Distance Event Previews by Ben Crawford
Boys 600m
This race is filled to the brim with talent, some of the names include Carlos Martin Del Campo and Jeffrey Page. Both runners qualified for last year's State Meet, running sub 1:55 for the 800. Del Campo ran 1:24.30, making him the fastest qualifier in the 59 runner field. Page ran 1:24.52 which puts him at second. Wolley Saga-Tuala from Cathedral High School owns a 400m PR of 53.47. That was set last season when he was a freshman, we have seen some immediate improvements as he clocked 1:24.59, making him the third fastest qualifier. Cathedral is quickly building a reputation for strong long sprinters, and putting two in the top three this weekend would be another feather in the Phantoms' cap.
Girls 600m
Only 29 girls are entered for this race compared to the 59 for the boys. However, just because there's less runners doesn't mean we will see any less competition. Shae Anderson, the senior from Norco who placed second in the 400m hurdles at last year's USATF Junior Olympics, headlines the field. She also holds the fastest seed time by over 3 seconds, clocking in at 1:32.90. Jennifer Daly of Dana Hills will be competing as well, as she brings her 2:12 800m credentials to the table. Last season Daly qualified for the Southern Section Masters meet where she placed 8th. Kalea Ibarra (Riverside Poly) could also be in contention, although both she and Daly are looking up at Anderson in the seeding.
Boys 1500m
We are in for a treat as multiple State Finalists from last year are slated to run this race. Solomon Fountain, Beau Prince, and Niki Moore are just a few. These seniors look to chase the 4 minute barrier which would convert them to right around 4:15 for the 1600, an excellent time to have during the winter season. Fountain holds the fastest PR, running 4:10 last year. Prince and Moore are more decorated over the 3200 distance, but don't be surprised to see their speed transfer down. Joseph Domingues (St. Joseph Santa Maria) has also been impressive in this race, clocking a 4:08 back in January. He hasn't raced much in his short career, but I hope this is a sign that we will see more of him in the future!
Girls 1500m
Highlighted by 4 of the fastest returning milers in the state, this race is destined to be a Great Oak affair. Kiyena Beatty, Evelyn Mandel, Nicole Rice, and Sydney Belus are all taking the line and all have broken 5 minutes. Expect one of these ladies to cross the line in first and the others to follow closely behind. One runner who has made a splash and is not from Great Oak is freshman Olivia Velasco from Los Alamitos. She ran 4:54.57 to qualify and is seeded 5th, keep an eye out for her to make a move and steal the spotlight. Another big question: can any of the competitors break 4:40, which signals that they're ready to crack the 5 minute mark for a full 1600 this spring?
Boys 3,000m
It might be hard, but Beau Prince has the possibility to pull of a double by winning the 1500 and the 3k. Having qualified for state last year, the longer distances are shown to play in his favor. Also running and contending for the win is Robert Miranda who has a 9:27 PR for 3200m, that was set at last year's Central Coast Section Finals where he placed 4th. Seeded 11th, but is not to be forgotten is Carlos Carvajal from Great Oak who ran 9:16 last year and qualified for CIF Finals.
Girls 3,000m
This possibly could be the best distance race of the day, as it features Niki Iyer, Claire Graves, and Sandra Pflughoft. Iyer, the Cal commit, ran 10:24 last year to place third in the star studded field at the state meet. Graves has been consistently one of the best girls in the state and has a Foot Locker All American title to back her up. Lastly, Pflughoft has been overshadowed by her teammates, but I think she will finally make a name for herself. She has run 10:48 for the 3200 and is a Masters Qualifier.Distance Medley Relay
Who knows? Since we rarely get full lineups for the relays during this season, we have no way to tell who each school is going to put into these events. Based solely on depth of talent in the distances, I think we have to go with Great Oak as the favorites in both genders - but the Wolfpack could very well split up its top runners across multiple teams, and that might open the door for another school to slip through.
4x800 Relay
Claremont's boys have the best seed time at 8:31, but Los Alamitos and Great Oak are both lurking less than two seconds behind. That should make for a very interesting race - and it will also be intriguing to see if all three schools load up to contend for a relay that isn't run in the spring championships, or if anyone will choose to sit their runners out to stay fresh for individual races. On the girls' side, another factor might add to the drama: can Great Oak put up a time worthy of national recognition? The Wolfpack girls have clocked 9:43, which is strong but nowhere close to the best indoor times around the nation so far this winter. They would need to go in the low 9:20's at a minimum to put themselves into the conversation. Second question: if the do put up a big time, will Great Oak consider a trip to New York for New Balance Nationals in March, and a chance to race for a national title?