Boys Winter Track Field Events Preview
Returning Boys Stars
Trevor Sheldon (Mission Hills) shares the top spot in the returning pole vault rankings from the outdoor season, and he had the best returning performance of the winter as well. The co-leader entering the spring, Samuel Wright (Lodi), also competed indoors at the Summit. Expect both of them to be threats for 16 feet right out of the gates this time around.
There isn't a single returning California athlete that competed in an indoor shot put event last winter! Like the 110 Hurdles, that's an area where the loss of the Class of 2017 is really impacting the state. Brothers Jaime Navarro and Enrique Navarro of Great Oak hold the top 2 spots among all-comers throwers, with Noah Holm (Millikan) the only other returner that broke 50 feet in the 2017 preseason. Jaime broke 56 feet in the spring, earning the #4 returning rankings in California. Silas Hurst (Santiago Corona) is the #4 returner in the nation in the hammer throw, and he hones his rotational skills by throwing the weight during the winter - if you've never watched the event, you should check him out.
The long jump is a little stronger on returning athletes than the throws, but there's still this: no returning jumper broke 22 feet in the winter. Ryan Kennedy (Mission Viejo) had some solid indoor jumps, and Matthew Zimmer (Alta Loma) is the #1 returner from all-comers meets.
Boys Stars We Hope To See
There are too many stars from the 2017 outdoor season that did NOT compete in the winter to name them all, so let's focus on athletes that could make a splash in true indoor meets. For example, I would very much like to see Hurst get some national-caliber competition in the weight throw this winter. Caleb Roberson (Upland) would be a good candidate for some indoor meets - both in the long jump, where he has the top returning wind-legal mark in the state, and in the hurdles, where he is poised to take the reins now that Joseph Anderson has graduated. Both Sean Lee and Jake Grimsman can hang with anyone in the country in the high jump, and they could parlay that talent into a trip to the East Coast if they wanted. Likewise for CJ Stevenson, who is one of only 4 returning 50-foot triple jumpers in the country. It would also be fun to see one of the state's great rotational throwers - maybe Daniel Viveros or Carlos Aviles - hit the indoor ring for the shot put, and maybe take on the weight throw as well.