The Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table will be inducting seven new members into its Hall of Fame on Monday, Sept. 16. The Induction Class of 2024 includes five athletes, a coach and a special achievement honoree.
This is the fifth in a series of stories about this year’s inductees.
To purchase tickets to the Hall of Fame event at the Cabrillo Pavillion, click here.
Elysia Mitchell was a record breaker on the track, etching her name in the history books at both San Marcos High and Westmont College.
From 2007-2011 with the Royals, Mitchell set four different school records as well as a Channel League and County Championship record.
She kept up that trend during her four years as a Warrior, breaking 11 school records, nine of which are still standing.
At San Marcos, Mitchell competed in track & field for all four years while also playing basketball her senior year and both cross country and soccer for two years apiece.
Mitchell helped break a trio of relay records as a Royal in the 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 meter relay races. The 4×200 (1:44.18) and 4×400 (3:46.89) relay times remain the best in program history. Individually, she previously held the record in the 200-meter race at 25.08 seconds.
The relay squad that included Mitchell also still holds the Channel League and County Championship record in the 4×400 race.
In 2011, they took home third in the 4×400 at the CIF State meet and Mitchell was named the Track & Field SB Athletic Roundtable Female Athlete of the Year.
“My proudest athletic achievement is getting 3rd at the CIF State Meet with my 4×400 team my senior year of high school,” Mitchell said. “Not many things are more satisfying than achieving a goal with teammates right by your side, working just as hard, every step of the way.
“We had the same four girls on our relay team for three years, which is rare and extremely hard to come by. It was a very special and treasured experience.”
Mitchell’s decorated local track career didn’t end there, as she went on to set 11 Westmont school records and earn NAIA All-American honors 12 times.
She was an All-American in the 600-meter three times, the 400-meter four times, the 4×400 relay three times, the 400-meter hurdles once and the distance medley relay once.
As for the program-specific records, Mitchell’s name still stands atop the leaderboards in the 60-meter, 200-meter, 400-meter, 400-meter hurdles, 600-meter, 4×200 relay, 4×400 relay, 800 sprint medley relay and the distance medley relay. She previously held the record for the 100-meter and 4×100 relay.
“I love to compete, challenge myself, and strive for the best. Oh and winning, I love to win,” Mitchell said. “The final stretch of the 400 is undeniably grueling, and nothing feels better than passing by all your competition because there was a little bit more oomph left in the tank.”
On top of the records broken, Mitchell was honored with the 2015 Golden Eagle Award and graduated cum laude with a kinesiology degree.
Mitchell is now giving back to the place where she began her track career as an assistant track & field coach at San Marcos High. She has been coaching sprints and mid-distance runners since 2017.
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