The stage appears set for a potentially blockbuster showing by Metro Conference athletes at Saturday’s San Diego Section track and field championship meet. All the pieces — or nearly so — were assembled at last Saturday’s section prelim meet. All totaled, 21 individual South County qualifiers, plus four relays teams, will be represented in 20 state qualifying heats or flights.
Four Metro Conference athletes qualified to compete in two events.
It may or may not be a record number, but the quality of competitors may be unsurpassed.
The telling of the latter will be put to the test this Saturday at Mt. Carmel High School. Field events start at 10 a.m., with running events to follow at 12:30 p.m.
The top nine section prelim place-finishers in each event (top 12 in the 1,600 and 3,200 runs) in both Division I and Division II advanced to compete in Saturday’s finals. The finals events are divided into two fields: a state qualifying field and a non-qualifying field. Qualifiers from both divisions are spread throughout both fields, with those possessing the best marks and fastest times entered in the state qualifying field.
The top three place-finishers in each of the state qualifying heats/flights advance to the state championship meet the following weekend in Clovis. However, all athletes will score points for their respective teams, regardless of which field they are in.
Division I and Division II team champions will be crowned in both boys and girls competition.
Sound complicated? Well, it seems to work in determining the section’s top state qualifiers — or in this case, the section’s top qualified athletes on that particular day.
The Metro’s state qualifying pool is led by Otay Ranch’s Carina Gillespie (girls 800 run) and Eastlake’s Jordan Hines (boys triple jump), both returning state meet qualifiers.
They are prominently joined by Mater Dei Catholic’s Cardedra Evans (girls 100 dash), Otay Ranch’s Marques Roberts (boys long jump and triple jump) and Jon Bajet (boys shot put and discus throw) and Mater Dei Catholic’s Alexandrio Young (girls high jump and triple jump).
Gillespie and Evans shared the Mesa League Female Track Athlete of the Meet award at this year’s league finals while Roberts and Bajet shared the Mesa League Male Field Athlete of the Meet Award. Young was the sole recipient of the Mesa League Female Field Athlete of the Meet award.
But those elite athletes are by no means alone, and that’s the kicker to this year’s parade of South County A-heat/flight qualifiers.
Also qualifying for elite A-heat/flight appearances are Eastlakle senior Trent Warren (boys 1600 run), Otay Ranch’s Steven Martinez (boys 3200 run), Bonita Vista’s Caesar Castillo (boys 3200 run) and Shinaola Agbede (boys 3200 run), Otay Ranch’s Isaac Mallett (boys 300 intermediate hurdles), Olympian’s Julian Robinson (boys 300 intermediate hurdles), Bonita Vista’s Branden Greene (boys high jump), Castle Park’s Chevy King (boys long jump and triple jump), Hiltop’s Tiana Gillon (girls 100 dash), Olympian’s Nicole Johnson (girls 200 dash) and Rachael Rainey (girls 400 dash), Bonita Vista’s Cristina Hernandez (girls 3200), Otay Ranch’s Alyssa Chang (girls 100 hurdles), Bonita Vista’s Jade Palm (girls 300 hurdles) and Chula Vista’s Daeniesha Burrell (girls triple jump).
Eastlake’s boys 4×100 relay team, Hilltop’s girls 4×100 relay team, Olympian’s girls 4×400 relay team and Bonita Vista’s girls 4×400 relay team all qualified in impressive fashion for the elite A-heat.
The top three place-finishers in each event, plus those who meet a predetermined standard advance to the state meet June 3-4 at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
Greene and Roberts both appear to be peaking at the right time of the season, in particular.
Roberts, who was a scratch for last year’s state meet, hit 50 feet-even to take over the state lead in the boys triple jump. He also recorded the second-best long jump mark of 23-8 in prelim qualifying.
Meanwhile, Greene cleared a season best (and conference leading) 6-5 in the high jump to rank in a tie for second among prelim qualifiers.
Other standout performances at the section prelims came from Mater Dei’s Young, Otay’s Bajet, Eastlake’s Hines and CP’s King.
Hines, who recorded a fifth-place medal at last year’s state triple jump finals, finished second behind Roberts in the event with a prelim mark of 47-8.
Young finished with the second best qualifying mark in the girls triple jump (37-10.5) while also tying for second in the girls high jump (5-3). The 37-10.5 triple jump is a season best.
King, the South Bay League’s Male Field Athlete of the Meet at the South Bay League Finals, turned in the third bests mark in the long jump (23-7.25) and the fourth best mark in the triple jump (46-2.75).
Bajet notched the third best prelim mark in the discus throw (153-6) while finishing sixth in qualifying in the shot put (49-8.25).
