Tierra Robinson-Jones (5) won State Meet titles in the 200m and 400m. (Kirby Lee/Image of Sport)
It was also a night where top stars from Northern California sections fed off some geographic pride and made statement after statement across the meet.
- Tierra Robinson-Jones, a Texas A&M-bound senior from Oakland Bishop O'Dowd, stalked Augustine in the 200 before winning at the line and (23.66/0.3) after earlier leaving Maliyah Medley (El Toro) behind in the 400, winning in 52.37 with Medley second at 53.08.
- Senior Arianna Fisher (Silver Creek/NC) won the triple jump (41-7). Senior Micah Fulton (Muir/SS) was 2nd (41-4.50) in a competition where the top six girls all jumped 40-plus.
- NorCal came to play in the boys competition, with Max Glasser (Marin Catholic) going 46.97 to hold off Cameron Reynolds (Clayton Valley, 47.27) in the 400. Parris Samaniego (the last holdover from Vista Murrieta's team championship squad in 2016) was 3rd (47.40) with Okonkwo next (47.52).
- Senior Jason Gomez (Westmont/CC) went past Charvet at the end to take the title in the 800m. Gomez split 56.071 and 54.134. Charvet split 55.536 and 55.246. Santa Ana Mater Dei's senior Sam VanDorpe was third 1:51.07 with a 54.831 final lap.
"It's kind of surreal," Gomez said. "All the times in January and February and December, whatever, I was out there in the cold and I was miserable. And later, on the weekends, I'm spending from maybe 8 o'clock to maybe 2 o'clock training, I don't get to hang out with my friends. But it was all worth it. I don't regret a thing, all the sacrifices I made. It was all worth it."
Back to that girls 1600, where three freshmen not only made the finals field of 12 but they all got on the awards stand. Jacqueline Duarte (Chino Hills) was 3rd (4:44.87), Audrey Suarez (Mayfield) was 5th (4:48.04) and Mia Barnett (Village Christian) was 6th (4:48.64). Missing the medals in both the 1600 and 3200 was Mariah Castillo (Saugus), who didn't have her usual kick and placed 7th and 12th in the two distance races.
Other freshmen who medaled, all girls: Paige Sommers (Westlake/SS) 3rd in the pole vault; Megan Ronan (St. Ignatius/CC) 5th in the long jump; Jade McDonald (Santa Ana Mater Dei/SS) 6th in the triple jump, and Faith Bender (Bakersfield Liberty/CS), 5th in the discus throw.
Bonita, the state leaders in the 4x400 relay, culminated its strong success with a 4:42.62, lowering the state-leading mark and slotting at US #12. Serra was 2nd (3:44.37) and Chino Hills 3rd (3:45.44). Junior Sammie Riggs (Louis Amestoy photo at right) anchored the victory for Bonita.
Laurel Wong, the state leader all season, won the pole vault. (Pat Rhames photo)
Four girls cleared 12-6 in the pole vault but it was junior Laurel Wong (Monterey Santa Catalina/CC) who won the title over junior Amari Turner (Redondo/SS), freshman Paige Sommers (Westlake/SS) and senior Eseta Finau (San Jose Branham/CC). Wong was the top returning in the event in the state, won the CA Winter Championships and culminated her season by winning the State title.
Wong wasn't the only junior to win a girls title in the field events.
- Coronado (SD) junior Alysah Hickey won the long jump 19-9.75 to become the first San Diego Section State champion in three years. Another junior, Indiah Turner (Carson/LA), was 2nd (19-3).
- Jocelynn Budwig (Fowler/CS) won the shot put (46-11). Budwig was third in the discus throw (161-0) won by Erica Grotegeer (Wheatland/NS), a rare victory for an athlete from the Northern Section, which only receives one State Meet qualifier per event.
Sophomore Matt Strangio held off senior Justin Hazell to win the 3200. (Pat Rhames photo)
It was NorCal again in the other two distance races with junior Liam Anderson (Redwood/NC) taking the 1600 and sophomore Matt Strangio (Jesuit/SJ) holding off senior Justin Hazell (El Camino Real/LA) in the 3200.
