Sloane Crocker is switching lanes
Girls' Varsity 4x800 team. Joslyn Tribbey, Sofia Carollo, Sloane Crocker, Quinne Crocker, left to right, (courtesy of Mrs. West)
By Isa Dajalos, Staff Writer
Entering her senior year of high school, Sloane Crocker thought she knew what the next chapter of her life entailed. Playing soccer from the age of five and committing early decision to play soccer at Johns Hopkins University, it seemed that her hard work and consistency for the sport had paid off. However, when second semester came around, joining the track and field team seemed like a fun addition to her senior year.
Starting off as simply “a way to have some fun with my sister and get more fit for soccer,” Crocker tried out a few different events before finding the right fit for her, but it quickly became apparent that running was something she excelled at. She started the season off with a first place 800 meter time of 2:20.43 in her first ever varsity track race. Then she quickly cut that time down to a blazing 2:13.87 at the Santa Rosa Twilight Meet where she took first place again. Just when she thought that she had found her event in the 800 meter, she decided to try out the 1600 meter race. In her first mile race she broke five minutes, something most high school runners train years to achieve, with a 4:49.95 at this season’s NBL dual meet against Montgomery High School–a time which she cut down to 4:48.97 at the CIF State Championships Preliminary meet. Her 4:48.97 mile broke the MCHS school record held by Jenny Aldridge for the past 26 years, and the following day during state finals Crocker placed 8th overall. While her very outstanding high school track season is officially over, in mid June Crocker will be on her way to the 2026 Nike Outdoor Nationals in Oregon. From June 18-22, Crocker will compete against the highest level of runners across the country in the Championship meet.
Her consistent first place finishes caught the attention of not only her current coaches and teammates, but also the track coaches at the University of California at Berkeley. Committing to a Division I college sport after only one season of the sport is as rare as it is impressive, but track coach Gregg Fogg saw the potential and reached out to a couple track teams, including UC Berkeley. Crocker commented that she “really didn't expect [reaching out] would actually work out into anything but it turned out they still had a roster spot and wanted [her] to run for them,” calling it “such a surprise and such a dream come true.”
While her outstanding times earned her spot on the Berkeley team, the results are only half of the story when it comes to her performance. While she did not start from scratch, having years of athletic experience from soccer, transitioning to track was not seamless. Crocker explained that her time playing soccer prepared her “fitness-wise” as well as transferred an “athletic drive” that keeps her motivated, however she did note that she has to adjust to prioritizing more rest and recovery as the increased mileage of track is “definitely different on your body.” More recently, though, in preparation for races Crocker has gone to some extreme lengths trying to maximize her performance. During the recent Redwood Championships, Crocker tried making her own “bicarb” drink out of baking soda and Gatorade which according to some other track teammates aids in minimizing lactic acid buildup–that burning feeling that follows a sprint or some heavy lifting. She reflected that drinking baking soda “definitely has a lot of not great side effects” and gave her bad stomach ache for a couple days, but she cheekily reasoned it was “worth it” as she got a personal best time in the mile.
Despite her undeniable promise as a track athlete, switching sports was no easy choice. Crocker has played soccer for the last 12 years of her life, starting at the ripe age of five for Empire Soccer Club. Then she continued playing on Santa Rosa United’s more serious traveling team. Arriving at high school, Crocker joined Maria Carrillo High School’s varsity women’s soccer team as a starter for all four years–helping them win a State Championship in 2025. That same year, she was selected for the ECNL Phoenix Showcase National Selection team to represent the west coast and was nominated for Press Democrat Scholar Athlete. So, why leave a sport she had committed so much of her life to? Crocker revealed that she “just felt so burnt out on soccer,” and although part of her felt that she was “letting down” her coach and team, the other part of her “knew the right decision.” In a tough decision, Crocker ended her club season early, and despite occasionally finding it "weird" that she is not a soccer player anymore, she is “happy” with where she is and “[has] not looked back since.”
Looking forward, Crocker is most excited to simply “[learn] more about track,” “[try] new things,” and experience a “college running environment” with “such top notch coaching and support.” Outside of the exciting new running environment it is a comfort for Crocker to be closer to home, who said “I'm not sure I was actually ready to move all the way across the country and be so far from my family and friends.”
From choosing between soccer and track, picking a track event, or deciding on which college to attend, Crocker has faced many dilemmas these past few months. And while the amount of stress guaranteed by that amount of decision-making might throw most people off their game, she remains a stellar athlete and student, winning the MCHS Scholar Athlete Award. So, even though there has been some uncertainty over her future in the recent months, it is evident that Crocker can shine in anything she chooses to pursue.