The Trojan jumper is a threat, like Roberts, to qualify for the state meet in two events.
The round of standout showings at the section prelims continued with Otay’s Gillespie (fifth, 2:17.00), Mallett (fourth, 39.74) and CV’s Burrell (fifth, 36-8.25).
Gillespie finished third at last year’s section finals to earn a spot in the 800 event at the state prelims. She enters this weekend’s section finals with a season best time of 2:13.51.
In relay events, Olympian’s girls 4×400 relay unit (4:00.66) is seeded fourth, Bonita Vista’s 4×400 relay team is seeded fifth (4:02.91), Eastlake’s boys 4×100 unit (43.12) is seeded seventh while Hilltop’s girls 4×100 team (50.03) is seeded ninth.
Other notables:
One-fourth of the field in the boys 3200 run is from the Metro Conference. Otay’s Martinez (9:27.27) ranked seventh overall in prelim qualifying, followed by BV’s Castillo (ninth, 9:31.89) and Agbede (12th, 9:33.19). All three times are season bests.
Eastlake’s Warren was seventh in prelim qualifying in the boys 1600 in 4:18.69 — a season best
San Diego Section
Track & Field Prelims
(Metro Conference Finals Qualifiers)
Saturday, May 28, at Mt. Carmel High School
Division I
Boys Running Events
4×100 relay: 5. Eastlake (43.12)
1600: 6. Trent Warren (Eastlake) 4:18.69
110 hurdles: 9. Isaac Mallett (Otay Ranch) 15.48
800: 7. Trent Warren (Eastlake) 1:57.82
300 hurdles: 4. Isaac Mallett (Otay Ranch) 38.74
3200: 5. Steven Martinez (Otay Ranch) 9:27.27, 6. Caesar Castillo (Bonita Vista) 9:31.89, 9. Shinaola Agbede (Bonita Vista) 9:33.50
4×400 relay: 9. Otay Ranch (3:25.66)
Boys Field Events
High jump: 1. Branden Greene (Bonita Vista) 6-5
Pole vault: 9. (tie) Alejandro Lopez (Eastlake), German Palma (Bonita Vista) 13-2
Long jump: 2. Marques Roberts (Otay Ranch) 23-8.25, 8. Jordan Hines (Eastlake) 21-9.25
Triple jump: 1. Marques Roberts (Otay Ranch) 50-0 (state leader), 2. Jordan Hines (Eastlake) 47-8
Shot put: 5. Jon Bajet (Otay Ranch) 49-8.25
Discus throw: 3. Jon Bajet (Otay Ranch) 153-5
Girls Running Events
4×100 relay: 7. Hilltop (50.03)
100 hurdles: 7. Alyssa Chang (Otay Ranch) 15.51
400: 9. Sarah Garces (Eastlake) 59.37
100: 5. Tiana Gillon (Hilltop) 12.62
800: 4. Carina Gillespie (Otay Ranch) 2:17.00
300 hurdles: 7. Jade Palm (Bonita Vista) 46.50
200: 7. Kiera Williams (Otay Ranch) 26.11
3200: 6. Cristina Hernandez (Bonita Vista) 11:22.20
4×400 relay: 4. Bonita Vista (4:02.91, 5. Chula Vista (4:03.72)
Girls Field Events
Triple jump: 3. Daeniesha Burrell (Chula Vista) 36-8.25
Pole vault: 9. Tiffany Smith (Otay Ranch) 10-0
Division II
Boys Running Events
110 hurdles: 3. Julian Robinson (Olympian) 15.12
300 hurdles: 2. Julian Robinson (Olympian) 39.55
Boys Field Events
Long jump: 1. Chevy King (Castle Park) 23-7.25
Triple jump: 1. Chevy King (Castle Park) 46-2.75
Discus throw: 3. Edward Madrano (Mater Dei Catholic) 141-11
Girls Running Events
4×100 relay: 5. Olympian (50.44)
100 hurdles: 8. Emily O’Bryant (Mar Vista) 16.88
400: 2. Rachael Rainey (Olympian) 58.48, 6. Kristina Brown (Olympian) 59.71
100: 4. Cardedra Evans (Mater Dei Catholic) 12.55, 5. Nicole Johnson (Olympian) 12.63
300 hurdles: 3. Charmayne Judkins (Olympian) 46.58
200: 2. Nicole Johnson (Olympian) 25.82
4×400 relay: 1. Olympian (4:00.66)
Girls Field Events
High jump: 3. Alexandria Young (Mater Dei Catholic) 5-3
Triple jump: 1. Alexandria Young (Mater Dei Catholic) 37-10.5
