Weekend Highlights: Cali. Runners Fernandez, Babcock, Hasay and Chetelat All Impress

The California State Meet might lead the way this weekend but many other state meets and divisional meets follow closely behind this weekend. Some of the nation's best take to the track one last time in their home state looking to go out on top, chasing after the gold one last time. Keep checking back throughout the weekend as we bring you the top highlights and results from around the nation.

Weekend Highlights & Results (5/30 - 6/1)

California State T&F Championships (CA)

California State T&F Championships: Meet Page / Live Results

**German Fernandez (Riverbank) Runs 4:00.29/8:34.23 Distance Double!!!

**Christine Babcock (Woodbridge) U.S. #2 all-time 1600m mark of 4:33.82!!!

**Jordan Hasay (Mission Prep) beats Laurynne Chetelat (Davis) in girls 3200m run, 9:52.13-9:52.51, #2 & #3 all-time!!!

Saturday Highlights - Where do we begin?!? Words simply cannot explain the weekend that was the California State T&F Championships. From the first event to the last, U.S. top five efforts were performed in handfuls of events, some of the greatest distance races ever run took place and this talented and deep state showed why it is the top all-around track state in the country.

The image “https://www.milesplit.com/files/usa/outdoor08/germanfernandezprofile.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.The top performance of the weekend, and the year, was German Fernandez' (Riverbank, CA) distance double. The Oklahoma State-bound senior won the boys 1600m run in a dominating time of 4:00.29, then came back later in the day to simply destroy the competition with an 8:34.23 effort!!! Fernandez' double is the best distance double of all time and it all took place in less than two hours. His 1600m time ranks him number eight all-time (1600m/mile) and his 3200m mark ranks him U.S. #2 all-time (3200m/two-mile).

While Fernandez' times were simply amazing, the girls 1600m and 3200m races were record breaking as well. In the 1600m run Christine Babcock (Woodbridge, CA) continued her dominating campaign by winning the race in a U.S. #2 all-time 1600m/mile performance of 4:33.82. Babcock crushed the field, winning by nearly 16 seconds and showing she may just be the best prep miler of all-time.

The 3200m provided plenty of theatrics as well, as Jordan Hasay (Mission Prep, CA) and Laurynne Chetelat (Davis, CA) ran stride for stride nearly the entire race, with Hasay using her impressive leg speed to nip Chetelat at the line 9:52.13-9:52.51. These two times rank the young ladies U.S. #2 and U.S. #3 all time in the 3200m/two-mile race, following on the performance of Kim Mortensen's (Thousand Oaks, CA) 9:48.59 (two-mile) set back in 1996.

In the girls 100m hurdles, Vashti Thomas (Mt. Pleasant, CA), Julian Purvis (St. Elizabeth's, CA) and Briana Stewart (Logan, CA) put on a show, as all three athletes broke 13.90 seconds in the race, with Thomas taking top prize in 13.44, while Purvis finished a close second in 13.55 and Stewart third in 13.89. Thomas' time ranks her U.S. #2, Purvis' U.S. top five and Stewart's U.S. top fifteen. In the girls 300m hurdles Kori Carter (Claremont, CA) ran a U.S. top five mark by winning the event in 41.28 while leading two others under 42 seconds.

Sprint events were equally as impressive as the hurdle events. Long Beach Poly (CA) dominated the boys and girls 400m dash events. Freshman Akawkaw Ndipagbor (Long Beach Poly, CA) ran a U.S. #1 mark in the girls event by winning in 53.35, while teammate Jasmine Joseph (Long Beach Poly, CA) placed second with a U.S. top five mark of 53.54. Boys teammate Joey Hughes won the boys 400m dash in a new U.S. #1 time of 46.28. Hughes ran a strong race from start to finish and showed why he may be the top quarter-miler in the country this season.

