Metro Conference track and field athletes saved their best for last at last Saturday’s San Diego Section championship meet at Mt. Carmel High School.
What looked like a group in flux came together to produce a blockbuster showing when it counted the most. As a reward, South County athletes qualified to compete in 10 events at this weekend’s state meet at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
The number of qualifiers might be a record, at least under the current format of qualifying with dedicated A- and B-heats at the section finals.
“Saturday was a great day for Eastlake track,” Titan coach David Koopman said. “We had 17 athletes competing in the CIF finals. Three advanced to the state meet.”
The top three place-finishers in the A-heats qualified for the state meet, as well as those athletes who met a predetermined qualifying standard.
In some events at last Saturday’s meet, as many as five athletes qualified in a specific event.
Besides the state qualifying heats, all athletes scored points for their respective teams, including those competing in B-heats.
The list of Metro state qualifiers is headed by Eastlake junior Jalyn Jackson, who placed first in the boys triple jump with a new personal best mark of 47 feet, 6.5 inches, and second in the long jump at 23-1 with a new school record.
Jackson claimed Division I gold medals in both events.
Olympian senior Michael Hull-Littlejohn also qualified to compete in two events at the state meet: the boys 4×100-meter relay and long jump.
Hull-Littlejohn was part of the Eagles’ second-place A-heat relay unit that finished with the Division I championship in 42.35 seconds, a new school record. He also placed fourth in the long jump at 22-10.75 to meet the qualifying standard.
Otay Ranch senior Jeremiah Suzara finished second in the boys 3200 A-heat to qualify for the state meet. In the process, he also wore the mantle as Division I champion with his time of 9:21.96.
The distance event was top-heavy with Metro place-winners. Otay Ranch sophomore Justin Mulvany was fourth in the event with a time of 9:25.70 while Otay Ranch senior Cale Parise finished sixth in 9:27.57 and Olympian senior Diego Arriola was seventh in 9:29.36.
Sage Creek senior Beau Prince won this year’s 3200 state-qualifying heat in 9:17.41.
While South County runners flooded the finish line with four of the top seven placers, only Suzara’s time was good enough to make the state cut.
However, the region’s strength was amply shown in the Division I medal count. Suzara earned first place in the division, followed by Mulvany (second), Parise (fourth) and Arriola (fifth).
Suzara’s best time this season was 9:19.57 at the Escondido Invitational.
Jacob Roach holds the school record at 9:12.56, set in 2009.
Eastlake junior Jeffrey Page punched a return ticket to the state meet by finishing runner-up in the boys 800 A-heat in 1:55.84. The time, a season best, was 1.3 seconds slower than race winner Jarett Chin of Poway (1:54.54).
Chin finished as the Division I gold medalist; Page received the silver medal.
Page’s stated goal was to run 1:53 at the section finals; that goal is still on tap now for the state meet.
Page ranks second on the Eastlake school record list at 1:54.70, set at last year’s state prelims. Austin Jett holds the school record at 1:54.02, set in 2007.
Olympian’s girls 4×400 relay team is also returning to the state meet after placing second in the A-heat with a new school record time of 3:54.86. Team members include senior Jasmine Simmons, sophomore Adaeze Noble and juniors Kolumbia Page and Alyssa Meeks.
The quartet finished as Division I champions in the event.
Noble qualified for two events at this weekend’s state meet after finishing second in the girls 400-meter dash A-heat in 56.52, a new school record time. She will be joined in the event at the state meet by Eastlake junior Leyla McFarland after the Lady Titan standout posted a key third-place finish with a new school record time of 56.54.
Noble and McFarland finished first and second among Division I runners in the event. They finished 0.02 seconds apart to rekindle a rivalry started at the Mesa League finals May 11 at Otay Ranch High School when McFarland edged Noble at the finish line by .22 seconds with a then school record time of 57.38.
McFarland beat out Valhalla senior Zion White (57.01) for the last state-qualifying berth by .47 seconds at the CIF finals.
McFarland holds the varsity school record in the 400 dash at 56.54; freshman Leandra Smith ran a 56.44 at the league junior varsity finals in 2013.
McFarland said the state meet will be her last competitive track event as she elects to concentrate on her club soccer career as a senior. It will be the local running world’s loss but, if plans pan out, the soccer world’s gain.
Olympian’s Mesa League champion boys team will send two relays to the state meet. Besides finishing runner-up in the 4×100 A-heat relay, the Eagles finished third in the 4×400 A-heat relay in 3:23.74.
The 4×100 unit is comprised of Blake Yamamoto, David Derby, Hugo Sobernas and Hull-Littlejohn. They now hold the school record by one-half second over the previous record-holders of James Woods, Andrell Snowden, Omar Ruiz and Isaiah Gibson set in 2013.
The 4×400 squad includes Deven Sanchez, Ryan Sanchez, Antwaine Sermons and Adrine Sermons. Their time at last Saturday’s CIF finals ranks second on the school record list by .21 seconds behind the 2015 team of Andres Gonzalez, Michael Kipling, Sydney Leverett and Ed Galloway.
