FRIDAY PREVIEW
Girls 3000m. (Meet record: Megan O'Reilly Mt. Spokane-Washington 9:29.18 '06)
The first high school event that will take place on the track will be the girls' 3000m. Several of the top runners in this event (Cate Ratliff Santa Cruz-CCS/Niki Iyer Harker-CCS) will be focusing their energy on other events and defending champion Rylee Bowen Sonoma Academy-NCS will be racing in Texas but this field of runners will still be formidable. The fastest personal record in the field belongs to Morgin Coonfield McKinleyville-NCS (10:20.72) which she accomplished last season as she finished 6th at the always loaded Arcadia Invitational. Her main competitor will be Brooke Starn Monte Vista-NCS who has been impressive this early season and sports a PR of 10:29.20 which she accomplished at the same Arcadia Invitational race. Also under 11 minutes in the more frequently raced 3200m. are Gillian Meeks Gunn-CCS (10:38.30), Kyra Hunsberger, Reno (10:40.15), Meredith Corda Monte Vista-NCS (10:45.57), Sofia Castiglioni Davis-SJS (10:53.13) and impressive freshman, Cassie Haskell Miramonte-NCS (10:55.43). Look for Starn to lead the race early with a few willing runners like Coonfield, Meeks and Haskell willing to follow the hot pace.
Boys 3000m. (Meet record: Justin Vilhauer Redwood Visalia-CS 8:17.32 '10)
The interesting aspect of this meet is who will get to roll in the fast heat. Once we divide the field in half, the next question is who will be pushing the pace up front in the fastest heat? That question is a lot easier to answer as Michael Vernau Davis-SJS has stormed to the lead early and often and will not be afraid to press the pace in this event. He recorded his PR of 8:57.70 at this year's Dublin Distance Fiesta chasing Cooper Teare St. Joseph Notre Dame-NCS. Teare will not be racing here but Vernau will have a very tough customer in Eduardo "Lalo" Herrera Madera South-CS. At the just completed APU Distance Meet of Champions, Herrera finished in 3rd place in the mile with a PR of 4:04.99. If that wasn't impressive enough, Herrera doubled back to win the 3200 in 9:02.95. The third man in the mix for the Stanford 3k title should be a familiar one to Herrera as teammate Miguel Villar finished behind Herrera in the 3200 at APU with a new lifetime best of 9:04.89. The meet record may be in danger may be in striking distance but it will take a 8:53.86 3200m. equivalent to surpass the old mark.
Girls 400m. Hurdles (Meet Record Angela Harris Skyline-OAK 60.53 '94)
Just like the 3000m. races, the 400m. hurdle is a unique event for most athletes attending this meet. The defending champion from last year is back as Maya Miklos, Gunn-CCS will chase the long standing meet record set back in the dark ages of 1994. Miklos won the fastest heat last year with a time of 60.69. Her closest competitor appears to be Hannah Davis Vacaville-SJS, who finished in 5th place last year and will be looking for a top 3 finish this year. Taking a glance at the fastest 300m. hurdle times from this year, the other competitors in the hunt are Coco Putnam Long Beach-SS (45.21), Ari Milton Washington-NCS (45.40), Kyla Robinson-Hubbard Calabasas-SS (45.48), Cecily Montanez Franklin-SJS (45.61) and Caice Lanovaz Los Gatos-CCS (45.75). Look for Miklos to use her Cross Country endurance to separate herself from the field with a possible photo finish to break up the pack behind her.
Boys 400m. Hurdles (Meet Record: David Klech California-NCS 50.35 '06)
For so many hurdlers, the 300m. version is just the right distance that allows high school athletes to race confidently without fear of hitting the proverbial wall down the stretch. The full lap encounter over 10 hurdles is not quite as forgiving and this race may turn into a survival event. The top returner from last year's race is Josef Polk Linden-SJS. He ran 58.73 to finish 5th in the second out of three heats. His experience at last year's race could come in handy although there are a couple of returners from last year's field that also dipped under the 60 second mark: Isaki Wada-Law Los Gatos-CCS (59.20) and Jacob Ramirez Woodcreek-SJS (59.50). Aside from the three hurdlers already mentioned, watch out for MacLean Conner Pleasant Grove-SJS. Along with Polk and Wada-Law, he's also recorded one of the fastest times in the 300m. hurdles in CA with his near PR of 39.86 at the Metro Invitational.
