League championship meets in track and field have traditionally served as qualifiers for the San Diego Section prelim meet. They still do, but a new twist has been added.
Beginning this year, only the league champion in each event is guaranteed to secure a position in the section prelims. Previously, it was the top two place-finishers.
Now the new rules aren’t quite that restrictive. While the league champion advances, so do other athletes who meet a predetermined standard in each event.
More than two athletes can advance per event provided they meet the qualifying standard.
There is one hitch, however. Athletes must meet the qualifying standard at their league finals. Forget about that section- or league-leading mark posted at the beginning of the season. That no longer matters.
In essence, athletes had to put their best foot forward at this year’s league finals. A premium was put on top performances.
The Mesa League and South Bay League finals took place May 11 at Otay Ranch High School. The section prelims are set this Saturday at Mt. Carmel High School. Girls competition goes first, starting at 9 a.m.; the boys take the field at 2 p.m.
Qualified athletes will compete in the section championship meet, which also serves as a state-qualifying meet, May 27, starting at 10 a.m., also at Mt. Carmel High School.
Mesa League Finals
Top performers at the Mesa League finals included Eastlake junior Jaylin Jackson, Otay Ranch junior Jace Fuamatu, Olympian junior Alyssa Meeks, Eastlake junior Leyla McFarland and Eastlake freshman Patricia Miessner.
•Jackson recorded individual first-place finishes in the boys 110-meter high hurdles (15.61), long jump (22-5.75) and triple jump (45-11.75).
•Fuamatu recorded top marks in the boys shot put (49-7) and discus throw (137-11).
•Meeks recorded an individual double in winning the girls 100 dash (12.53) and 200 dash (26.03).
• McFarland set a personal record in winning the girls 400 dash in 57.38 and won the long jump competition with a mark of 15-10.25.
•Miessner racked up first-place finishes in the girls 1600 run (5:14.25) and 3200 run (11:02.32) in compiling a distance double.
Who else made the grade when it counted most?
Boys running event individual league champions included Olympian senior Michael Hull-Littlejohn in the 100 dash (11.16); Olympian sophomore Hugo Sobernas in the 200 dash (22.89); Olympian senior Ryan Sanchez in the 400 dash (50.79); Eastlake junior Jeffrey Page in the 800 run (1:55.93); Bonita Vista junior Isaiah Labra in the 1600 run (4:25.22); Otay Ranch senior Jeremiah Suzara in the 3200 run (9:26.70); and Otay Ranch senior Daniel Langlais in the 300 intermediate hurdles (41.80).
Olympian won the boys 4×100 relay in 42.91 while Eastlake won the boys 4×400 relay in 3:27.29.
Boys field event individual league champions included Eastlake sophomore Kevin Bateman in the high jump (5-11) and Otay Ranch junior Nathan Sison in the pole vault (12-6).
Girls running event individual league champions included Eastlake senior Emily Bonilla in the 800 run (2:22.23); Otay Ranch junior Alani Johnson in the girls 100 low hurdles (15.60); and Otay Ranch freshman Emma Gaines-Ramos in the 300 low hurdles (48.04).
Eastlake won the girls 4×100 relay in 49.50 while Olympian won the girls 4×400 relay in 4:02.67.
Girls field event individual league champions included Otay Ranch senior Racquel Holloway in the shot put (36-5.5); Otay Ranch senior Carlie Judge in the discus throw (107-7); Olympian junior Shaniyah Rankin in the high jump (5-0); Eastlake sophomore Renna Cozza in the pole vault (8-10); and Otay Ranch senior Ryann Mojica in the triple jump (34-7).
Labra doubled in winning the boys 1600 and 3200 last year and set a goal of repeating this year. He won the 1600 by a second-and-a-half margin, shaving seven seconds off last year’s winning time.
However, his legs could not carry him to victory in this year’s 3200 as he finished sixth — almost 16 seconds behind last year’s winning time.
Still, he remains a force to be reckoned with on the oval in the distance events. His best time this season in the 1600 is 4:24.92 and 9:35.52 in the 3200.
“I want to qualify for the state meet in either the mile or two-mile,” he said. “I’ve grown a lot since my freshman year. I started going from no experience to where I am today competing against such amazing runners.”
Suzara, this year’s 3200 winner, has a season best time of 9:19.57 to his name.
The challenge for both runners will be to duplicate those times at the CIF prelims and finals.
Page hopes to return to the state meet in the 800 event. He’s hoping the increased competition at the end of the season catapults him back to Clovis. His time at the league finals was a season best.
“I’ve only run it four or five times this season; the league finals was my first competitive race and I’m happy,” he said. “Last year I ran a 1:54 (1:54.70) at CIF; I’m hoping to get 1:53 at CIF this year. I’m hoping for more competitive races so I can go faster.”
McFarland, normally a distance runner, has shifted to other events this season with equal success. She set her PR in the 400 dash without using blocks, noted EHS coach David Koopman.
