays. That team’s members are sophomores Harris and Gardner and freshmen Jaelen Hunter and Jace Wells.
Servite’s 4×400 relay team is also a county record holder. That foursome of Hunter, Pelovello and Jace and Jorden Wells set the O.C. record with a time of 3 minutes, 12.79 seconds at the Texas Relays.
Servite track coach Brandon Thomas has been impressed but not shocked by how well the young relay teams are performing.
“The main thing is they love competing for one another and they’re all certified dogs,” Thomas said. “They love the competition. They’re not scared of the big moment.”
Hunter won the Trabuco meet’s 400 in 47.74 seconds Saturday. That’s the best time in the county this season and the fourth-best time in California this season. Harris won the 100 in 10.52 and the 200 in a wind-aided 21.10.
Also at the Trabuco Hills Invitational, Rosary junior Justine Wilson ran the fastest 400 time in Orange County this season, winning it in 55.32 seconds.
In the Stanford Invitational on Saturday, Dana Hills senior Evan Noonan completed the 1,600 in 4 minutes, 4.88 seconds, the best time in the nation this season.
The Arcadia Invitational is Friday and Saturday at Arcadia High. The Servite relay teams, Wilson and Noonan and many other top Orange County track and field athletes are expected to compete in the prestigious meet.