SANTA CRUZ >> Mari and Nathan Friedman caused quite a stir Saturday afternoon at the Central Coast Section Track and Field Semifinals being held at Gilroy High. In what felt like every other running event, one or the other was being called out by the announcer for coming in among the top finishers.
Inevitably, people began asking the question that seems to follow the Santa Cruz High duo at every meet: How did those siblings get so fast?
The short answer?
“She’s not my sister,” Nathan said.
It’s true, two of the Cardinals’ brightest stars and best candidates to qualify for state at Friday’s CCS Track and Field Championships share both top-end bursts of speed and a surname, but they don’t share the same DNA.
“I get that question a lot. Then it’s, ‘In all seriousness, man, are you related?’” said Nathan, a junior, as he rolled his eyes. “I’m sure if you trace the Friedman lineage back, you might find someone.”
If you could, you can be sure that person would be fast.
Compact and pensive, Nathan specializes in sprints with a specialty in the 200 meters, which he’ll be racing as one of five Santa Cruz County boys to reach the CCS finals at Gilroy High on Friday. He holds the third-fastest qualifying time (22.38 seconds) and the fourth-fastest mark in CCS (22.18), and he’ll need to place in the top three to advance to the CIF State Track and Field Championships in Clovis on June 3-4. He’s also the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League’s 100 champion and raced the anchor leg of the Cardinals boys’ 4×100 relay.
Tall and bubbly Mari, who is also a cross country standout, is more of a middle-distance runner. The sophomore won the 1,600 and the 800 at the league championships and enters the CCS finals as one of 18 county girls who will compete. She is the favorite to win the 800 with a trials time of 2:12.31.
“We run different events, have different coaches,” Mari said.
The one event they share is the 4×400, where both run the anchor leg for their respective teams. At the SCCAL championships, both charged in from behind the competition to seal the win for their team.
“We called it the Friedman finish,” said Mari, who will also be racing that event in the CCS finals after she combined with Sara Richterman, Anaya Ward and Summer-Solstice Thomas to qualify third (4:02.16).
Ask the Friedmans, and they’ll say that aside from sharing some classes, that’s where the similarities end. Their coaches, however, say in many ways they are as similar as their last names would indicate.
Santa Cruz distance coach Greg Brock said he met Mari when she was in sixth grade and bounded up to him while he was coaching her older sister, Selena. Even then, she couldn’t wait to run for the Cardinals, he said.
“She’s into it, she’s really committed to it, and she’s in it for the long haul,” Brock said.
“She has that drive to see what she can do and push on,” he added.
Cardinals sprints coach Bob Sanders says the same about Nathan, whom he’s also known since before the athlete entered high school. He said one thing that stands out is that, unlike most in the long line of strong Santa Cruz sprinters who have come before him (the Cardinals have won 11 straight league titles in the boys 100), Nathan prioritizes track above football or any other sport.
“He’s dedicated to his sport and a very hard worker,” Sanders said. “He’s got a lot of speed and is very strong. He can carry his speed out to the end and doesn’t fade.”
The duo also shares an end-goal for the season. Both want to make a second appearance at state. Mari is looking to get back in the 800, where she took 22nd last season. Nathan wants to make his debut in an individual event after racing as part of the Cardinals’ 4×100 team that finished with the 14th fastest time of the prelims his freshman year.
Both also believe that goal is very much in reach. All they need is a Friedman finish.
Contact Julie Jag at 831-706-3257.
