The Palo Alto High School track and field team will participate in a preliminary Central Coast Section finals qualifier at Gilroy High School tomorrow in order to defend last year’s championship title.

According to Paly track head coach Jason Fung, Paly will compete in a number of track events.  These include the team 4×100 and 4×400 meter relays as well as many other individual events, including the boys’ 100 meter hurdles, 400 meter dash, 100 meter dash and 200 meter dash as well as the girls’ 400 meter dash and 200 meter dash.

Paly will also participate in a variety of field events.  These include the boys’ high jump, long jump and triple jump.  Junior Charlotte Alipate will represent the girls team in both discus and shotput.

Paly’s 4×100 team, which recorded the third best time in CCS this season, will be propelled by seniors Matt Tolbert, Jayshawn Gates-Mouton and Justin Gates-Mouton as well as freshman Eli Gibbons.

The 4×400 relay will be headed by junior Nick Sullivan and Jayshawn Gates-Mouton, who hope to lead fellow freshmen Eli Gibbons and Dami Bolarinwa to a title in their first season at Paly.

No Paly boy throwers qualified for CCS qualifiers, meaning that Alipate will be Paly’s only thrower when she takes part in the discus and shotput throw.

Alipate has been working hard towards her goal of being the only Paly thrower to qualify for the CCS finals that will take place next weekend.

“This coming weekend I’m hoping to at least place in the top five in at least discus or shotput,” Alipate said.  “I was ranked for CCS earlier this season in the top eight, but got bumped out which has motivated me to prepare myself for this weekend’s competition. I’ve been practicing all week and working one on one with my coach in order to fix my technique in both shotput and discus.”

Senior Victor Du, who will attend Princeton University this fall to join its track and field team, will compete in the long jump. Fellow seniors Eilon Tzur and Grant Shorin will participate in the high jump competition.

Paly hopes to build off of last year’s strong team finish at the CCS playoffs, which sent the 4×100 and 4×400 meter teams to the state championship meet.

Although team members have changed, the goal remains the same: to win the CCS title.

“We’re going for another CCS title,” Sullivan said.