South County student-athletes continue to maintain a presence at the California state track and field championship meet.

The region will be represented in five events at this weekend’s 101st annual state meet at Buchanan High School in Clovis by four individuals and one relay team after qualifying took place at last Saturday’s San Diego Section track and field championship meet at Mt. Carmel High School.

Student-athletes were rewarded with not only a harvest of medals but a chance to compete against the best in the state by excelling at the section finals.

However, qualifying received a tweak this year. Runners with the top three times posted between two heats — a fast A-heat and a slower B-heat — qualified to compete at the state meet. Athletes in either heat also had the chance to qualify if they met a predetermined standard.

In prior years, only athletes competing in A-heats were eligible to qualify for the state meet.

It made for a more competitive meet this year.

Schools were separated by enrollment divisions for awards and scoring purposes, with individual and team awards presented in both Division I and Division II tiers.

South County athletes collected 11 individual medals (top six place-finishers in each division). The count included one gold medal, five silver medals and three bronze medals.

The state prelims are Friday, followed by finals on Saturday. The goal of all the state qualifiers is to advance to the second day of competition.

All that glitters
High Tech High Chula Vista junior Drake Prince led the South County contingent with a first-place finish in the boys 800-meter run. A two-time state qualifier in cross country, Drake stunned the field with a push in the final 10 meters to earn the section’s No. 1 entry in the event for this weekend’s state meet.

Drake timed a personal best 1:55.11 to top the field after sitting in fourth place after the first lap in the two-lap event.

“It feels very good because I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” Prince said. “I’ve been working hard. I’m not only happy about winning the race but going to state as well to compete against the best runners.”

Prince moved up in the field with 200 meters to go and challenged for the lead heading down the final straightaway, slowly gaining precious space.

He finally slipped ahead in the final steps to edge San Pasqual senior Noah Tellez-Velasquez (1:55.21) by a tenth of a second.

Brawley senior Angel Palacio finished third in 1:56.73 to finish as the section’s third state qualifier in the event ahead of Crawford senior speedster Nader Ali, who finished fourth in 1:56.89.

Prince, who finished as the Division II gold medalist, won the Frontier Conference finals in 2:01.19 and came back the following week to post the top time among Division II runners at the section prelims, also held at Mt. Carmel High School.

He said he hopes to continue lowering his time when competing at Friday’s state prelims. He enters the state field with the eighth-fastest time.

“I hope to break 1:54 and get to the second day,” he said. “I want to run the best I can to get to Saturday.”

He said he is now looking forward to the fall cross country season.

He finished 119th in 17:46 on the 5K course in 2017 and 82nd in 17:01.4 last year.

“My placement improved between the two years but I wasn’t satisfied how I ran,” he said. “Hopefully I can get back to state and redeem myself.”

State of mind
Eastlake senior Luz Mercado (girls 1600 run), Eastlake junior Kalah Bateman (girls 100 dash) and Sweetwater junior Cesar Salazar (boys discus throw) will join Prince as individual qualifiers competing at this weekend’s state meet.

Mercado finished second in the A-heat in 4:57.12 while dropping a whopping 8.6 seconds off her personal best time in the event. She finished with the Division I silver medal and placed third overall among section qualifiers.

Rancho Bernardo freshman Jacey Farmer won the Division I gold medal in 4:55.35 while Mission Vista sophomore Bella Longo won the Division II gold medal in 4:55.94.

“I wanted to place high,” said Mercado, who was a state cross country qualifier in the fall. “I ran faster than I did in the prelims (5:05.76). I wanted to shave off one second each lap to get to state. I got out pretty fast and felt good, and I kept pushing to the end.”

Mercado will actually be competing in two events at Friday’s state prelims after anchoring the Titans’ second-place girls 4×400 relay team to a school record time of 3:55.85.

Mercado’s twin sister Ana got the unit off to a fast start, followed by teammates Sarah Davis and Blanca McCormick, who in turn handed the baton to Luz Mercado.

Scripps Ranch won the A-heat in 3:52.16, followed by Eastlake. University City won the Division II gold medal in 3:57.62 while Cathedral Catholic won the Division II silver medal in 3:58.50.

