On Saturday, Feb. 20, the boys and girls track team hosted and competed in their first track meet of the season. The Downey All Comers meet is not only for the track athletes to compete against outside competition, but to give people of all ages the chance to compete against each other. Even though the meet was the first of the season, and more like a warm-up, some Vikings showed that their offseason workouts and preparation paid off.
Sophomore Cesar Chavez set a new personal best in the mile with the time of four minutes and forty-five seconds. Chavez has only been at Downey for two years and has been running for the varsity team since his freshman year.
“Everyone was really good, so I was pushed even more to beat my personal record, and I did exactly that,” Chavez said.
Other outstanding performances on Saturday included a boy and girl tag team duo in the 60 meter hurdles event by seniors Johanna Umana and Captain Robert Duvenary who both placed first in their hurdle events.
“It felt really good to compete against people that weren’t from Downey and to take first place felt even better,” Duvenary said.
Many athletes competed in more than one event but not all could cross the finish line with third place or better. Junior Brittany Householder showed that with hard work and the desire to win anything is possible. She competed in the 600 meters and the 200 meters. Householder placed first in the 600 meters and placed second in the 200 meters.
“Running against all different ages of people from different places was fun and competitive, because I ran with a lot of fast girls that pushed me to compete better,” Householder said.
The Downey All Comers meet was successful. It gave everyone a chance to run, jump, and throw and enjoy themselves. With this meet the athletes will have an idea of where they stand right now and what it will take to come out on top.