In the shorter sprints, Randall Carroll (Cathedral, CA) won both the boys 100m dash and 200m dash events. Carroll, who's only a junior, ran wind-legal times of 10.42 and 20.91. Carroll's 200m time ranks him in the U.S. top ten currently. Meanwhile, Jessica Davis (Highland, CA) ran a U.S. top five mark in the girls 200m dash with her winning time of 23.46, beating sophomore sensation Ashton Purvis (St. Elizabeth's, CA), who finished second in 23.51. Purvis beat Davis earlier in the day however by running 11.92 to Davis' 11.97

The relays showed some great results as well. Long Beach Poly (CA) proved why they are the top sprint program in the state on the girls side by winning the 4x400m relay in a U.S. #4 time of 3:40.87. The squad had much to prove after getting last in the 4x100m relay prelims the day before and ran with that chip on their shoulder in this race.

On the boys side Long Beach Poly and Dominguez (CA) showed some excellence as well. In the 4x400m relay Dominguez ran one of the top twelve fastest times ever in the event by winning in a dominating mark of 3:09.59. LBP finished in second in 3:12.58. The tables were reversed earlier in the day however as LBP beat Dominguez in a photo finish in the boys 4x100m relay 41.26-41.27.

In the field events, Vashti Thomas (Mt. Pleasant, CA) continued her winning ways from the track by winning the long jump and triple jump. Thomas dominated both events with winning marks of 20-00.25 and 42-00.50. Long Beach Poly (CA) earned some big points too in the field events with Tara Richmond winning the girls high jump in 5-11, which ranks her U.S. #2. Harrison Steed (Junipero Serra, CA) won the boys high jump with a leap of 7-01. What makes Steed's performance so great is that he is only a sophomore and also ranks him in the U.S. top five.

In the throws Dayshan Ragans (Foothill, CA) and Anna Jelmini (Shafter, CA) both won the shot put and discus. Jelmini performed the top throwing double this season on the girls side with her performances of 169-04 in the discus and 48-03.50. Ragans was equally as successful by winning the boys shot put with a toss of 62-10 and 202-06 in the discus. Meanwhile, Nico Weiler (Los Gatos, CA) continued his winning ways in the pole vault with a winning mark of 17-03. Weiler's mark broke his state meet record, which he set last year.

Friday Highlights - All of Friday's California State T&F Championships action was merely a prelude to Saturday's competition. With all of Friday being preliminary events, the times and marks posted simply set the state for an exciting Saturday. Leading the way was U.S. #1 Anna Jelmini (Shafter, CA) in the girls discus throw. Jelmini threw the third best mark of the year with her preliminary toss of 166-04, setting the tone of the rest of the day.

On the track Long Beach Poly (CA) surprisingly didn't advance in the girls 4x100m relay, however, the boys squad earned the number two mark in the event with a 41.33 effort, leaving them only .05 off top seed Dominguez (CA). Both German Fernandez (Riverbank, CA) and Christine Babcock (Woodbridge, CA) advanced in the 1600m run, with Fernandez winning his heat in 4:11.62 and Babcock winning hers in 4:53.67.

In further femail track action, Anniya Louis (Culver Cy., CA) ran the fastest 800m time in the prelims with her mark of 2:09.77. Meanwhile, Kori Carter (Claremont, CA) won her heat in the 300m hurdles with the top time of 41.73, ranking her as one of the top long hurdlers in the nation this year. Long Beach Poly (CA) came up big in the girls 4x400m relay as well, running the top seed time of the day in 3:41.99, ranking the squad at U.S. #4.

Dominguez (CA) did well in the boys 4x400m relay, nearly equalling their 4x4 mark from Arcadia, which ranks the squad U.S. #1. Dominguez ran the fastest seed time of the day in 3:12.77. The squad's star hurdler Devron Walker (Dominguez, CA) ran the top boys 110m hurdle time of the day with a 13.99 (wind-legal) effort. Dayshan Ragans (Foothill, CA) also continued his impressive throwing results by taking home the top seed in the discus with his 203-07 mark.

