Senior Sean Conley leaned into the final stretch of his race and crossed the finish line just behind third place at the Central Coast Section Championships, finishing a season for the Scots defined by success, hard work, and historic achievements.
Both the varsity boys and varsity girls teams wrapped up the dual meet season with strong records of 6-1. While the girls fell to Mills in their first meet of the year and the boys were edged out by San Mateo in their final tri-meet, Carlmont’s performance when it mattered most was unmatched.
“I think this season we surpassed all expectations,” said head coach Josh Shaefer. “6-1 on both sides, plus winning the Peninsula Athletic League varsity championships. That’s amazing.”
The season ended on a high note at the PAL finals meet, where Carlmont swept the competition. The girls placed first with 94 points, followed by Aragon and Mills. The boys edged out Menlo-Atherton by just four points to finish first, with San Mateo close behind.
“The PAL finals meet is where winning really matters,” Shaefer said. “It’s where the team comes together across all events. We can rack up points because we’re strong in so many areas.”
Carlmont’s depth wasn’t just shown through team results. Individual athletes etched their names into school history by breaking multiple records.
For the girls, Kiana Chen broke two school records in hurdles: the 300-meter hurdles in 45.17 seconds and the 400-meter hurdles in 1 minute, 4.96 seconds. The distance crew also made history, with Daniela Cuadros, Katelyn Elliot, Anita Metzler, and Sarita Josephson setting new records in both the 4×800 (9:27.59) and 4×1600 (21:32.37) meter relays. Emerson Barajas set the high jump record at 5 feet, 4 inches.
The boys weren’t far behind. Ian Wong, Simon Gehrke, Landon Shaefer, and Sean Conley set a new school record of 7:56.54 in the 4×800-meter relay, a mark they broke twice this season.
For seniors like Ellie Rottinghuis, the season brought a satisfying end to a high school track career.
“We all worked hard, our coach did well organizing the points this year, and it paid off,” Rottinghuis said.
Rottinghuis, who originally joined track for soccer conditioning, said she’ll miss seeing her friends at practice every day but plans to keep running in college through a club or on her own.
Freshman Anabelle Muir, who ran the 400 and 4×400, reflected on the growth she experienced in her first high school season.
“I think I definitely improved a lot faster this year,” Muir said. “My goal next year is to go under 2:20 in the 800 and maybe get over 10 feet in pole vault.”
As the program looks ahead, Shaefer believes there’s plenty of promise, especially with a strong incoming class and developing talent on both the varsity and frosh-soph levels.
“I think the 4×100 meter relay will be better next year,” Shaefer said. “We’ve got speed coming in, and if our returning athletes stay committed, we can keep improving.”
That said, he acknowledged the team still has room to grow, particularly in terms of consistency and unity.
“Focus, being present and committing to the team. That’s what we need,” Shaefer said. “Track is a team sport, even if it doesn’t always feel like it.”
Despite this, Shaefer is proud of what the team achieved this year, from school records and personal bests to PAL trophies and elite meet appearances.
“This year alone, we got into Stanford, Arcadia, and Mt. SAC, which are meets we haven’t gone to in years, and we set records for all of them. It was a really special season,” Shaefer said.
As the Scots prepare for the 2026 season, their success will be defined not only by times and distances but by how they build on this year’s legacy.
