RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - The Rancho Cordova Track Club (RCTC) is in its third year of existence and the impact this young track club is making at the National level is astonishing. This year’s Junior Olympics National Championship Track Meet was held at Hayward Field, in Eugene, Oregon, and is organized by the USA Track & Field organization (USATF). Hayward Field is a historic location for Track & Field at the University of Oregon, and it was recently rebuilt with a $300M+ donation from Nike, which is headquartered in Oregon and whose founder Phil Knight attended and competed in track in Eugene.

Last year the event was held in Sacramento and the RCTC qualified 11 athletes to compete. This year RCTC sent a record 15 athletes to the 2023 USATF Junior Olympics, and brought back some serious recognition and national stature. Rancho Cordova Track Club founder and Cross Country Coach Josh Gruver said, “Seeing the success of the Rancho Cordova Track Club Athletes has been amazing to witness this season. It’s been rewarding to see the program grow in the past three years. Looking forward to seeing more Junior Olympic Qualifiers each season and represent the City of Rancho Cordova on the National Stage.” 

Rancho Cordova Vice Mayor David Sander and co-founder of the RCTC has been a thrower coach for his son Charles and other athletes for the past eight years. Coach Sander is credited with increasing athlete participation in the javelin, shot put, hammer and discus. Coach Sander’s son Charles is a three time Junior Olympian who has competed in Shot Put, Discus, Hammer and Javelin at the national level.  He is the only RCTC athlete to have qualified to compete in the national championships three times, and the only RCTC athlete to have competed in all four throwing events at the Junior Olympics. "Hayward Field is perhaps the best Track and Field venue in the world, and it was such a thrill to compete there, to throw a javelin or a shot where Olympians have competed and World Records have been set” said RCTC athlete Charles Sander.

The road to the Junior Olympics is challenging. Athletes need to be top performers at two levels before qualifying for the nationals — their local association meet, and then also at a regional championship. Rancho Cordova Track Club qualified 11 throwers, 3 steeplechase runners and 1 thrower/high jumper for this year’s games. RCTC thrower Ben Condrin is a recent high school graduate and has been training about 20 months as a thrower with the club, winning many accolades as a hammer and discus thrower. Condrin threw the 12lb hammer 59.85m, winning an incredible 2nd place in the nation for the event.  He was named an All-American athlete, an accolade reserved for the top eight finishers in each Junior Olympic event.  Notably, he is the first All-American athlete for the RCTC, and the highest ever finisher for the three year old club.

Two other RCTC athletes taking home All-American honors were recent high school graduate Matthew Palchak and junior Tyler Lange. Palchak outdid himself at these Junior Olympics - winning an amazing double All-American distinction, once for men’s shot put (16.89m) placing 7^th and once for men’s discus (49.10m), placing 8th. He now has two of the distinctive and sought after red hats that are given to the All-American athletes.  Lange also won the special red hat with his men’s Shot Put throw of 17.13m.  His 4th place finish is an amazing accomplishment since the 17 year old was competing against 18 year-olds from around the nation. 

Palchuk and Lange also contributed to a very rare sight - as the RCTC won 2 of the top 8 spots in men’s Shot Put - a very rare occurrence at a national competition.  To have one club capture 25% of the All-Americans named in a highly competitive event like shot put or discus is quite rare.  Amazingly, that very nearly repeated itself in men’s discus when Condrin finished 9th, right behind Palchak who was on the podium in 8th.

Not to be outdone, the club’s younger athletes also scored big in the Steeplechase.  Caleb Mahoney ran the 2k Steeplechase in 7:06.49 and came in 4th - earning him All-American status as a 14 year old competitor.  Cameron Laret (also 14) ran that race and finished very strong in 11th place.  Alex Chavez competed in the 17/18 year old Steeplechase race and finished strong as well.

“There is no question that our hard-working athletes made a huge impact and put Rancho Cordova on the map.  Particularly among the throwing athletes, fans and coaches - we are suddenly among the teams to be watched in the U.S.,” said RCTC Throws Coach Sander. “We now have top athletes approaching us, and asking how they can be part of our Rancho Cordova team.”

Other RCTC athletes Lauren Riley, 18, a long-term and successful athlete in the club competed in women’s shot put and women’s discus. Elise Blomquist joined her in the shot put competition and as a 17 year-old is looking to returning again next year as a shot put and hammer throw competitor.  Another 17 year-old, Magdalena Becerril competed in women’s javelin and threw for a personal best.  Becerril is also aiming for next year, but as a heptathlete, as well as a shot put and javelin athlete. The Track Club also had some younger than high school competitors who qualified for the Junior Olympics - Gabriella Devlin (age 14) in High Jump and Javelin, Sidney Johnson (age 13) in Shot Put and Discus, Skylar Johnson (age 10) in Shot Put, and Lily Oliver (age 8) in Shot Put. 

Throws Coach Henry Sharoyan said, “Some of the younger athletes are developing so fast, and getting so good that we just know they are going to keep our momentum going in this club, inspiring kids here in Rancho Cordova to push their limits and achieve things they didn’t think were possible.  That’s what makes it so rewarding to be involved in this sport, and in this club.”

Rancho Cordova Track Club Head Coach Jay Devlin summed it up like this, “These awards are great. The amazing success of the young Rancho Cordova Track Club can be attributed to many things - skilled and dedicated athletes and families, a supportive community that has invested in unique throwing and steeplechase facilities, a City of Rancho Cordova-Folsom Cordova School District partnership, and good positive coaching.  But in the end, it comes down to the youth athlete, whose athletic experience will shape their future life by instilling confidence, the ability to do hard work pursuing lofty goals and face challenges with determination.  The futures of these young athletes are the real products of the success of this Rancho Cordova Track Club."

 

For more information about the year-round track & field opportunities offered by RCTC, visit https://rctrack.org.  Financial help is available.