The California state high school track and field meet returns in 2022 — and that means qualifying has already started to get there.
The San Diego Section will hold three divisional prelim meets this Saturday, May 14, that will funnel athletes to the section final on May 21.
The Division I prelims will be held at Canyon Crest Academy while the Division II prelims are scheduled at University City High School. Mount Miguel High School will host the Division III meet.
Field events start at 10 a.m. and track events start at 11 a.m. at the prelims.
The finals will once again be held at Mt. Carmel High School. Girls field events start at 9 a.m., followed by running events at 10 a.m. Boys field events start at 2 p.m., followed by running events at 3 p.m.
The state championship meet is scheduled May 27-28 at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
Athletes qualified from their respective league/conference championship meets to the divisional prelims. Athletes then qualify from the divisional prelims to the section final. Athletes then qualify from the section final to the state meet.
The league/conference champion in each event receives automatic entry in the divisional prelims, plus those athletes who meet specific time/distances standards for total of 27 athletes in each division.
Athletes with the top nine marks at each division prelim in both the horizontal and vertical jumps advance to the section final while there will be three heats of nine qualifiers in running events with the exception of the 800- and 1600-meter runs (two heats of 13 or 14) and in the 3200 run (one heat of 27).
Heavy metal
The South Bay League final kicked off qualifying for the divisional prelims May 4 at Hilltop High School. The host Lancers made the most of the home-field advantage as senior Jimmy Byland recorded a distance triple (800, 1600 and 3200 runs), Leon McClain (110 high and 300 intermediate hurdles, 4×400 relay) and Malachi McCoy (400 dash, high jump and 4×400) both nabbed three gold medals of their own and Zachary Bernard doubled (shot put and discus).
That was just on the boys side.
Maitte Rodriguez-Herrera (100 and 300 low hurdles) and Kamariah Croom (shot put and discus throw) both doubled in their individual events among girls while Destinee Jones picked up two gold medals (long jump, 4×400 relay).
Other top performances at the South Bay League finals were turned in by Mater Dei Catholic’s Jasmine Navarro (triple in the girls 100 and 200 dashes, 4×100 relay), Mater Dei Catholic’s Surahz Buncom (boys 100 dash, 4×100 relay) and D.J. Overstreet (boys 200 dash, 4×100 relay) with doubles and San Ysidro’s Daycia Fielden (double in the girls 1600 and 3200 runs).
Byland earned honors as the league’s male track athlete while Bernard was tabbed as the league’s male field athlete. Croom received recognition as the league’s female field athlete while Navarro received kudos as the league’s female track athlete.
The Mesa League finals took place the following day at Sweetwater High School.
Eastlake’s Jayden Cortell (gold in the 100 and 200 dashes, 4×100 relay) earned honors as the league’s male track athlete while fellow Titan Justin Cardoza (gold in the high jump and long jump) was voted the league’s male field athlete.
Bonita Vista’s Anissa Blea (gold in the 100 dash and 4×100 relay, silver in the 200 dash) received recognition as the league’s female track athlete while Bonita Vista’s Natalie Guevara (gold in the triple jump, silver in the long jump) was named the league’s female field athlete.
Double individual event winners included Eastlake’s Amanda Challburg (girls 1600, 3200) and Shon Martin (boys 110, 300 hurdles) and Otay Ranch’s Arynn Sanders (girls 200 and 400 dashes).
Otay Ranch’s Haydn Brotschi (boys 400 dash, 4×400 relay) and Olympian’s Maya Galvan (girls 300 hurdles, 4×400 relay) both picked up two gold medals.