McFarland said being in lane five helped her best a top field that included three top Olympian runners. The Lady Titan standout edged Olympian sophomore Adaeze Noble by .22 second at the finish line.
“I knew all the Olympian girls would be ahead of me in a very hard race,” McFarland explained. “I thought if I could have a good race that I would have a good chance of beating them.”
In an impressive showing of talent, seven runners finished the grueling boys 3200 in less than 10 minutes. Following Suzara were Mustangs Justin Mulvany (second, 9:32.47) and Cale Parise (third, 9:33.00), Olympian’s Diego Arriola (fourth, 9:35.35), Bonita Vista’s Armando Campos (fifth, 9:40.56), Labra (sixth, 9:50.64) and Olympian’s Nicholas Albro (seventh, 9:59.56).
Mulvany finished second in the 1600 run (4:26.67).
Otay Ranch edged Olympian, 162-152, for supremacy in the boys team standings at the league finals while Eastlake out-paced Olympian 202-157 in the girls team standings.
Rounding out the boys team standings were Eastlake (third, 128 points), Bonita Vista (fourth, 51 points), Mater Dei Catholic (fifth, 32 points) and Hilltop (sixth, 19 points).
Rounding out the girls team standings were Otay Ranch (third, 153 points), Bonita Vista (fourth, 59 points), Mater Dei Catholic (fifth, 26 points) and Hilltop (sixth, eight points).
Olympian won the boys regular season league dual meet title while Eastlake won the girls regular season league dual meet title.
South Bay League Finals
South Bay League Athletes of the Meet included Sweetwater senior Hope Foote (girls track events), Castle Park freshman A’Sontee Jackson (girls field events), San Ysidro junior Jake Curtis (boys track events) and Castle Park sophomore Airrien Smith (boys field events).
•Foote sped to individual championships in the girls 100 dash (12.75) while taking second in the girls 200 dash (27.07).
•Jackson claimed top marks in the girls long jump (14-11) and triple jump (31-7.75).
•Curtis won the boys 100-meter dash with a season best time of 11.41 seconds and doubled by winning the 200 dash in 22.59, also a season best.
•Smith captured top marks in the boys long jump (20-10.5) and triple jump (41-8.5).
Male track event winners also included Sweetwater senior Kyree Dacanay in the 400 dash (51.87); Southwest junior Jacob Fierro in the 800 run (2:00.77) and 1600 run (4:23.14); San Ysidro senior Andres Zamudio in the 3200 run (10:34.28); Sweetwater junior Jonathan Alvarado in the 110 high hurdles (16.37); and Castle Park senior Jovani Chavez in the 300 intermediate hurdles (42.42).
San Ysidro won the boys 4×100 relay in 44.75 and also captured the boys 4×400 relay in 3:32.07.
Male field event winners also included Sweetwater senor Rudy Castaneda in the shot put (44-7) and discus throw (142-6); Sweetwater sophomore Angel Flores in the pole vault (10-0); and Sweetwater senior Mohamed Abdinasir in the high jump (5-6).
Female track event winners also included Chula Vista senior Erika Infante-Sanchez in the 200 dash (26.93); Chula Vista junior Aletse Sarabia in the 400 dash (59.41); Southwest senior Fabiola Gonzalez in the 800 run (2:37.40); Chula Vista sophomore Mya Thomas in the 1600 run (5:39.20); Castle Park senior Liliana Hakim in the 3200 run (12:45.97); Chula Vista junior Ghizelth Anderson in the 100 low hurdles (17.80); and Sweetwater junior Stephnie Lopez in the 300 low hurdles (50.97).
Sweetwater ran to league titles in both the 4×100 relay (51.86) and 4×400 relay (4:20.17).
Female field event winners also included Southwest senior Paulina Macias in the shot put (32-7.5); Castle Park sophomore Mariaisabel Hernandez in the discus throw (89-3); Sweetwater senior Roquel Leyva in the high jump (4-8); and Sweetwater senior Jacqueline Alvarez in the pole vault (8-4).
Sweetwater topped both the boys and girls team scores at this year’s league finals. The Red Devil boys team out-pointed runner-up San Ysidro 154-95 while the SuHi girls team slipped past runner-up Chula Vista 191-134.
Chula Vista finished third among boys teams with 84 points, followed by Mar Vista (fourth, 81 points), Southwest (fifth, 45 points), Castle Park (sixth, 41 points) and Montgomery (seventh, 18 points).
Castle Park finished third among girls teams with 62 points, followed by Southwest (fourth, 57 points), Mar Vista (fifth, 53 points), San Ysidro (sixth, 34 points) and Montgomery (seventh, 23 points).
Sweetwater swept regular season dual meet titles in both boys and girls competition.
For live scoring of CIF prelim events visit the website at www.sdtrackmag.com. For complete league finals results, visit www.athletic.net.
