Pamela Amaechi leads all returners in the shot put, and we would like to see her compete in some indoor meets this winter.
A very small number of California athletes chose to compete in field events at true indoor meets last winter. That's surprising for two reasons: California has huge numbers of talented field event athletes, and indoor conditions are generally superior to outdoor during the winter (no wind, no cold). In every event other than the pole vault, though, the turnout from the Golden State was disappointing, although not without some bright points.
Participation in all-comers meets was better, but still not nearly as deep as California is capable of being - only 20 returning girls posted high jump marks all winter, for example. Most of the top returners from outdoor track did at least compete at a handful of all-comers meets, but for many the participation was limited. We hope that isn't a trend, so we can see the state's top athletes in every event competing for an extra month!
Returning Stars:
Tara Davis (Agoura) made the most of the winter season, competing at 4 true indoor meets (as well as 2 all-comers) and posting US #3 marks of 41' 3.75" and 20' 10.75". She is a legitimate threat to lead the nation in both events this season, and also to win at New Balance Nationals Indoor, where she finished second in both. Rachel Baxter (Canyon) took time out of training to compete in the National Pole Vault Summit, where she soared over 13' 4" to rank 5th in the country based on a single performance.
Pamela Amaechi (Lincoln) dominated the shot put in all-comers competition, throwing 6 feet farther than the next best returner with her mark of 47' 7.5". However, she did not compete in the Winter Championships, which was won by Alladia Patterson (Louisville). In vertical jumps, the top returning marks were shared by pairs of athletes. Chianne Warner (Knight) and Abby McPhillips (Oak Park) both cleared 5' 4", while McKenna Caskey (Mater Dei) and Kaitlin Heri (Redondo Union) both posted 12' heights. The top returning long jumper from the Winter Championships is Rachael Estell (Mountain View), who finished 4th with a leap of 18' 6.25"; in the triple jump, Dominique Ruotolo (Mater Dei) was the top non-senior at 36' 5". In terms of the overall triple jump rankings, Jonon Young (Carson) has the best mark of the all-comers season with her 37' 9.75", and then she went on to jump in the upper 39's in the spring.
Cementing herself as one of the most versatile athletes in the state during her first season of competition, Tierra Crockrell (Calabasas) won the Pentathlon at the Winter Championships with 3422 points. Her most impressive individual event (at least to me) was a 40' 5" shot put at the Pittsburg All-Comers.
Stars We Hope to See:
It would be neat to see Baxter compete at more meets this winter, especially nationals. I would also be interested to find out how Amaechi would do in national-caliber competition indoors, which would help us find out if she will be the state's next 50-footer this spring. Another one we can't wait to see: Cassidy Palka (Oaks Christian) did compete last winter, but that was long before her breakthrough 5' 9" jump that earned her a state championship. There are several long jumpers returning that should threaten the 20-foot mark this year, as well as triple jumpers getting close to 40 feet; I think they would benefit from some good jumps indoors, where you can post better performances during the winter. Allanah Lee (Castron Valley) is one example, and Katherine Jackson (Rodriguez) is another. Brooke Tjerrild (Clovis North) improved enough during the 2016 spring season to justify getting out to some indoor meets this winter, as well; her 12' 9" PR would position her well at many national-level events.