Distance Medley Relays-Girls (Meet Record: Oak Ridge-SJS 11:51.00 '07)
It is a bit difficult selecting a favorite as some teams could potentially race without their best runners or with runners doubling back from the 3000m. With all their athletes focusing on this event, Monte Vista-NCS may be the favorite and do own the fastest time in California this season which they set at the Dublin Distance Fiesta (12:16.21). They will be challenged by a talented Davis-SJS group that may be anchored by the best distance runner in Northern California, Fiona O'Keeffe. Also in the mix will be Miramonte-NCS, Campolindo-NCS, and Santa Rosa-NCS. Another team that will be aiming for a victory here is Santa Cruz-CCS. They recorded a 2nd place finish at the 2015 state xc meet in the Division IV and their top two runners (Cate Ratliff and Mari Friedman) can compete with any of the fastest duos in the field. Finally, another team that should definitely not be discounted is Lowell-SF. They seem to be healthy and their anchor Kristen Leung is running better than ever.
Distance Medley Relays-Boys (Meet Record: Jesuit-SJS 10:19.16c '85)
With the elimination of the 4 x 800m. relay after the 2014 Stanford Invite, the distance medley relay is now the lone distance relay although sprinters may disagree and insist on including the 4 x 400m. relay. Semantics aside, this could be quite the race. We may have a rematch of the hotly contested DMR at the Dublin Distance Fiesta which resulted with the two fastest time recorded in California this year, Davis-SJS (10:23.93) and Bellarmine-CCS (10:26.92). While other teams may not be in the same neighborhood in terms of current season times, there will definitely be teams in the hunt that could potentially field contending teams. Two of the top teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section, Armijo and Jesuit, may be focusing on this relay and are definitely dangerous threats. Lynbrook-CCS won the Firebird Relays handily (10:38.20) and may have room for improvement. Madera South-CS could also be in the hunt should they choose to load up here and go after the team victory.
Long Jump (Boys and Girls)
Meet Record Boys: Ken Frazier Mission-SF 24'0.25 '08
Meet Record Girls: Brittany Daniels Merrill West-SJS 20'0.25 '05
The boys long jump will be the first field event here and the favorite may be the most versatile jumper in California, Isaiah Holmes Oakmont-SJS (24'3.25). He will be tested by section rival Anthony Cable Angelo Rodriguez-SJS who has a personal best 24'2" from this season at the Eddie Hart Invitational. Also in the mix is Sanjay Kettles St. Mary's College-NCS who has jumped 22'9.5" this season. Another jumper over 22 feet this season is Jacari Bearden John C. Kimball-SJS (22'4.25").
In the girls' long jump competition, the contenders for the individual title have all cleared at least 18 feet this season. The furthest jump and clear favorite at this point is Katherine Jackson Angelo Rodriguez-SJS who jumped 19'8" at the Eddie Hart Invitational. If she is able to pop another jump over 19 feet, then the competition may definitely be for second place. The next group of jumpers who are in the 18 foot range include Noelle Schiller Westlake-SS (18'10"), Jonon Young Carson-LA (18'8.25"), Rachael Estell Mountain View-CCS (18'6.25"), Kate Kutzer South Pasadena-SS (18'2") and Arden Creson Miramonte-NCS (18'0").
Pole Vault (Boys)
Meet Record: Mike Kibort Saratoga-CCS '83, Casey Roche St. Francis-CCS '07, Nico Weiler Los Gatos-CCS '08, Dylan Duvio John Curtis-Louisiana '13 (all 16'6")
The final field competition on Friday will be the boys pole vault, one of the premier events for California. The athlete who at one point held the best jump in California is Jacob Bowler Del Oro-SJS at 16'8". That mark was surpassed by Jett Gordon Marina-SS at 16'9". Bowler will be a clear favorite here although Noah Hurley College Park-NCS is definitely in the hunt with a jump of 15'8". Bowler's teammate, Lance Huber, gives Del Oro quite a duo as Huber has cleared 15'0" this year.