Mt. SAC Relays
Mt. San Antonio College
Walnut CA
Friday-Saturday, April 17-18, 2026
RESULTS AT BOTTOM OF PAGE
Andrzejek Blasts 800m Record, Finishes 4th Overall; Boys' DMR Earns 3rd Place
Normally a tough act to follow, the boys' distance squad was upstaged at Saturdays' conclusion of the 66th annual Mt. SAC Relays by a shocking performance from Claire Andrzejek (26) as the senior standout took advantage of a last-minute promotion to the invitational section of the 800m.
Wearing hip #18 as the slowest seed in the race, Andrzejek had the audacity to battle mid-pack during the 1st lap before executing an impressive surge through the field over the next 200m. After splitting 65-seconds at the half-way point, Andrzejek's pace never slowed. By the time she shot off the final turn she was still overtaking other competitors.
In the end, the mid-distance specialist crossed the finish in 4th place, nearly 5 seconds faster than her previous best. Upon glancing at the time displayed on the massive stadium jumbo-screen, she seemed shocked at the result. Andrzejek's time of 2:10.39 is almost 2 seconds faster than the previous school record set in 2016 by Sarah Cella (16).
The successful visit to Southern California was capped by an exciting Distance Medley Relay competition that saw Chase Nickens (28) avenge his baton bobble of the preceding evening with a sensational opening split of 3:06 in the 1200m that had his team stride for stride with distance juggernaut Jesuit of Carmichael, California.
Danny Dang (26) followed with a solid 50.8 for the 400m before passing to Carter Cook (27), who held on to 2nd place before Caden Ehrhorn (28) took over the anchor leg. While Ehrhorn was caught by the chase pack during the final lap, he battled to finish 3rd and helped the squad break the previous school record by 12 seconds.
The boys appeared motivated by the presence of legendary alumni Thomas Joyce (12) and Niki Moore (17), who currently sit 1st and 3rd respectively on the 1600m school record list, while the former holds the #2 all-time mark in the 3200m and the later holds the #2 all-time mark in the 800m.
Check out pictures and results of the 2026 Mt. SAC Relays HERE.
Boys Break 47-Year-Old NCS Record, Win Mt. SAC 4 x 1600m Relay in U.S. #6 Time
The record run that almost wasn't.
The vaunted Campolindo boys' distance squad toed the line at Friday's Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut California on a beautiful spring evening with mild temperatures and little wind, facing off against some of the top programs from across the state on a mission to better their school record, and perhaps, something more.
Yet, when the gun sounded, disaster struck.
Just a few strides into the contest, as competitors sprinted for position, a silvery sparkle arched overhead, followed by a gut-wrenching clang as the Cougar's baton landed on the track. Instead of charging to the lead, Chase Nickens (28) was forced to drop back, wait for the field to clear, and then dart to the outside lanes to retrieve his fickle cargo.
The sophomore showed incredible poise as he attached himself to the back of the field around the 1st turn and continued to move up over the next 3 laps. While lead-off leg rivals from Matilda Torres and South Pasadena streaked away, Nickens was lucky to be battling mid-pack as he handed the stick to Gavin Gunn (27). Further perspective was offered by the fact that Campolindo's "B" team, fueled by a remarkable 4:20.9 split from Nikola Van Delft (28) was several places ahead at the exchange.
The Cougars were resolute as Gunn methodically picked up positions through his leg. The 3-year veteran came through with a clutch personal best of 4:21.6 to pull his squad into contention in 3rd place at the front of the chase group, though Matilda Torres continued to hold a sizable advantage when Carter Cook (27) took over on leg 3. Remarkably, the "B" team remained in the hunt with a 4:28.2 split from Taiyo Chiba (28).
As it turned out, the Toros had played their aces on legs 1 and 2, which gave Cook a reasonable carrot to chase. By the time the junior had completed for laps, he had all but closed the gap on the leader. Once Caden Ehrhorn (28)took over on the anchor leg, the comeback had turned from improbable to imminent.
In fact, once Ehrhorn assumed the lead, the announcer turned from talke of courageous resurrection to the possibility of a record-book finish.
The top 4 x 1600 relay time (17:25.9c) in North Coast Section history was previously set in 1979 by legendary Mission San Jose High School, once the distance running powerhouse of Northern California.
With a solid 4:16.3 carry from Ehrhorn, the record now belongs to Campolindo. The Cougars managed to clip the previous mark by a single second. Their 17:24.08 time is also currently #6 in the country.
Even with those accolades, most impressive may have been the "B" team's 6th place finish in 17:53.27, which revealed an 8-man average of 4:25 for the defending Division 3 cross country state champions. Cody De La Cruz (26), the only senior among them, clocked 4:28.5, while junior anchor Samuel Hearn (27) finsihed in 4:35.7.
FRIDAY BOYS RESULTS
6400 Relay Chase Nickens 4:25.0-Gavin Gunn 4:21.6-Carter Cook 4:21.2-Caden Ehrhorn 4:16.3=17:24.08, Nikola Van Delft 4:20.9-Taiyo Chiba 4:28.2-Cody De La Cruz 4:28.5-Samuel Hearn 4:35.7=17:53.27
SATURDAY GIRLS RESULTS
SATURDAY BOYS RESULTS
Distance Medley Relay Chase Nickens 3:06.5-Danny Dang 50.8-Carter Cook 1:59.3-Caden Ehrhorn 4:17.7=10:14.28, Taiyo Chiba 3:18.9-Samuel Hearn 57.4-Cody De La Cruz 2:01.9-Nikola Van Delft 4:27.9=10:46.17