In boys field event action, Colin Quirke (Los Gatos, CA) came up big in the shot put, throwing a top qualifying mark of 63-06 and moving into the U.S. top twenty. Elsewhere, Ashtynn Baltimore (Marlborough, CA) took the top spot away from Vashti Thomas (Mt. Pleasant, CA) in the girls long jump. Baltimore scored the top seed heading into Saturday's finals with a leap of 19-03w. Thomas earned herself a number two seed with her leap of 18-09.25. Thomas also earned a number one seed in the triple jump with her leap of 41-01 and leading two others over the forty foot mark.

Dakota Elite Championships - Dakota Duels (ND/SD)

Dakota Elite Championships: Meet Page / Results: Boys - Girls

https://www.milesplit.com/files/usa/outdoor08/lauraroesler1%20(3).jpgSophomore Laura Roesler (Fargo South, ND) (pictured right by Richard Svaleson) was at it again Friday evening. Last week at the North Dakota State T&F Championships Roesler won all the events from 100m-800m, helping her team to the team title. This week at the Dakota Elite Championships (Dakota Duels), Roesler not only won the 800m dash, but also helped guide her teams to wins in the 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay.

However, the biggest performance of the day was her 800m mark, where she lowered her personal best to 2:04.96. Roesler's chief goal this post season is to qualify for the Olympic Trials and lowering her time here helps the cause.

Other top performances at the meet took place both on the track and off it. Lindsay Anderson (Leeds, ND) won the girls 3200m run in a solo effort of 10:48.67. Anderson was the only enterant in the race and ran incredibly even splits. Seth Wisthoff (Glenburn, ND) easily won the boys shot put with a great effort of 60-03.25, good enough to win by nearly seven feet.

Indiana State T&F Championships (IN)

Indiana State T&F Championships: Meet Page / Results: Boys - Girls

Boys Highlights - One class, one champion. That is how Indiana pieces together their state championship, leaving no question who the best individuals and teams are at the end of the weekend. Numerous top performances highlighted the day, but senior D'Juan Richardson (Warren Central, IN) put up the best performances. Richardson won both hurdle events, running 13.96 in the 110m hurdles and 37.18 in the 300m hurdles. Both of Richardson's marks rank him in the U.S. top 18 currently.

Perhaps the best dual of the day came in the pole vault, which saw Corey Shank (FW Northrup, IN) and Kevin Schipper (FW Bishop Dwenger, IN) both clear 16-06. However, Shank won the competition off of misses. In other field event action, Brandon Pounds (Lawrence North, IN) beat a competitive field in the shot put with a winning performance of 63-09. Pounds was challenged closesly however by Jakob Engel (Portage, IN), who finished in the runner-up spot with a toss of 63-02.75.

In the distance events, Drew Shields (Fishers, IN) showed that speed kills if the pace goes out slowly. Shields came back in the 1600m after leading his squads 4x800m relay to second place earlier in the day, winning the race in a slow 4:18.14. A conservative early pace helped Shields use his tremendous speed to take home the title. Shields also came back later in the day to win in 1:55.14. The boys 3200m run was impressive as well with Andy Bayer (Leo, IN) beating Foot Locker finalist Tito Medrano (Lafayette Jefferson, IN) 9:02.82-9:02.94.

Back in the speedier events, Shaun Smith (TH North, IN) crushed the competition in the 100m dash, winning with a mark of 10.47 and ranks him as one of the top 100m dash runners ever in the state. Junior Matthew Terrell (Ben Davis, IN) was equally as successful in the 200m dash by winning in 21.23. Terrell also helped lead his team to the 4x100m relay title, as well as the overall team title.

Girls Highlights - While the boys part of the championships take place on Saturday, the girls had the track all the themselves Friday night. Running under the lights for the back half of the final, some fantastic results took place. Two of the best performances took place in the throws. Rachel Deloney (Bloomington North, IN) threw 151-04 to win the discus, a toss that currently ranks her in the U.S. top 15. Lawrence North senior Felisha Johnson won the shot put with an exceptional mark of 47-06.25, just beating out Kayla Buckley (North Central, IN), who finished second with a toss of 47-03.50.

