Even this late in the postseason, in a strong section, Fiona O'Keeffe (Davis) is dominant in the 1600 and 3200.

The final wave of sectional meets is underway, and MileSplit will be on-site at the Sac Joaquin Section Masters meet in Elk Grove. This is a part of the state that doesn't get enough coverage based on the quality of the athletes there. There are star athletes that should dominate their events as they tune up for the state meet, preparing to go against the best, and they will be on full display Thursday and Friday. There are several events, though, without a clear favorite; in many of these, the depth of the section is what will be on display. Whether you're attending in person or following remotely, check out some of these elite individuals and competitive events below!

More Sac Joaquin Section Masters Coverage

• Meet Page
• Meet Schedule
• Performance Lists: Day 1 | Day 2
• Live Results
• Virtual Meets: Boys | Girls

Events to Watch

• Girls 200 & 400: The top 6 girls in the 200 have all run between 24.65 and 24.84 - and that makes the event anyone's to win. Jeli Bryce-Montgomery (Bear Creek) is the top seed from the division finals (and also in the 100), but Nastumi McGee (Cosumnes Oaks) has the fastest time on the season as a whole. Schantell Williams (St. Mary's) is the girl to beat in the 400, having run 55.12 this spring, but there are 4 other girls that could beat her, as they all have times of 56 or faster.
• Girls 4x100: The top 8 teams this season are separated by almost exactly one second, and with Franklin out (having missed zone 3 at the Division 1 finals) that tightens things up even more. The top 3 teams (in position to advance to the state meet, that is) have run 48.11 (Rodriguez), 48.13 (Pleasant Grove), and 48.32 (Cosumnes Oaks) this spring, and there are at least 4 more sub-49 squads looking to pick those three off.
• Girls 4x400: St. Francis ran 3:52 last weekend, but their season best is 3:50, and that puts them in the driver's seat. Armijo also ran 3:52 last weekend, a season best, and with that they will challenge for the win.
• Girls Triple Jump: Although Nia Vance (Vacaville) is the favorite with her mark of 38' 3.75", there are three girls within a foot of her that could pull off the mild upset. Amber Cook (Monterey Grove) and Amanda Brooks (Franklin Elk Grove) have season bests of 37' 10" and 37' 9", respectively, while Lauren Cariaso (Pittman) has jumped 37' 6".
• Boys 400: There is no clear favorite in this race, which only makes it more exciting, of course! Aspyn Walton (Wood Creek) has the fastest time on the season, 48.26, but it was Myles Ellis (Antelope) that emerged from the division finals with the top seed after running 48.44 - and there are 3 other athletes in the race that have run between 48.55 and 48.65!
• Boys 3200: The division finals were a bit topsy-turvy when it comes to this race, as section leader Sean Kurdy (Jesuit), who has run 9:08, will only be seeded 5th on Friday. Michael Vernau (Davis) had the top time last weekend, while Drew Childs (Bella Vista) and Luis Grijalva (Armijo) have also been under 9:20 this season.
• Boys Hurdles: Both races appear to be wide open, with multiple contenders for the win. Dei Lightfoot-Shelton (Kimball) and Kyle Clancy (Davis) have identical 14.33's this season, and there are several other sub-15 guys that could take the 100 Hurdles with a breakout race. Tre Shon Woods (Roseville) is the slim favorite in the 300 Hurdles, where there are five challengers within 8 tenths of his best time, including Garrett Jones (Forest Lake Christian) and Lightfoot-Shelton.
• Boys Shot Put: Three boys in the section have broken 60 this spring, although none did so last weekend. Darrin Paulo (Grant Union) has the best overall mark, but he will be seeded second to Jonah Williams (Folsom) by virtue of their throws at division finals. Micahel Titherington (Jesuit) is also right in the mix for the win here.

Athletes to Watch

• In the 1600 and the 3200, it's Fiona O'Keefe (Davis) that is expected to dominate - she ran 4:45 last weekend, giving her CA #2 and US #13 rankings in the 1600 to go with her state-leading and US #7 10:15 for 3200.
• Kendall Derry (Bella Vista) has run 2:12 in the 800, which makes her a solid favorite to win.
• Nobody is going to touch Jurnee Woodward (Vacaville) in the 100 Hurdles, where her season best of 13.90 is almost a full second faster than anyone else in the meet. In the 300 she is still the favorite with her 41.99, but there are four girls that have run in the 43's that are close enough to push her.
• Brandi French (Vacaville) and Megan Dulaney (Rodriguez) have been close in the shot put all year, and that holds true coming out of the division meets. French has been over 47 feet, with Dulaney right behind in the mid-46's. Hannah Chappell (Oakdale) is the favorite in the discus throw.
• Katherine Jackson (Rodriguez) is capable of dominating in the long jump, as her 19' 3" last weekend was over 14 inches further than the next qualifier.
• Erica Higley (Bear River) has cleared 5' 7" in the high jump this spring, while Natalie Caraway (Granite Bay) has been over 5' 6".
• Melissa Maneatis (Del Oro) is the top seed coming out of division finals, having jumped 12' 0" last week, but Leah Bertucelli (Union Mine) has cleared 12' 6" this year.
• John McDonald (Lincoln) is the favorite in the 100 and 200, with season bests of 10.50 and 21.50. The field behind him is solid in both races, though, and he will have to run well to stay on top.
• Arturo Sotomayor (Roseville) has run 1:51.54 for the 800 this spring, although he did not appear to go all-out last week. On the other hand, he did not advance in the 1600, which indicates that he is focusing all his attention on the 800 for the next two weeks. Ben Roberts (Davis) clocked a season-best of 4:12 last weekend to grab the top seed in the 1600.
• Sheldon and Monterey Trail could find themselves side-by-side on the 4x100 anchor leg, unless one team has a bobble somewhere along the line - they have nearly identical best times of 42.04 and 42.05. Sheldon failed to advance in the 4x400, though, which makes Davis a heavy favorite.
• Darrin Paulo (Grant Union) is dominant in the discus - on the season he has a 13-foot advantage over the next-best performer, and his mark from last weekend is 17 feet better than anyone else was able to manage.
• Isaiah Holmes (Oakmont) has a good chance to bring home three wins. He holds the top seed in the long jump and triple jump, although there are opponents within striking range in both events. He has also cleared 7 feet in the high jump this season, with his closest challenger at 6' 8" (although Holmes only got over 6' 4" last weekend, perhaps conserving energy for his other events).
• In the pole vault, Austin Laut (Oak Ridge) has a season best of 16' 3.25", which makes him the state leader. He has to watch out for Michael Gonzalez (Lodi), who has cleared 16 feet.