For athletes like Joseph Anderson, the path to a double state championship means surviving and advancing - but we also wonder how fast he can run over the next two weeks.
In a way, the Southern Section Masters is the most important single track meet in the country. Athletes from over 560 schools have been narrowed down to the final few, and those will be whittled once more until only six remain. Although the meet sends only about 25% of the participants in next weekend's meet, history shows that those 6 athletes will have a disproportionately large impact on the outcome. In that way, the Masters meet makes the CIF State Meet what it is: unquestionably the best state championship in the nation.
For those that don't make that select group of advancers, there is small consolation in knowing that they are better than many who will make the state meet, and indeed often better than the champions of other states. That's why the Masters meet can also be the cruelest single track meet in the country - you can work all season, and compete at your best against the best, and still feel like your season ended a week early.
But for fans of the sport, it has to be considered the most exciting single meet in the country! Intense competition in every event, with the highest stakes, and also a team component that has a deep history in the state that has been on top of the track world since the first high school state meet in 1915. As I said above, the Southern Section Masters Meet makes the CIF State Meet. Let's meet the athletes that will make that happen on Friday!
More Southern Section Masters Coverage
- Virtual Meet: Qualifiers Only!
- Meet Page: Schedule, Entries, Past Results
- Live Results (via Royal Timing)