"I kinda felt him and I could hear the announcer saying he's right there," Stangio said. "I'm like, 'Oh, God. Push.' Just a lot of 200 workouts, really helped."
Anderson ran 4:09.31 to hold off senior
Jaden Rosenthal (High Tech/SD) who was 2nd in 4:09.63.
Elias Opsahl (Redlands East Valley/SS) was 3rd (4:10.79).
In the 3200, where Anderson was 5th, it was a Strangio-Hazell battle over the final 300 or so. Strangio needed an 8:56.18 and a 57.367 final lap to win. Hazell, who appeared to back off in the final meters after Strangio's last surge was the dagger, finished in 8:57.90 (58.886 final lap). Southern Section Masters champion
Xavier Court (Mira Costa/SS) went 8:59.56 for 3rd.
Sophomore Malcolm Clemons was a model of consistency in the long jump. (Pat Rhames photo)
Malcolm Clemons, a sophomore from Berkeley St. Mary's (NC), had a consistently progressive series in the long jump that ended up with his final jump landing 25-01.00 (2.5) and a state title. He did tweak a hamstring on that final attempt and scratched out of the triple jump. Senior Alex Enos (San Francisco St. Ignatius/CC) was 2nd 24-00.50. Clemons' impressive progressive series went like this: 24-01.25 (1.2); 24-04 (1.1); 24-04.75 (2.4); 24-06.75 (2.0); 24-11.75 (1.5), and 25-01.25 (2.5). His winning mark ranked tied for US #2 among all-conditions jumps.
Senior
Christian Lavalle (Mission Viejo/SS), a middle linebacker on the football field headed to Arizona State, is also the State Meet champion in the discus throw with a best of 182-07. Senior
Eric Werner (Granite Bay/SJ) was second (182-03).
Junior
Deanna Nowling (Calabasas/SS) unseated Long Beach Poly's Augustine in the 100m, running 11.47 (1.2) for the title and CA #1. Frost was next in 11.61 (after running a PR of 11.57 in Friday's prelims). Augustine was 3rd in 11.65. The LSU-bound sprinter won the 2017 title in 11.58.
In the 200, Augustine appeared in position to defend before Robinson-Jones charged hard late to move ahead. In her final strides trying to keep pace, Augustine lost her footing and fell to the track as she crossed the line. Neither the winning time of 23.66 or Augustine's runner-up 23.70 was a season best. Frost, who ran a 23.65 PR in Friday's prelims, was third in 23.76.
Trabuco Hills' Lee, the two-time high jump champion heading to UCLA, was 2nd as a freshman and 3rd as a sophomore and was hoping for a record performance in his fourth trip to the State Finals. He said he went through to the winning height of 7-2 without a miss before falling short in his attempts to clear the state meet record of 7-03.50.
"I felt like those jumps," he said, "I was over it was just little timing issues coming down on the bar. I felt like I could have cleared it. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't because I really wanted to attempt that state record today. But I'm satisfied with the win and to jump 7-2 again. That's my fifth time over 7-2 or higher this year."
Another returner who defended in the high jump was
Abigail Burke, who shared the title with Long Beach Wilson sophomore
Rachel Glenn at 5-10. Burke said officials decided not to have a jump-off and award co-champions. Burke got a medal on Saturday but Glenn was told hers would be mailed.
"I'm a little bummed," said Burke, who jumped a two-inch PR and three-inch season best to earn another title. "I'm shocked, I'm excited, it's been a really long season. To be able to finish on top with a PR, too, it's just incredible."
Back to that girls 1600, where three freshmen not only made the finals field of 12 but they all got on the awards stand. Jacqueline Duarte (Chino Hills) was 3rd (4:44.87), Audrey Suarez (Mayfield) was 5th (4:48.04) and Mia Barnett (Village Christian) was 6th (4:48.64). Missing the medals in both the 1600 and 3200 was Mariah Castillo (Saugus), who didn't have her usual kick and placed 7th and 12th in the two distance races. 
