The Bronco Invite is a tough meet to get in as they take only the top 16 athletes per event. Head Track and Field coach, Cameron Gary, supplies the details of the top Islander competitors at the meet.
March 15 Bronco Invite
- Select members of the Islander Track & Field team were in action on Saturday, March 15Â at the Don Jones Bronco Invitational, held at Rancho Bernardo high school. This was our third competition of the year, but our first higher-level invitational meet. There were over 50 schools from the San Diego CIF section, plus one from Riverside County were in attendance.
- The Islanders were led by standout sprinter, senior Lauren Gilhooly. She won the women’s invitational 100m Dash, clocking a San Diego CIF section leading, wind-legal time of 11.92 seconds. This was her 2025 season best and her margin of victory was over six tenths of a second. This may not seem like much time, but for a sprinter running at those speeds that is a winning margin of around six meters. Gilhooly is currently undefeated in this event this season.
- Gilhooly also ran a leg on the victorious women’s 4×100 Relay. She was joined by junior Micaela Gistaro, junior Summer Little and sophomore Maya Wilson. This is the first time this quartet has competed this season and they defeated a strong Steele Canyon HS squad, who had previously clocked the second fastest time in the San Diego CIF section this year. The Islanders clocked a time of 48.43 seconds, which was just 2/100 of a second off the Bronco Invitational meet record. This time also currently ranks the Islander quartet third in the San Diego section and 12th in California.
- This same quartet teamed up to win their heat and place fourth overall in the women’s 4×400 Relay. They clocked a time of 4:09.06. This is their first time competing in that event this year. And this time currently ranks the Islanders 6th in the San Diego CIF section.
- Other top finishers at this meet were Gistaro, who placed sixth overall in the women’s invitational 400 meters. She clocked a time of 59.75 seconds. This time currently ranks her ninth overall in the San Diego section. Junior Nathan Ayan finished ninth in the men’s invitational 800-meter run. This was the season’s best for Ayan, and the first time he has dipped under two minutes this season. His time also currently ranks him 16th in the San Diego section.
- The Islanders will have this coming week off from competition. They will return to action the following week on March 26, with a Central League meet versus Kearny, Morse, and Crawford high schools. A few select Islanders will also compete that weekend (March 29) at the 44th Annual Mt. Carmel Sundevil Track & Field Invitational, the largest invitational meet held in San Diego.