On the track, Alex Banfich (Culver Acadamies, IN) closed out her fairytale career with victories in the 1600m run and 3200m run. The Princeton-bound senior won the 1600m run over a deep field with her 4:55.12 effort, while coming back later in the evening to blitz the competition in the 3200m run with a mark of 10:46.55.

Candyce McGrone (Warren Central, IN) won the 100m and 200m dash events by large margins. The senior sprint sensation won the 100m dash in 11.78, while earning a 24.18 200m effort later in the evening. McGrone also helped her squad to second in the 4x100m relay. Hannah Farley (Park Tudor, IN) impressed as well with a 54.31 winning 400m time. Farley's time ranks her U.S. top fifteen currently. Also, Stacia Weatherford (Lawrence North, IN) scored ten big points for her team by winning the 300m hurdles in 43.45.

Other top results came from the Lawrence North (IN) 4x400m relay team, which won the final event of the evening in 3:52.33. Westfield (IN) won the first event of the day, the girls 4x800m relay, by dominating the competition with a 9:12.61 winning effort. Elsewhere, Ellie Tidman (Batesville, IN) won the high jump rather easily with her 5-09.50 effort, while Katherine Klump (South Dearborn, IN) won the girls 800m dash in 2:10.20.

Kentucky State T&F Championships (KY)

Kentucky State T&F Championships: Meet Page & Results

Top Kentucky State Coverage: KYTrackXC.com

Weekend Highlights - The last meet of the Kentucky State T&F Championships took place this weekend and some nice results were seen. The top performers of the weekend came from Chelsea Brown (Butler, KY) and Lutisha Bowen (Louisiville Ballard, KY) in the girls sprint and hurdle events. Brown won the girls 100m dash in 12.22, 300m hurdles in 43.82 and 400m dash in 56.98. Meanwhile, Bowen won the girls 100m hurdles in 14.34 while placing second to Brown in the 300m hurdles with a 43.86 effort.

On the boys side Apollo (KY) won the 4x800m relay in a great time of 7:59.56. Thomas Canary (Lexington Catholic, KY) also came up big, winning the boys 800m dash with his 1:54.06 effort. In the sprints Justin Green (Male, KY) showed his strength by winning the 200m dash in 21.82 and 400m dash in 48.95 respectively, while helping pace his team to a victory in the 4x400m relay and second place in the 4x200m relay.

Michigan State T&F Championships (MI)

Michigan State T&F Championships: Meet Page / Results

Saturday Highlights - What a great day it was at Rockford High School for the DI Michigan State T&F Championships. Two of the top performances of the day came in the distance events, which saw Detroit Mumford (MI) win the boys 4x800m relay in a dominating time of 7:44.79, while Rebecca Addison (Grand Haven, MI) won the girls 1600m run in a fantastic time of 4:50.80. Runner-up Shannon Osika (Waterford Mott, MI) ran a great time as well with her 4:52.72 effort. Addison then came back later in the day to win the girls 800m dash with an excellent mark of 2:13.75...not a bad double.

In the hurdle events Roscoe Payne (Cowan-Ainsworth, MI) and Leslie Aririguzo (West Bloomfield, MI) dominated the short hurdles. Payne won the boys 110m hurdles by breaking 14 seconds with his 13.99 effort, while Aririguzo shocked the crowd with her dominating 13.84 performance. Payne then came back later in the day to win the boys 300m hurdles in a time of 37.69. In the flat sprints Darryl White (Romulus, MI) won the 100m dash in 10.76 (legal wind).

Elsewhere, Bobby Aprill (Dexter, MI) won the DII boys 1600m run in 4:12.98, running the fastest mark this season by a Michigan athlete. Aprill then came back later in the day to easily win the 3200m run in 9:16.41. Also in the DII boys distance races, Tommy Brinn (Otsego, MI) ran 1:51.76 to crush the field by over four seconds and break the state meet record by two seconds.. Varick Tucker (Belleville, MI) won the DI boys 400m dash with a weekend state meet best time of 48.71.

