SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The 2025 NIAA Northern Region Track and Field Championships will be held on Friday and Saturday at Douglas High School, with the top four finishers in each event heading to next weekend’s state tournament at Moapa Valley High School.

South Tahoe High School will be well represented at Douglas under Coach Rob Canny. Qualifications were held last weekend, and the following Vikings will be on the track and field again starting Friday;

Boys 100 Meter Dash – Brody DeFranco Boys 200 Meter Dash – Brody DeFranco Boys 400 Meter Dash – Jacob Manning, Nathaniel Bianchi. Benjamin Arellano Boys 800 Meter Run – Jacob Manning Boys 1600 Meter Run – Shamus Nealis Boys 110 Meter Hurdles – Brody DeFranco Boys 300 Meter Hurdles – Brody DeFranco, Jackson Letton Boys Long Jump 3A – Evan Habaradas, Mars Lopez, Phillip Huynh Boys Triple Jump – Brady Higgins, Evan Habaradas Boys High Jump – Brady Higgins, Mars Lopez, Nash Bigley, Owen Deleon Boys Discus Throw – Dylan Hilton

Girls 100 Meter Dash – Leslie Pulido Girls 200 Meter Dash – Leslie Pulido Girls 400 Meter Dash – Winter Crawford Girls 800 Meter Run – Madison Landy Girls 1600 Meter Run – Lyla Landy, Madison Landy Girls 100 Meter Hurdles – Arya Saini Girls 300 Meter Hurdles – Jamie Lowe Girls Long Jump – Arya Saini , Peyton Conley Girls Triple Jump – Peyton Conley Girls High Jump – Winter Crawford, Soraya Parsi

New School Records – Traditional Events
The following new school records were set in events contested at all high school meets. These are the core events where athletes have rewritten the South Tahoe record books this season.

  • 100 Meters (Girls) – Senior Leslie Pulido broke the school record with a time of
    12.55, surpassing a mark that had stood for 13 years (since 2012).
  • Triple Jump (Girls) – Sophomore Peyton Conley shattered the school record with a leap of 36′ 0.5″, breaking the previous best of 32′ 7.75″ (set in 2010), a 15-year-old mark.
  • 110m Hurdles (Boys) – Junior Brody DeFranco ran 14.55, crushing the former school record of 15.14 (set in 2005), which had stood for 20 years. Brody has consistently posted sub-15-second times this season, solidifying his dominance in the event.
  • 200 Meters (Boys) – Brody DeFranco also set a new school record in the 200 meters with a time of 22.83 (previous record set in 2013), breaking a 12-year-old mark. He ran this at the NIAA Regional Trials on May 3, in his first attempt at the event this season.
  • Brody broke both of these sprint and hurdle records by more than half a second
    each, establishing significantly new standards in both events.

New School Records – Specialty Events (not held at all meets):
In addition to the traditional events, South Tahoe athletes also broke school records in several specialty events. These events are not held at every high school meet but are contested at select meets and invitationals.

  • 40-Yard Dash (Girls) – Leslie Pulido ran 5.28 at the Lake Meet, South Tahoe’s home meet, to claim the top spot on the all-time list.
  • 40-Yard Dash (Boys) – Brody DeFranco ran 4.70, also at the Lake Meet, South
    Tahoe’s home meet, to set a new school record.
  • 400m Hurdles (Boys) – Jackson Letton ran 58.24 to establish the school record in
    the event—typically contested at the collegiate level—at the Stanford Invitational.
  • 1500 Meters (Boys) – Jacob Manning ran 4:20.35 at the Northwest Invitational to
    post the fastest mark in school history.

Athletes to Watch
Brody DeFranco currently sits #2 all-time in the 100 meters with a time of 11.01, and
Shamus Nealis is #2 in the 3200 meters with a time of 9:59.04. With Brody only a junior and Shamus just a sophomore, both are expected to challenge for the top spots on the record board before their high school careers conclude.

Senior Leslie Pulido also climbed the all-time ranks once again this past weekend,
moving to #2 on the 200-meter list with a time of 26.01 at the NIAA Regional Trials on
May 3. She remains one to watch as the season wraps up. Senior Jacob Manning
continues to hold the #2 all-time ranking in the boys’ 400 meters and will look to
challenge that mark during the postseason. Junior Arya Saini is currently #2 all-time in the girls’ 100-meter hurdles and hopes to claim the school record before her high school career wraps.

In the 300-meter hurdles, Jackson Letton and Brody DeFranco currently sit #2 and #3, respectively, on the South Tahoe all-time list. Both athletes are in a position to challenge the school record in this event, either in championship competition this season or in their senior year.

Many other South Tahoe athletes have achieved personal records and season bests
throughout this exceptional season. With so many school records broken—many of them standing for over a decade—it has already been one of the strongest years in program history. The Vikings now set their sights on a strong finish, seeking a regional title and aiming to reach the podium at the state championships.

Leslie Pulido leads off the 4×100 relay at the South Tahoe Lake Meet.
Jacob Manning anchors the 4×400 relay at the South Tahoe Lake Meet.
Leslie Pulido celebrates her four first-place finishes at the South Tahoe Lake Meet,
including new school records in the 40-yard dash and 100-meter race.
Brody DeFranco (near) and Jackson Letton (far) compete in the 110-meter hurdles at
the Stanford Invitational.
Arya Saini (left) and Brody DeFranco (right) prior to their events at the prestigious
invite-only Arcadia Invitational, competing against national competition.
Jackson Letton (left) and Brody DeFranco (right) celebrate after their race at the
Stanford Invitational.
Brody DeFranco (near) and Jackson Letton (far) compete in the 110-meter hurdles at
the Stanford Invitational.