Joaquin Martinez de Pinillos is scheduled to make his 2018 T&F debut this week. (Pat Rhames photo)
BY STEVE BRAND
SAN DIEGO -- Three weeks into the track season and two names are conspicuously absent from the San Diego Section leader list.
Distance-running standout Joaquin Martinez de Pinillos of Cathedral Catholic and Kristin Fahy from La Costa Canyon were stars in the fall cross country season but both have yet to post any marks.
Related:
San Diego Section Leaders: Boys - Girls
Coaches report there are no problems and each will compete at the Mt. Carmel Invitational Saturday.
Dan Geiger is taking it as easy as possible on Martinez de Pinillos who missed all but the last two weeks of track season in 2017 with a foot injury.
Geiger said the Wake Forest signee has run sparingly in dual meets, and not at all in invitationals, looking for a big finish in June. He'll step to the line in the 3,200 Saturday.
La Costa Canyon coach Bill Vice had even better news about Fahy who was a dominant runner in the fall before collapsing while appearing to be en route to an easy victory in Division III at the State cross country championships.
Fahy, a junior, missed the first meet taking the SAT test and then last weekend participated in the seldom run 1,500 at the Falcon Relays at Torrey Pines, clocking a 4:39.59 behind teammate Jessica Riedman's 4:37. 52.
The two were then part of a distance medley team that clocked a 12:01.34-fastest in the state this year ahead of Great Oak's 12:03.64 at the Redondo Nike Track Festival.
Fahy will also run a 3200.
Riedman, by the way, is off to a scorching start after clocking a personal best 2:13.80 two weeks ago at the Bronco Invitational at Rancho Bernardo. That's No. 3 in the state.
THINGS ARE JUMPING
Following up on an eye-opening CA Winter Championship double of 24-5.5.5in the long jump and 48-8 in the triple jump in February, state triple jump runner-up Jalyn Jackson of Eastlake bounded 49-2.5 at the Sweetwater Relays on Gail Devers Track at Sweetwater High in National City.
Before the start of the year, Jackson set goals of 24 and 48 feet in the two events. The University of California track recruit has adjusted those goals to 25 and 50. Nice round numbers.
Meanwhile, San Dieguito junior Kevin Ward is tied for the state lead in the pole vault at 16-1 after scaling that height at the Falcon Invitational last weekend. There figures to be at least three 15-footers at Mt. Carmel.
LOTS OF COMPETITION
Among others, Great Oak, Concord De La Salle and Murrieta Valley will be coming south for the meet, which assures top distance and sprint races for San Diego runners like state 400-meter runner-up Karson Lippert of La Costa Canyon (46.91) and Madison's Kenan Christon who doubled at 10.69 and 21.42 in less than ideal conditions last week.