South Bay League Track & Field Championships
Boys Event Winners
100 dash: Surahz Buncom (Mater Dei Catholic) 11.46
200 dash: D.J. Overstreet (Mater Dei Catholic) 23.34
400 dash: Malachi McCoy (Hilltop) 50.88
800 run: Jimmy Byland (Hilltop) 2:00.83
1600 run: Jimmy Byland (Hilltop) 4:27.54
3200 run: Jimmy Byland (Hilltop) 9:46.95
110 high hurdles: Leon McClain (Hilltop) 16.34
300 intermediate hurdles: Leon McClain (Hilltop) 41.22
4×100 relay: Mater Dei Catholic (Jeremiah McClure, D.J. Overstreet, Nico Mosley, Surahz Buncom) 43.90
4×400 relay: Hilltop (Leon McClain, Eddie Castaneda, Alberto Camacho, Malachi McCoy) 3:30.29
Shot put: Zachary Bernard (Hilltop) 45-8
Discus throw: Zachary Bernard (Hilltop) 126-5
High jump: Malachi McCoy (Hilltop) 5-10
Long jump: David Saldivar (San Ysidro) 22-0
Triple jump: Brian Dukes (Mater Dei Catholic) 41-1
Girls Event Winners
100 dash: India Brown (Montgomery) 13.47
200 dash: Jasmine Navarro (Mater Dei Catholic) 27.20
400 dash: Jasmine Navarro (Mater Dei Catholic) 1:01.46
800 run: Diana Loredo (Southwest) 2:27.28
1600 run: Daycia Fielden (San Ysidro) 5:45.44
3200 run: Daycia Fielden (San Ysidro) 13:30.73
100 low hurdles: Maitte Rodriguez-Herrera (Hilltop) 18:23
300 low hurdles: Maitte Rodriguez-Herrera (Hilltop) 50.82
4×100 relay: Mater Dei Catholic (Jasmine Navarro, Sofia Buck, Isabella Giordano, Melina Vicente) 52.17
4×400 relay: Hilltop (Dahlia Haidar, Destinee Jones, Savannah DiBenedetto, Carolina Villalpando) 4:24.00
Shot put: Kamariah Croom (Hilltop) 32-5
Discus throw: Kamariah Croom (Hilltop) 93-1
High jump: Jordan Campbell (Mater Dei Catholic) 4-6
Pole vault: Natalie Zwick (Mater Dei Catholic) 6-6
Long jump: Destinee Jones (Hilltop) 15-2
Triple jump: Havana Jacobs (Mater Dei Catholic) 31-5.5
Mesa League Track & Field Championships
Boys Event Winners
100 dash: Jayden Cortell (Eastlake) 10.99
200 dash: Jayden Cortell (Eastlake) 22.06
400 dash: Haydn Brotschi (Otay Ranch) 48.18
800 run: Angel Cordero (Olympian) 1:56.72
1600 run: Jacob Juden (Otay Ranch) 4:24.03
3200 run: Anthony Martinez (Eastlake) 9:43.18
110 high hurdles: Shon Martin (Eastlake) 15.10
300 intermediate hurdles: Shon Martin (Eastlake) 41.28
4×100 relay: Eastlake (Jordan Swan, Jayden Cortell, Jaydin Jackson, Dominick Wright) 42.90
4×400 relay: Otay Ranch (Raphael St. Aude, Haydn Brotschi, Jayhalin Sanders, A.J. McIlwain) 3:30.66
Shot put: Trey White (Eastlake) 46-8
Discus throw: Quentin McClure (Bonita Vista) 126-7
High jump: Justin Cardoza (Eastlake) 6-6
Pole vault: Anthony Wise (Bonita Vista) 10-3
Long jump: Justin Cardoza (Eastlake) 22-0
Triple jump: Brandon Buu (Eastlake) 47-6
Girls Event Winners
100 dash: Anissa Blea (Bonita Vista) 12.70
200 dash: Arynn Sanders (Otay Ranch) 26.40
400 dash: Arynn Sanders (Otay Ranch) 59.93
800 run: Lake Merrifield (Eastlake) 2:23.39
1600 run: Amanda Challburg (Eastlake) 5:21.02
3200 run: Amanda Challburg (Eastlake) 11:40.48
100 low hurdles: Isabella Robinson (Eastlake) 15.69
300 low hurdles: Maya Galvan (Olympian) 46.61
4×100 relay: Bonita Vista (A.J. Gamboa, Anissa Blea, JoVonne Moore, Tatiana Colon) 50.41
4×400 relay: Olympian (Ivanna Ruiz, Sarai Rodriguez, Gabrielle Hawkins, Maya Galvan) 4:09.73
Shot put: Gabriella Colon Gipson (Otay Ranch) 33-6
Discus throw: Asja Mulic (Eastlake) 118-0
High jump: Macaria Moore-Bastide (Eastlake) 5-3
Pole vault: Alyana Toussant (Eastlake) 8-0
Long jump: Camila Mendoza (Sweetwater) 16-10
Triple jump: Natalie Guevara (Bonita Vista) 34-9
SOUTH BAY LEAGUE FINALS
Photos by Phillip Brents
