Ranking first in the state after only one race deserves some praise.

On Saturday, Mar. 2nd at the Mount Carmel Field and Distance Invitational, the boys distance medley relay not only won by roughly 15 seconds, but also set the fastest time in the state for that event this season.

“The race was a great indicator of how fast we can run,” senior Shay Martin said.

In 10:26.53s officially, the team of seniors Jeff Shaeffer, Matthew Kenney, Shay Martin and Christian Freeman passed the baton starting with a 1200 meter dash and ending with Freeman in the mile in not only the fastest time in the state, but also a meet record and a school record.

“We all went into the race in pretty good shape,” 400 meter leg Kenney said. “Everything just came together at the right time.”

Kenney, typically a hurdler, stepped up his distance slightly to achieve the highest possible time. He ran alongside three members of Carlsbad’s varsity cross-country team, ranked last fall as third in the state when they took a trip to Nike XC Nationals. The Mt. Carmel meet is early evidence the team will combine with the rest of the track team for an amazing season.

“We are super excited about what we will be able to do this year,” Freeman said.

And while some of their success derives from the lack of early season opportunities to run the rather rare race, the time is excellent for any time of year, not to mention the records they set.

“We already qualified for Arcadia with that mark,” Freeman said.

Arcadia, the nationally known track invitational would be a prestigious proving ground to alleviate rumors of burning out.

Overall, Carlsbad has already proved its distance dominance would not disappear in the track season. If anything, combining with the sprinters only elevated their performance. Whether or not Carlsbad does maintain its position, it still left its mark both on the meet and the school.