Six Mira Costa athletes compete at track CIF-SS finals

TRACKSTAR: Junior Parker Stickney races in the boys’ 1,600-meter on May 13 at Moorpark High School in Ventura County. Stickney was the only male athlete from Costa to reach the CIFSS finals. Photo Courtesy of Parker Stickney

Noki Lam
Staff Writer

The CIF Southern Section (CIF-SS) finals took place on May 13, in which six Costa athletes
competed in various events at Moorpark High School. Junior Parker Stickney raced in the boys’
1,600-meter; senior Ana Chittenden participated in the girls’ 3,200-meter; and seniors Allie
Davis and Trudy Watkins, junior Avana Zenner, and sophomore Lauren Gilhooly competed in
the girls’ 4×400 relay.

Junior Parker Stickney (far right) races in the boys’ 1600 meter on May 13. Stickney was the only male athlete from Costa to reach the CIFS finals.

The regional CIF-SS finals required the participating schools to compete and top other schools
in the Southern Section region to make it through multiple rounds of competition, one of which
included a Southern Section preliminary meet that took place a week earlier on May 6.
“Last year we made it to the prelims, so we all felt that we could go even further with the extra
year of training under our belt,” Watkins said. “We’re all more skilled than we were last year, and
it definitely helped us make it to the finals.”

Stickney, who has been a top runner for the Mustangs all year, was the only male athlete from
Costa to reach the final round. He finished 8th as an individual in the 1,600-meter finals, naming
himself a top-10 finisher of the thousands of Southern Section athletes.

Senior Anna Chittenden runs the 3200 meter.

“Making it to finals and getting a top ten overall mile time in all of the Southern Section as a
junior was unimaginable just six months ago,” Stickney said.

In the girls’ 3,200-meter, senior Anna Chittenden qualified and placed 11th. According to
Chittenden, her strategy in this long distance race was to stay with the herd until the end,
despite her fatigue from a long season.

“I knew I had to focus on staying with the chase pack,” Chittenden said. “My goal was just to
stick with girls I knew would help me pull through.”

unior Parker Stickney paces with other athletes in the 1600 meter.

Davis, Zenner, Gilhooly, and Watkins were able to finish 6th overall in the girls’ 4×400 relay.
According to Zenner, reaching the finals in relay was an accomplishment that the four girls were
proud of.

“The competition at this meet for this event was extremely good,” Zenner said.
The four girls were able to set new personal records and finish as the top team in Costa’s
history for track relays. According to Gilhooly, the teams’ chemistry allowed for them to compete
and finish amongst the top teams in the region.

Seniors Allie Davis, Trudy Watkins, junior Avana Zenner, and sophomore Lauren Gilhooly pose after finishing the girls’ 4×400 relay.

“Our chemistry is phenomenal,” Gilhooly said. “We all love each other on and off the track, being
friends who can hold each other accountable is what separates us [from the rest].”

According to Zenner, competing at the CIF-SS finals confirmed Costa as one of the top team
within the region and sets the Mustangs up for further achievement in the coming years.

“This meet was my favorite meet of the season,” Davis said. “This was our first time competing
at such a competitive event that we hadn’t experienced before, so getting here was really
exciting.”