Mt. SAC is a highly competitive track and field meet in California, bringing together top athletes from across the region. Recently, Shadow Ridge’s track team earned the opportunity to compete at this elite meet, with only ten athletes qualifying to attend, an accomplishment on its own. Despite the high level of competition, every Shadow Ridge athlete who participated came home with a medal, an impressive feat at such a prestigious event.

The Mt. SAC stadium is massive, even featuring nine lanes instead of the standard eight, allowing for larger and more competitive races. According to head coach Micheal Smith, qualifying for the meet is extremely difficult. “Mt. SAC attracts the best athletes from all over. You have to be in the top of their two heats or flights,” Smith continues, “That means being among the top 36–40 entries in events like the 800 meters, which is insanely hard to do.”

For Smith, being selected for Mt. SAC reflects more than just fast times. “It means you are on the road to being one of the best around,” he said. “It shows you’ve been committed to your training and pushing yourself beyond limits most wouldn’t understand.”

Smith also emphasized how meaningful the experience is for both athletes and coaches. “The moments that stick out to me the most are every time one of my athletes gets to compete there,” he said. “We’ve been one of the most competitive teams at the meet, which is a huge accomplishment considering many attending schools are private and recruit heavily.”

With all ten athletes placing in the top three of their events, Shadow Ridge proved it can compete with some of the best programs around, showing their talent and dedication to the track. Many athletes expressed their excitement when going to this track meet. 

Athlete Mayci Barney said, “It was super cool to be competing at such a high level, I really enjoyed the whole experience and getting second place in the 4×800 was super fun and cool.” She continued,”I feel like it made me be able to push harder cause there was more competition and I was able to do really good.”

With such a strong showing at Mt. SAC, Shadow Ridge’s track team continues to prove that hard work and consistency can compete with even the most elite programs. As the season progresses, this performance sets a high standard and builds momentum for future meets.