Jackson finished runner-up in the long jump at last Saturday’s finals to event winner Matthew DeRoos, a senior from Tri-City Christian. DeRoos jumped 23-8 to best Jackson by seven inches.
Rancho Bernardo junior Josh Farmer finished third at 23-0, followed by Hull-Littlejohn. Rancho Buena Vista senior Collin Sample was the fifth state qualifier in the event with a fifth-place jump of 22-10.5.
Hull-Littlejohn and Sample were separated by just one-quarter inch in the pit.
Hull-Littlejohn holds the school record at 23-9.75.
Jackson soared over the field in the triple jump, which he calls his best event. The Eastlake jumper finished more than three inches ahead of his nearest challenger, Oceanside sophomore Deondre Ruth (44-6). His new PR mark leads all section jumpers.
However, Jackson remains behind former EHS standout Jordan Hines’ current school record of 48-9.5, set in 2011.
San Diego Section Track & Field 2017 Championships
May 27 at Mt. Carmel High School
Division I
Boys Running Events
4×100 relay: 1. Olympian (Blake Yamamoto, David Derby, Hugo Sobernas, Michael Hull-Littlejohn) 42.35; 8. Eastlake (Jarret Isaacson, Kevin Bateman, Bernard Coe, Jalyn Jackson) 43.79
1600: 4. Isaiah Labra (Bonita Vista) 4:20.66
400: 8. Deven Sanchez (Olympian) 51.81
100: 4. Michael Hull-Littlejohn (Olympian) 11.07; 9. Jake Curtis (San Ysidro) 12.00
800: 2. Jeffrey Page (Eastlake)1:55.84; 5. Harold Thomas (Otay Ranch) 1:58.42
200: 6. Hugo Sobernas (Olympian) 22.60
3200: 1. Jeremiah Suzara (Otay Ranch) 9:21.96; 2. Justin Mulvany (Otay Ranch) 9:25.70; 4. Cale Parise (Otay Ranch) 9:27.57; 5. Diego Arriola (Olympian) 9:28.36
4×400 relay: 3. Olympian (Deven Sanchez, Ryan Sanchez, Antwaine Sermons, Adrine Sermons) 3:23.74
Boys Field Events
High jump: Kevin Bateman (Eastlake) NH
Long jump: 1. Jalyn Jackson (Eastlake) 23-1; 3. Michael Hull-Littlejohn (Olympian) 22-10.75; 7. Jordan Mathis (San Yisdro) 21-6
Shot put: 5. Jace Fuamatu (Otay Ranch) 49-0; 8. Jason Miller (Olympian) 44-11
Triple jump: 1. Jalyn Jackson (Eastlake) 47-6.5; 8. Darian Williams (Otay Ranch) 41-10
Girls Running Events
4×100 relay: 8. Eastlake (Cimone Manson, Saisha Banks, Valeria Ortega, Kalah Bateman) 49.89
1600: 12. Alexandra Martinez (Olympian) 5:38.02
100 hurdles: 4. Alani Johnson (Otay Ranch) 15.27
400: 1. Adaeze Noble (Olympian) 56.52; 2. Leyla McFarland (Eastlake) 56.54; 8. Aletse Sarabia (Chula Vista) 59.96; 9. Kolumbia Page (Olympian) 1:00.95
100: 5. Alyssa Meeks (Olympian) 12.43; 8. Erika Infante-Sanchez (Chula Vista) 12.70
800: 3. Emily Bonilla (Eastlake) 2:19.86
300 hurdles: 9. Jaida Payne (Olympian) 49.10
200: 7. Alyssa Meeks (Olympian) 25.75; 9. Erika Infante-Sanchez (Chula Vista) 25.96
3200: 4. Patricia Miessner (Eastlake) 10:56.99; 7. Mariana Beltran-Picos (Olympian) 11:25.06
4×400 relay: 1. Olympian (Jasmine Simmons, Adaeze Noble, Kolumbia Page, Alyssa Meeks) 3:54.86; 6. Eastlake (Emily Bonilla, Anissa Vera, Sarah Davis, Leyla McFarland) 4:03.69
Girls Field Events
Discus throw: 3. Carlie Judge (Otay Ranch) 122-1
High jump: 6. Shaniya Rankin (Olympian) 5-1
Triple jump: 4. Ryann Mojica (Otay Ranch) 36-2.5; 5. Alani Johnson (Otay Ranch) 35-11; 8. Cimone Manson (Eastlake) 34-10
Shot put: 7. Racquel Holloway (Otay Ranch) 33-8; 8. Carlie Judge (Otay Ranch) 33-6
Division II
Boys Running Events
1600: 11. Jacob Fierro (Southwest) 4:28.86
Boys Field Events
Long jump: 6. Airrien Smith (Castle Park) 20-3.5
Pole vault: 8. Ezekiel Campos (Mater Dei Catholic) 12-6
Triple jump: 5. Gustavo Carranza (Mater Dei Catholic) 42-6; 8. Airrien Smith (Castle Park) 41-2