In the field events Ariel Roberts (Ann Arbor Pioneer, MI) dominated the girls high jump with a winning leap of 5-09. Roberts clearly established herself as the favorite in this event all season long. Roberts also won the girls 300m hurdles in 43.96, dominating from start to finish. In the boys shot put Michael Martin (Detroit Catholic Central, MI) won in 63-09, while in the DII girls discus Jamie Smith (Richard Gull Lake, MI) threw an exceptional mark of 152-01 to win the event.

Virginia State T&F Championships (VA)

Virginia State T&F Championships: Meet Pages & Results: AAA - AA

Best Coverage of Virginia State: MileStat.com

Saturday Highlights - The Landstown (VA) girls and the Bethel (VA) and Western Branch (VA) boys had a great weekend at the Group AAA Virginia State T&F Championships. Each squad showed their sprint dominance in different ways, but each put up numbers that rank them right with the nation's best. Landstown dominated the girls side with multiple individual and relay winners. Marlena Wesh (Landstown, VA) and Cierra McGee (Landstown, VA) led the way for the squad, with Wesh winning the girls 100m dash in 11.86 and 200m dash in 23.97, while McGee won the girls 400m dash in 55.05. The squad won the 4x400m relay as well with their time of 3:47.92, outdistancing Booker T. Washington (VA) who finished second in 3:48.11.

On the boys side Western Branch had individual winners in the 100m dash and 110m hurdles, while Ja-Vell Bullard (Bethel, VA) led his squad with a win in the 400m dash with a winning time of 47.60 and anchored his squads winning 4x400m relay in 3:15.71. Nansemond River (VA) ran well in the boys 4x100m relay also, beating Western Branch 41.77-41.99.

Other action on the track came from the boys and girls 300m hurdle events. Brittany Hyter (Osbourn Park, VA) competed exceptionally well in the girls Group AAA event, taking home the title in 42.76, easily beating the field in the process. Meanwhile, Damien Thigpen (Stonewall Jackson, VA) ran one of the better boys 300m hurdle times in the country with his dominating 37.04 performance. Also, middle-distance star Tasha Potasinski (Westfield, VA) won the girls 1600m run with a winning time of 4:56.75.

In field event action, Natalie Baird (Park View-Sterling, VA) won the girls Group AA shot put to go along with her new state record in the discus set Friday. Baird threw 43-09 to take the top spot. Also in Group AA, Krystal Parrish (Park View-South Hill, VA) won the girls long jump with a leap of 18-10.25w and the triple jump in 38-02.25w. In Group AAA, Briana Hudson (Deep Run, VA) won the girls triple jump with a great mark of 39-05.75, while Emma Dejarnette (Atlee, VA) broke the state meet record in the girls pole vault with her clearance of 12-00.

On the boys side David Wilson (George Washington, VA) continued his domination of the triple jump, nearly breaking feet in the process with his 49-11 performance. In the distance events Peter Dorrell (Blacksburg, VA) won the Group AA 1600m run with his winning mark of 4:18.28, while coming back to place second in the 800m dash behind Logan Collins (Orange County, VA) 1:55.55-1:55.96. Jason Witt (Midlothian, VA) meanwhile won the Group AAA 3200m run with his winning mark of 9:17.46.

Friday Highlights - Some great results took place at day one of the Virginia State T&F Championships. In the AA competition, Natalie Baird (Park View-Sterling, VA) broke her state meet record in the girls discus with a toss of 161-07, nearly a three foot seasonal personal best. Baird's mark also keeps her in the U.S. top five in the event. Peter Dorrell (Blacksburg, VA) also did well in the AA section of the championships. Dorrell won the boys 3200m run in 9:19.73, as he also looks to win the 1600m run and 800m dash on Saturday.

In the AAA side, Wesley Smith (Oscar Smith, VA), Chris Copeland (Lakeland, VA) and Justin Hunter (Ocean Lakes, VA) all competed well in the boys field events. Smith won the long jump with a leap of 24-07, while both Copeland and Hunter lept 6-10 in the high jump. Elsewhere, Albemarle (VA) won the boys 4x800m relay with an excellent mark of 7:49.55, winning the race by a comfortable margin.