The Eastlake quartet keeps breaking its own school record. The Lady Titans won the Mesa League title in 3:58.45.

The CIF finals time was nearly three seconds faster than the 3:58.67 the group posted at the section prelims.

Ana Mercado also competes in the 400 dash and high jump while Davis competes in the 400 dash. McCormick competes primarily in the 100 and 200 dashes as well as on the team’s 4×100 and 4×400 relays.

While each member has her own individual strength, they combine their talents to function as a cohesive unit.

“Ana starts off getting the lead, Sarah maintains it,” McCormick explained. “As the third leg, I try to close the gap, if needed. As the anchor, Luz pushes very hard.”

Ana Mercado won the Division I bronze medal in the 400 dash in 57.48.

Eastlake enters Friday’s state prelims with the 10th fastest time. Luz Mercado is ranked 14th in the 1600 distance.

Bateman finished with the Division I silver medal with a time of 11.98 — the ninth-fastest qualifying time for Friday’s state prelims.

Bateman, who ran 12.16 to win the Mesa League title, placed third overall among the section qualifiers. Madison sophomore Aysha Shaheed won the Division II gold medal with the top time of 11.57 while Scripps Ranch sophomore Jaymie Ruskovich won the Division I gold medal in 11.87.

Bateman earned a second medal by placing fifth in the 200 dash in 25.06.

Salazar set a personal record with the 157-8 mark to place third overall among section qualifiers. Scripps Ranch junior Joshua Boamah won the Division I gold medal with a throw of 162-1 while Rancho Bernardo senior Austin Peterson earned the silver medal with a throw of 158-10.

Salazar, who threw 147-11 to win the Mesa League title, finished with the Division I bronze medal.

He ranks 17th in the state.

Fast track
Prior to running in the 800, Crawford’s Ali had engineered a late sprint to challenge for the win in the 1600 run, placing runner-up to La Costa Canyon senior Garrett Stanford in a photo finish. The two runners were separated by just 0.08 seconds, with Stanford timing 4:12.92 and Ali timing 4:13.00.

Stanford’s twin brother Jacob finished third in 4:13.12 in what was actually a three-way bolt to the finish line.

La Costa Canyon junior Caleb Niednagel finished fourth in the fast field in 4:13.81 to meet the state-qualifying standard.

Southwest senior Esteban Magana, the 2019 Most Valuable South Bay League Track Athlete, finished fifth in a personal record 4:17.67.

Garrett Stanford won the Division I gold medal in the event while Jacob Stanford earned the silver medal and Niednagel received the bronze medal.

Ali won the Division II gold medal while Magana was awarded the silver medal.

Notable

• Eastlake junior Ethan Zazueta received the Division I silver medal in the boys long jump (22-1.5)
• Mater Dei Catholic senior Sovial Sonzeu received the Division II bronze medal in the boys shot put (47-7.5).
• The Eastlake sibling tandem of senior Britney Buu and freshman Brandon Buu competed in their respective gender triple jump events. Brandon Buu earned a fifth-place medal in the boys triple jump with a mark of 42-2.25 while Britney Buu placed eighth among Division I girls jumpers with a mark of 33-4.75.
• Otay Ranch junior Elijah Johnson picked up a sixth-place medal in the Division I boys high jump (6-0).

Top marks
Canyon Crest won the Division I boys team title by a 10-point margin over La Costa Canyon while Cathedral Catholic won the Division II boys team title by eight points over runner-up Oceanside.

Grossmont Hills League champion Helix finished fifth among Division I boys teams.

Scripps Ranch won the Division I girls team title by three points over runner-up Rancho Bernardo. Eastlake finished fourth following third-place San Diego.

The section has first-place seeds in seven events for Friday’s state prelims: Madison senior Kenan Christon in the boys 100 dash (10.33) and 200 dash (20.65), Madison sophomore Aysha Shaheed in the girls 100 dash (11.57), Coronado senior Alysah Hickey in the girls high jump (5-8), San Pasqual sophomore Elise Miller in the girls triple jump (40-6) and Rancho Bernardo senior Jacob Rice in the boys pole vault (16-3).

