Teams send dozens to NCS
The Piedmont High School track teams enjoyed a ton of success at the West Alameda County Conference track and field championships May 6, 8 at San Leandro.
The boys team took second overall with 83 points. The girls finished fourth with 77. The teams combined for 40 qualifiers to the North Coast Section Bayshore championships May 16 at Hayward.
“Going into this year, we really didn’t know what to expect of this team,” Highlanders coach Pouyan Assadi said. “We graduated several athletes who scored. This year we lacked some of those first place finishes we were accustomed to getting.
Piedmont’s Cora Brozowski Schrader (23) and Cora Chun (25) during the girls 3,200 meters at the WACC Championships. 
Skylar Best took fifth in the 800 meters at the WACC track and field championships. She qualified for the NCS Bayshore championships on May 16.
“We’re coming up close to our ceiling (with this year’s team). Because were so sophomore and junior heavy, we’re looking to finish this year strong and taking that momentum into next season. The boys should be a dominant team and the girls should be solid.”
Claire Aubrecht was the top scorer for Piedmont, setting school records while finishing second in both the 100 and 200 meters and running legs on the first place 400 relay and third place 1,600 relay. Aubrecht ran 12.54 seconds in the 100, behind San Leandro’s Emonee Goynes (12.38) and 25.92 in the 200, behind Bishop O’Dowd’s Sanai Patterson (25.68). The 400 relay of Akunna Iroh, Aubrecht, Darcy McKee and Nia Jackson finished in 49.76. The 1,600 team of Aubrecht, Skylar Best, Daniela Lucaccini and Iroh was timed in 4:18.56.
“She’s becoming one of he most decorated sprinters in our history,” Assadi said. “We’ll see if we can get her some experience this year with the goal of getting her on the podium at (the NCS) Meet of Champions (next year).”
Malia Williams won the girls high jump at four feet, 10 inches, leading a wave of Highlanders in the event. Andrea Martin was third at 4-8, while Lucia Dorsey took sixth at 4-4. Uzoma Iroh, Martin and Saniyah Johnson went 4-5-6 in the shot put. Iroh recorded a mark of 34-4 ½, Martin 33-5 and Johnson 31-7. Iroh also took fourth in the discus at 107-2.
Best finished fifth in the 800 in 2:24.28.
The boys were led by Avedis Gourjian’s win in the pole vault at 12-0. Henry Mitchell was fifth at 10-0 while Mateo Long was sixth at the same height. Sebastien Swain finished second in both the 800 (1:55.14) and 1,600 (4:18.72). Bishop O’Dowd’s James Prater won the former in 1:54.20 while the Dragons Sebastian Taylor took the latter in 4:14.81.
Reham Mumtaz set a school record at 11.04 in taking third in the 100. He also was fourth in the long jump at 21-6. Raiden Holt took second in the 110 hurdles at 17.25 and sixth in the triple jump at 39-10 ¾. Dresden Schulte-Sasse was third in the 3,200 in 9:53.65, while Colby Hong was third in the discus at 120-8.
Bishop O’Dowd’s James Prater (1) leads Piedmont’s Sebastien Swain (2) and O’Dowd’s Sebastian Taylor during the 800 meters. The three would finish in that order. 
Sean Heafey is shown during the 110 high hurdles at the WACC track and field championships on May 8 at San Leandro.
The boys 1,600 relay team of Mumtaz, Swain, Ben Gerber and Maddox Ma was second in 3:27.45 behind Castro Valley (3:25.98). The 400 team of Mumtaz, Ma, Gerber and Derin Sabuncuoglu was third in 43.69. Ma was fourth in the 400 at 51.39 and sixth in the 200 at 22.92.