Wisconsin State T&F Championships (WI)

Wisconsin State T&F Championships: Meet Page / Results: Boys - Girls

Saturday Highlights - The final day of the Wisconsin State T&F Championships produced some big results Saturday. Centrell Minter (Milwaukee Vincent, WI), Chidera Obasih (Brookfield Central, WI) and Tasha Allen (Milwaukee North, WI) all dominated their respective sprint events, each winning individual titles in the 100m and 200m dash events. Minter lead the way on the boys side by winning both events in the DI portion of the meet, taking home the top spot at 100m in 10.68 and 200m in 21.90. Minter also helped his squad's 4x200m relay to victory in a new state record time of 1:27.41.

Meanwhile, Obasih and Allen came up big in their respective divisions. Obasih won the DI girls sprint events, taking home gold in the 100m dash with her 11.96 effort, while coming back later in the day to win the 200m dash in 24.66. Allen was equally as impressive, breaking DII state records in both events, winning the 100m dash in 11.99 and 200m dash in 24.79.

In the hurdles Zachary Sharkey-Ketner (Milwaukee Mrsh./La., WI) won the boys 300m hurdles by nearly two seconds, taking home the title with a 37.85 effort. Lindsay Schwartz (Watertown, WI) and Megan Pennhack (Dodgeland, WI) both took home double hurdle victories on the girls side, as Schwartz won the DI girls 100m hurdles in 14.70 and 300m hurdles in 44.23, while Rennhack won the DIII girls 100m hurdles in 14.63 and 300m hurdles in 43.75.

Ashley Beutler (Belleville/New Glarus, WI) backed up her 3200m performance from Friday evening with a great effort of 4:52.38 to win the girls 1600m run Saturday. Elliot Krause (Appleton North, WI) also competed well by winning the DI boys 3200m run in a time of 9:09.69. Perhaps the best clash of the day came in the boys DI 4x800m relay, which saw Port Washington's Jack Hackett and Waukesha West's Erik Sowinski go head to head over the final anchor leg. What made this match-up so intriguing was Hackett won the DI boys 1600m run and Sowinski won the boys 800m dash, so these were two champions going head-to-head for a team title. In the end Hackett outlasted Sowinski, guiding his Port Washington squad to a 7:50.84-7:50.96 win.

In the DII boys jump events Paul Annear (Richland Center, WI) won all three competitions. Annear won the high jump with a fantastic leap of 6-11, coming back later to win the long jump in 22-08.50 and the triple jump in 45.10.

Friday Highlights - Despite rainy and windy conditions, the Wisconsin Track and Field Championships got underway Friday evening. All season long Marcus Jenkins (Milwaukee Bradley Tech., WI) has been touted as one of the best long jumpers in the nation. Well, the senior showed why as he cleared 24-04 to win the DI boys event.

Another national level performance came from Ashley Beutler (Belleville/New Glarus, WI), who beat Kayla Wagner (Baldwin-Woodville, WI) by five seconds by winning the race in 10:33.43, while Wagner finished in the runner-up time of 10:38.44. Also, Aileen Lemanski (Florence, WI) won the girls long jump with a state leading mark of 18-06.25.

Elsewhere, Jack Hackett (Port Washington, WI) edged Keegan Calmes (Muskego, WI) in the boys DI 1600m run, winning 4:16.71-4:16.74, in a race that came down to the final step. In the DI 4x100m relay, Milwaukee Vincent (WI) broke the boys state meet record during the prelims by winning their heat in 1:27.29, while Milwaukee Bradley Tech. (WI) did the same thing on the girls side by winning their heat in 1:40.91.

In the field events, Jared Hassin (Kettle Moraine, WI) won the boys DI shot put with an excellent mark of 59-08.75. Hassin nearly broke the sixty foot barrier and showed his strength throughout the competition by throwing very even marks on all six throws.

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