Christon leads the nation in both sprint events this year.

Scripps Ranch tops the state qualifiers list in the girls 4×100 relay (46.58).

For updates, visit the website at www.cifstate.org.

East County athletes run in the fast lane at section track finals

It was a bountiful harvest of medals for East County runners, jumpers and throwers who competed at last Saturday’s San Diego Section track and field championship meet at Mt. Carmel High School.

Five student-athletes from East County schools won individual gold medals, with 13 more earning silver medals and 11 receiving bronze medals.

Add to that total one gold, three silver and one bronze medals in relay events.

The biggest number in terms of prestige was 14 – the number of events athletes from East County schools qualified to compete in at this weekend’s state championship meet in Clovis.

Grossmont and Helix high schools provided a power-packed final curtain call for East County by finishing first and second in the meet-concluding boys 4×400-meter relay.

Grossmont timed 3:19.19 to set a new school record, while Helix timed 3:22.21, second best among section schools on the season.

The Foothillers raced out to a commanding lead and maintained it throughout, winning by three seconds over a speedy Highlander unit bent on defending its section title.

The Grossmont foursome showcased the fleet feet of Devin Anders, Carson Sanchez, Xavier Bradford and Keyikun Solomon.

While each has his own individual strength, they combine their talents to function as a cohesive unit.

Solomon holds the top time this season on the team in the 400 dash (48.81) and ranks second in the 100 dash (11.51).

Sanchez has the top time this season on the team in the 800 run (1:56.08).

Anders has the second-fastest time on the team this season in the 400 (49.48) and the third-fastest time on the team in the 100 dash (11.62).

Bradford has the second-fastest time on the team this season in the 200 dash (23.12) and the third fastest (50.03) in the 400 dash.

The quartet entered last weekend’s section finals with the top time in the county; the Foothillers remain on top with the seventh-best qualifying time for Friday’s state prelims.

The unit has been together for the last three weeks since posting a winning time of 3:22.18 at the league finals.

“Our strategy is to get out and get the lead,” Solomon said. “We then want to widen the gap and finish strong.”

“Keep driving, keep pushing, never let up,” Bradford added.

“Always keep our hands moving,” Anders interjected.

“We’re always pushing each other every day,” Sanchez noted.

The Helix quartet, which also qualified for this weekend’s state meet, includes Nick White, Ty Sheridan, Marlon Brown and Eric Parker.

Parade of champions
Grossmont Conference schools piled up 13 individual medals in the Division I tier, plus three relay medals.

Division I gold medalists included Steele Canyon junior Jarel Sayles in the boys 110 high hurdles (14.47), Parker in the boys 400 dash (48.08) and Valhalla sophomore Ian Lipsey in the boys 100 dash (11.14).

Division I silver medalists included Solomon in the 110 high hurdles (14.72), Grossmont sophomore Madilyn Mayo in the girls 300 hurdles (44.32), Granite Hills junior Levi Knobloch in the boys 300 intermediate hurdles (39.28), Parker in the 200 dash (22.11) and Granite Hills junior Richard Harris-Williams in the boys triple jump (46-4.25).

Division I bronze medalists included Steele Canyon junior Emeliah Vaught in the girls 100 low hurdles (14.66), Anders in the boys 400 dash (49.48), Solomon in the 300 hurdles (39.34), Grossmont sophomore Madeline Minutelli in the girls 3200 run (11:16.14) and Harris-Williams in the boys long jump (22-1.5).

It was a big day for Solomon after qualifying for the state meet in 110 high hurdles, 300 intermediate hurdles and 4×400 relay.

Parker qualified for the state meet in the 400 dash and 4×400 relay. He’s ranked sixth among state qualifiers in the open 400.

He said winning the quarter-mile event was something he expected to accomplish after finishing second last season.

“I was out to win it (the 400) because of all the hard work I’ve put in,” the returning state meet qualifier said. “The season isn’t over; there’s still one week to go. I still want to improve my time.”

Both Steele’s Sayles and Vaught qualified for the state meet. Sayles won the section A-heat and is ranked fourth in the state; Vaught finished third at the section finals.

It will be the first trip to the state meet for both Cougar hurdlers.

“I’ve been tough on myself,” explained Sayles, who edged Solomon by 0.25 seconds to win the high hurdles. “I just wanted to do a personal record each week. I’ve critiqued myself on my form and what I needed to do to get this.”

“It feels really great,” added Vaught, who finished just 0.22 seconds out of second place. “I give all the glory to God, of course.”

Other East County state qualifiers included Mayo in the girls 300 hurdles, Harris- Williams in the boys triple jump and Knobloch in the boys 300 intermediate hurdles.

Lipsey moved up the field in the final 50 meters to notch the top time among Division I runners in the two heats.

“I was nervous but I got a great start, got up there and kept moving from there,” he said.

Lipsey was part of the Valhalla unit that finished with the silver medal in the Division I 4×100 relay in 42.86.

Patriots Day
Christian finished second among Division II girls teams, placing just four points behind team champion University City.

The Patriots were dominant throughout the meet.

• Sophomore Miranda Nichols won the Division II gold medal in the girls discus throw (130-4) to qualify for the state meet.
• Sophomore Alaina Zamorano finished with individual silver medals in the Division II girls 800 run (2:15.00) and 1600 run (5:03.74)
• Junior Simone James finished with silver medals in the Division II girls 100 hurdles (15.06) and 300 hurdles (45.38).
• Senior Jasmyn Crawford finished the bronze medal in the Division II girls 100 dash (12.25).
• Christian earned a silver medal in the girls 4×100 relay (49.02) and a bronze medal in the girls 4×400 relay (3:58.50).

West Hills sophomore Brandy Atuatasi won the gold medal in the Division II girls shot put (43-7) to qualify for the state meet.

This will mark her second consecutive trip to the Clovis meet after qualifying in both the shot put and discus throw as a freshman.

She has eclipsed last year’s mark in the shot put by nearly five feet, and enters Friday’s state prelims ranked eighth among this year’s qualifiers.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “I was so nervous last year because I was only a freshman. This year the shot put has become my dominant sport. I wasn’t happy about my performance in the discus throw (a very subpar 105-3 to rank seventh in the division after throwing 133-5 at the section prelims). I was nervous that I might not qualify in the shot put but I knew I had to redeem myself.”

Her best on the season in the shot put is the 45-1.5 mark she made at the Dick Wilkins Frosh-Soph Invitational on April 27.

She’s hoping to better than this weekend.

Among other East County top finishers:

Division II silver medalists included Monte Vista freshman Kendall Herren in the girls 100 dash (12.19), Monte Vista senior Travis Kulhanek in the boys high jump (6-4), El Capitan junior Ramahn Yokley in the boys long jump (22-11.75) and Santana senior Morgan Wilson in the boys discus throw (150-9).

Division II bronze medalists included El Capitan senior Matthew Machnov in the boys 3200 run (9:47.01), Mt. Miguel senior Kerri Gordon in the girls shot put (34-10.5) and El Capitan senior Yaphet Yokley in the boys discus throw (149-3).

El Capitan senior Emily Ruff had a strong meet with a bronze medals in the Division II girls 100 hurdles (15.19) and 300 hurdles (45.50)

State qualifiers among the aforementioned group include Kulhanek in the boys high jump and Yokley in the boys long jump.

 

San Diego Section Track & Field
Photo Gallery by Phillip Brents

B-heat girls sprint

Boys 3200-meter run:

Boys 3200-meter run, Division 1 medalists:

Boys 3200-meter run, Division 2 medalists:

B-flight girls high jump

Boys 100-meter dash A-heat:

Boys 100-meter dash, Division I medalists:

Boys 100-meter dash, Division I medalists:

Boys 110-meter high hurdles, Division 1 medalists:

Boys 110-meter high hurdles, Division 2 medalists:

Boys pole vault:

Boys pole vault, Division 2 medalists:

Boys 200-meter dash medalists, Division 1:

Boys 200-meter dash medalists, Division 2:

Girls 100-meter low hurdles A-heat:

Girls 400-meter dash A-heat:

Girls 100-meter dash, Division 1 medalists:

Girls 400-meter dash, Division 2 medalists:

Girls 800-meter run: