Girls Event-by-Event Preview
Girls 400 Relay (47.46)
Six schools have achieved the at-large standard this season. After injuries to Upland, who owns the top time in the state this season, decimated their squad last weekend, Serra High was the only squad to run under 47 seconds last weekend. The Jazmyne Frost-led group was almost a second faster than any other squad at 46.15 as they easily captured the D4 title. Emerging out of that Division 1 race, Ariyonna Augustine raced home with the 47.10 divisional title. The Jackrabbits have gone 45.97 this season. Calabasas was the D2 champs and own a seasonal best of 46.72. Etiwanda, Baseline League runner-ups, have a best of 47.16. Santa Margarita rolled to the Div. 3 title last weekend in a season best 47.43. Arcadia was a surprise runner-up in the D1 race and posted their best race to date in 47.46. Mater Dei, Notre Dame (SO), and Redondo Union have run between 47.56 and 47.76 this season. With Serra victorious here last year, Calabasas, Santa Margarita, Serra, and Mater Dei all qualified for the state meet in 2017. The at large standard softened a bit here from 47.28 a year ago to 47.46 in 2018.
Girls 1600 Meters (4:56.02)
Taking full advantage of the cooler weather last weekend, eleven of the twelve entries raced faster than the at-large standard. Saugus senior Mariah Castillo has become the standard this year. Her seasonal best is 4:43.69, but with plans for doubling at the state meet awaiting, Castillo will simply do what it takes to qualify here. She currently holds the top time in the United States while no one has been able to match her lethal kick over the last 400 meters. Two freshmen created their own spotlights last week. Freshman Jacqueline Duarte was the biggest surprise of the meet in winning the Division 1 race, 4:45.54. Meanwhile, in the D4 race, Mia Barnett of Village Christian burst through with a 4:46.77. Behind Duarte, the quartet from Great Oak raced to a mind boggling 4:49.26 average! Fatima Cortes (4:47.37), Arianna Griffiths (4:47.81), Tori Gaitan (4:50.59) and Sandra Pflughoft (4:51.26) all posted seasonal bests as the four of them paced their team to the D1 team title. Oak Park's Sylvia Cruz-Albrecht was the only one in the field not pushed in her 4:51.32, eight second victory for the D3 title. El Toro's Ashley Messineo rode that wave in the D1 race for a new personal best of 4:51.89 and a new school record. Meanwhile Mayfield freshman, Audrey Suarez, used Barnett's pace to also advance and owns a best of 4:52.39, converted from the mile at the Arcadia Invite. Our last entry, Norwalk's Misty Diaz, is looking to replicate her 4:55.45 performance from last week as it met the at-large standard. West Ranch's Sophia Hoelzel just found out Friday afternoon that she will replace Ayala's Mikaela Ramirez, who scratched to focus on the 3200.With 11 new faces in the mix, El Toro's Messineo and Great Oak's Pflughoft are the only two that competed in this race a year ago. Both fell short of advancing but advancing will be everybody's first trip to the State Meet if the group all run under the standard.
Girls 100 Hurdles (14.21)
Eight seniors and one freshman comprise the field while six of the nine have seasonal bests below the at large standard. Looking to qualify for her 4th Sate Meet finals, Upland's Jada Hicks is the favorite. Her 13.54 seasonal best is #2 in California while she placed 3rd at last year's state meet finals. Temecula Valley's Danae Dyer (13.65 seasonal best) and Roosevelt's Breanna Bernard-Joseph (13.97 best) are trying to join Hicks for the 3rd straight season. Taking 7th at last year's State Finals, the versatile Allie Jones from Santa Barbara San Marcos has 13.79 as her 2018 best. These four were the only underclassmen in last year's state meet final. Santa Margarita's Nikki Merritt was 7th place here a year ago and just missed advancing to the state meet. She owns a 14.05 along with a 13.97 wind aided bests this season. Carter's Mya Greene (14.16) and freshman Asjah Atkinson of St. Anthony (14.34) own the next two top marks for wind legal performances. Saugus' Abbey Bryant (14.63) and Segerstrom's Nyree Brown (14.74) round out the field. Five of the top seven from the 2017 Masters Meet return.
Girls 400 meters (55.50)
With only three achieving the at-large mark coming in, it may come down the top six automatic entries advancing. Two-time state meet finalist, Maliyah Medley of El Toro has continued to be the standard this season as evidenced by her 54.09 best at the D1 prelims. Chino Hills' Zani Meaders took that last state meet automatic spot a year ago. Meaders posted a 55.04 last week in runner-up to Medley. Those two are the only two returning from last year. Amongst the new faces, freshman Cienna Norman-Thomas has a season's best of 55.00. After those three when looking at 2018 bests, it's crowded. Quartz Hill's Alonna Johnson (55.61), Corona sophomore Egbe Ndip-agbor (55.69), St. Bernard's Sydney Bentley (55.71), Chaminade's Bailey Umans (55.73) and Serra's Jaylah Herron (55.79) don't have much to distinguish them from one another. Bently and Herron pushed one another in the D4 final while Johnson and Ndip-agpor paced off Medley and Meaders up front. Norman-Thomas captured the D2 title while Umans captured the D3 title. Not to be outdone, Quartz Hill has a second entry as sophomore Iman Babineaux ran a 56.23 last weekend to earn the last qualifying spot.
Girls 100 meters (11.94)
Defending California state champ, Long Beach Poly's Ariyonna Augustine is seeking another trip back up to Fresno. The D1 divisional champ posted an 11.56 at the Arcadia Invitational last month. But, closing that gap and both having seasonal bests of 11.59, juniors Jazmyne Frost of Serra and Deanna Nowling of Calabasas are also coming divisional titles last weekend. Nowling won this race in 2017 before taking 3rd at the California State Meet. Meanwhile, Frost was 4th in 2017, right behind Augustine. This is the 3rd trip back to the SS Masters Meet for Redlands East Valley's Emerald Bowens as she moved onto the state meet a year ago with her 6th place performance. Frost and Bowens took 8th and 9th places, respectively, at last year's state final. Coming off the D2 title, her seasonal best of 11.82 places her with the 4th fastest time of this group. Serra junior Queen Okoh rolled to a season best 11.97 in last D4 Finals while Etiwanda's Ezinne Abba is the Baseline League champ and has a wind legal best of 11.98 (wind aided best of 11.71). Qualifying for a 2nd time, La Sierra senior Mariah Allain earned the last spot and has a seasonal best of 11.99. With Serra having two entries, Santa Margarita counters with junior Tessa Green. With a 12.01 best, she was the runner-up (to teammate Nikki Merritt) in last week's D3 Finals. Insterted as an alternate when Merritt dropped this event to focus more on the 300 hurdles, Muir's Jenesis Sanford rolled to a 12.07, 3rd place season best in the D4 final. The at large standard tightened a bit here as it went down from 11.97 to 11.94.
Girls 800 meters (2:10.86)
This is the one event with no entry has run faster than the at-large standard. That does not necessarily mean that there is a lack of talent but rather a sign of how competitive the state finals have been the past three years for this event. One of the surprises witnessed last week was Diamond Bar sophomore Marissa Vasquez. Taking a risk and leading the talented D1 group, she never surrendered the lead as she held on for a 2:11.98. With five girls advancing from that race, Vasquez had not gone under 2:17 coming into the postseason. Like Duarte in the 1600, she is a first-year competitor that draws upon her soccer background for speed and strength. Los Alamitos' Delaney Sanacore has run the top time in the section this season with 2:11.50. She placed 5th here last year and advanced to the state meet. The veteran of the group is Centennial's Rylee Penn. Penn achieved the rare feat of qualifying for the Masters Meet all four years. She was a state meet finalist her first two years and just missed the at large standard last year by .20. She has a seasonal best of 2:11.80. Santa Margarita's Gwynn George won the D3 title last week and owns a best of 2:12.43 while Riverside Poly's Kalea Ibarra came through last weekend with a best of 2:12.68. Mission Viejo's Ashley Johnson qualified in the 1600, but with all focus on the 800 this season, she won the D2 title with a 2:12.71. Marymount's Malina Yago knows to peak at the right time as evidenced by her 3rd place performance a year ago only to elevate to a 2:09.66 seventh place finish at the state finals. Two freshmen advanced as Makayla Browne ran a 2:13.14 at the D1 prelims and Mayfield's Audrey Suarez ran 2:13.28 last weekend. Yago out leaned Suarez at last weekend's D4 final. Calabasas junior Janiah Brown took 3rd in the D2 finals and has a seasonal best of 2:13.37. Runner-up in that same race was Capistrano Valley's Alyssa Bautista, as she posted a 2:14.16. Finally, Oaks Christian sophomore Hannah Wilson follows in her sister's footsteps in qualifying out of the D4 race with a 2:14.26. Yago, Penn, George, Bautista and Brown all competed here last year. For the fifth year in a row, the at-large standard got tougher, going down from a 2:11.17 a year ago
Girls 300 Hurdles (43.48)
In what had been a log jam on top the state and sectional lists, a favorite emerged. Segerstrom's Nyree Brown bulleted over the last two hurdles to the victory in the D1 race and to an Orange County record of 41.86. Going along for the ride and with a new personal best, Carter's Mya Greene crossed with a 42.32, just ahead of Roosevelt's Breanna Bernard-Joseph. While Bernard-Joseph worked her way to take 4th at the state finals a year ago, Brown kept improving and finish in fifth. Out dueling Brown at the Orange County Championships, Santa Margarita's Nikki Merritt ran to a personal best of 42.23 in that victory. The D2 champ, Calabasas Kyla Robinson-Hubbard has a best of 42.31 and will put last year's late season injuries behind her. Long Beach Poly's Kenya Payne has a best of 42.47, while Great Oak's Kolonnie Green raced to a new personal best of 43.58 last weekend. Right behind her and one of the most improved longer hurdlers in the state, JW North sophomore Amari Jenkins came across with a 43.59. Finally, Dana Hills' Hailey Ray raced to a 44.03 last weekend to take 7th in the Div. 1 finals. More than any other event, seven of the entries derived from that D1 race. Brown, Bernard-Joseph, Green and Robinson-Hubbard all qualified here last year.
Girls 200 meters (24.17)
Some familiar faces come back, combining the speed of the 100 meters along with strength from the 400. Serra Jazmyne Frost owns the top seasonal time of the group with a 23.70. Frost rolled to the victory in the Div. 4 final last week. But, Long Beach Poly's Ariyonna Augustine (23.91 best this season) captured this event last year on her way to the state meet title. Calabasas junior Deanna Nowling was runner up to Augustine in last year's Masters Meet 7th at the state meet. She owns seasonal bests of 24.30 along with a 23.62 wind aided effort. El Toro's Maliyah Medley was the last entrant to qualify a year ago but worked her way to a 4th place finish at the state meet finals. In a Baseline League rematch, Chino Hills' Zani Meaders (24.38), Upland's Jada Hicks (24.44) and Etiwanda's Ezinne Abba (24.54) will look to finish in the top six. Meaders finished 4th at the league finals but continues to work her way forward while Hicks and Abba both record sub-24 efforts in a wind aided league finals race. Qualifying for the state meet in the 400 meters a year ago, Bonita's Amari Prude has run a wind legal best of 24.58. Prude was runner up to Nowling in the D2 final. Lakewood junior Alexus Alexander emerged into one of the best in the section this year. She owns a best of 24.64 along with a 24.18 wind aided performance at the Moore League Finals. Frost, Augustine and Nowling are the only three that have eclipsed the At Large standard (with wind legal marks) this season. With cooler temps prevailing and a breeze that could very well be in their faces that first 100 meters, it should come down to the top six as the qualifiers to the state meet.
Girls 3200 meters (10:34.21)
For the first time this season, we will the Southern Section's best in the same 3200 meters. Ten of the twelve entrants have run under the at-large standard. Saugus' Mariah Castillo and Capistrano Valley's Haley Herberg blessed us with the fastest 3200 meter affair in Southern Section postseason history in last weekend's D2 finals. Both broke 10:10 and broke the previous D2 record. In the second combined race, Great Oak's Tori Gaitan rolled to a seasonal best, 10:17.13 for a nine-second victory. Behind her, Ayala's Mikaela Ramirez ran another sub-10:30 performance along with the Great Oak duo of Fatima Cortes and Sandra Pflughoft. In that same Division 1-3 combined race, Oak Park's Sarah Shulze posted a personal best of 10:29.90 to easily capture the D3 title. Great Oak's Arianna Griffiths and Santa Monica's Anya Sturm (10:42.87) also qualified. Behind the fireworks provided by Castillo and Herberg, Village Christian's Mia Barnett produced one of the best 1600/3200 combos ever in sectional history by a freshman. Her 10:27.82 captured the D4 title with ease while off to a slow start this season, Anaheim Canyon's Sara Leonard placed herself in position for another State Meet berth with a 10:29.65 performance. Leonard took 5th place here last year while turning around to take 10th at the California State Meet. Not to be lost in the talented field, Claremont' Sydney Hwang qualified with a personal best of 10:39.80. Surprisingly, she and Leonard are the only two to advance here for the second year in a row.
Girls 4x400 Relay (3:50.42)
With most squads holding back until last weekend, the top 10 statewide lists were rewritten. In dominating fashion, the Amari Prude led Bonita squad cranked out a 3:44.92 to capture the D2 title by over seven seconds. As it shattered the previous D2 all-time mark of 3:47.50, previously held by Mission Viejo in 2016, this is the top time in California this season. Also having to go solo, in a wire-to-wire victory, the girls from Serra had the top time in the state (until Bonita eclipsed it ten minutes later). Their 3:46.89 easily assured them a spot into this week's action. The D1 race played out differently. With Chino Hills placing their fastest on the first two legs, they held a sizable lead going into the anchor leg. Roosevelt's Breanna Bernard-Joseph almost pulled off the improbable with a sub-55 second leg but fell just one stride short in a 3:47.47 to 3:47.50 contest. Not able to match their seasonal bests but also closing in, Dana Hills has run a 3:47.68 while Quartz Hill emerged with a 3:48.95 at the divisional prelims. Long Beach Poly closed out with a seasonal best of 3:49.66 as well. The D3 final claimed the last two spots as Alemany and Chaminade battled to the last step. Alemany came away with the 3:51.55 to 3:51.67 victory. Seven of the nine entries ran their season's best time last weekend, with seven altogether coming in under the at-large standard. Bonita, Dana Hills and Quartz Hill all qualified to the state meet final a year ago.
Girls High Jump (5-4)
Long Beach Wilson's Rachel Glenn has been the state leader all season. Her clearance of 5-11 at the California Relays back in March and is currently #5 in the United States. Last week, she cleared 5-7 to win the D1 title, but in the midst of also competing in the 400 meters. Without that event on her docket, Glenn will operate on fresh legs. Tied for 3rd in the state, Harvard/Westlake's Tierni Kaufman and Santiago's Ashlyn Blotzer have elevated up over 5-8 this season. Tied for 7th in the state, Woodbridge junior Emily Garner and Riverside Poly's Abigail Burke have both cleared 5-7. Garner tied with Glenn at last week's D1 final but had more misses. Burke, a two-time D1 champion, surprised some last year in not only winning this Masters Meet but also capturing the 2017 State Meet title. San Luis Obispo's Anneke Moersdorf will get to focus solely on the high jump this week before later, moving to the triple jump. She has a best of 5-6.25. Behind those six, eleven others advanced. Why they allowed for more than twelve is due to the fact that there was a six-way tie at 5-3. Last year, the section allowed for 22 entries due to the same scenario. Competing in separate divisions, there is no justification for a tie-breaker. Meanwhile, Dos Pueblos junior Josephine Morales, Moorpark sophomore Victoria Plummer and Newbury Park's Jillian Kolarik have all cleared 5-5. Ayala's Madison Moneymaker and Ryann O'Bannon Lakewood St. Joseph's both have seasonal bests of 5-4. With that, eleven entries have cleared the at large standard of 5-4 while the last six have all cleared 5-3 this season. Along with Burke, Garner tied for 5th at last year's state meet while Plummer took 8th place. Meanwhile, Moersdorf just missed qualifying for the state meet, taking 7th place on a jump off for that final spot. Kolarik also advanced to the last year's Masters Meet as well. The standard relaxed by going down from 5-5 to 5-4 this year.
Girls Pole Vault (11-11)
Ten girls have seasonal bests at 12-0 or above while 14 qualified (4 tied at 11-6 last week). Westlake freshman Paige Sommers stole the show last week by elevating up over 13-0.5 in easily capturing the D2 title. This is the 2nd highest mark in state history for freshmen. In the next round, Redondo Union junior Amari Turner captured the title with a new seasonal best of 12-10. While Sommers moved up to #3 in California, Turner is now #6. Most had a tough time matching their seasonal bests last weekend, but Apple Valley's Darla Gonzalez and Mira Costa's Brigette Grau have both cleared the 12-9 bar. This ties both of them for #7 in the state. Corona del Mar's Morgan Simon has a best of 12-7 while Aliso Niguel's Morgan Flynn has gone up to 12-4 this season. Simon is 9th in the state. Roosevelt sophomore Tessa Watkins has consistently cleared 12-0 owns a 12-3 seasonal best. Mission Viejo's Maddy Agnew cleared 12-2 at a dual meet last month while Burrough's Elizabeth Switzer has cleared 12-0 the past two weeks. Vista Murrieta's Tamara Bader has been a role this past month and also owns a seasonal best of 12-0. Four other posted their seasonal bests of 11-6 last week to also advance. Turner, Agnew and Grau all advanced to the state meet last year by clearing the 11-10 (which is now 11-11) bar. Grau is the only returner that made the state meet finals as she finished in 12th place.
Girls Long Jump (18-2)
All twelve entrants have the talent to jump out beyond the state at large standard. Last weekend, swirling winds led to some inconsistencies which hopefully will not be the case this week. Less than two inches separate the top five in regard to seasonal bests. Of the four underclassmen from 2017, Muir's Micah Fulton is the only one to return back to the SS Masters Meet. With the hurdles off her schedule, Fulton can just focus on the jumps this week. Fulton jumped to an 18-11.5 at the Pasadena Games back in late March. Whereas, Mater Dei's Dominique Ruotolo posted an 18-11 performance at the Trinity League Finals. Capturing the D4 title last week, Wildwood's Asha Fletcher own a best of 18-10.75 but record a 19-5 at a weekday meet in March. Capistrano Valley's Jolie Robinson performed her best jump (18-10.5) at the Arcadia Invite in April. Two freshmen, Mater Dei's Jade McDonald and Bonita's Alisha Wilson, have both jumped out beyond 18-08. Wilson was a surprise in capturing the D2 title last week. San Marcos' Allie Jones has a seasonal best of 18-7 as does Ayala's Anyssa Romo. Arcadia's Stephanie Yen earned an unexpected D1 title last week with a jump of 18-4.5. She was a tad ahead of JW North's Sydney Reid who measured out to 18-4.25. Meanwhile, Mater Dei's Kelli Godin did not qualify in the sprints but became her squad's third entrant here. She jumped to an 18-4 last week and played a huge role in her team capturing the D2 team title. Jordan's A'Lena Chaney took 3rd in that close D1 competition with an 18-2.25 while Bolsa Grande's Janel Nguyen earned the last spot with an 18-1 best. Nguyen captured the Orange County Championships last month an 18-10.75 effort that unfortunately, did not have a wind measurement. With six attempts, it becomes common for the jumpers to pass on their remaining attempts once they hit the standard. A little wind at their backs would not hurt the cause.
Girls Triple Jump (38-4)
The top four underclassmen to qualify to the SS Masters Meet in 2017 all return back. Muir's Micah Fulton was 8th here last year but advanced forward to take 4th place at the State Meet. Her all conditions seasonal best of 41-5 places her at #4 in California. The Mater Dei duo of Dominique Ruotolo and Jade McDonald took 1-2 at last week's D2 finals. With nagging injuries the past two months, Ruotolo has a best of 41-4.5 while McDonald sits with a 40-2.25 seasonal best. The standard increased from 38-1 out to 38-4 this season. Woodbridge sophomore Madison Lyon joins her teammate, Emily Garner. Achieved at the Arcadia Invite, Lyon has a best of 39-9.5 while Garner hit 39-1.5 to capture the D1 title last week. Garner took 4th place here last week before earning 9th place at the state meet. San Luis Obispo's Anneke Moersdorf is a veteran as earned 2nd place last year and ended the season with a 6th place medal at the state championships. Her best of 38-9.75 this season. Charter Oak's Sela Pastrana is another returner as she placed 5th here last year. She captured the D3 competition last week with a seasonal best of 39-1.5. With the D2 final boasting five entries, West Ranch's Shelbi Schauble has a best of 38-4 while Great Oak freshman, Summer Stevenson follows in her siblings' footsteps as she went out to 38-1 in taking 3rd place at last week's D1 final. Her teammate and fellow freshman, Sami Bollinger joins her as well. Mayfair's Joy Umeh has a wind legal best of 37-11 but with an 'nwi' effort, bounded out beyond 38-10 in a dual meet in March. Umeh was 3rd in the D2 finals while Temescal Canyon's Lorraine Nance was 4th with a 37-6 performance.
Girls Shot Put (40-10)
Five girls have thrown out beyond the at-large standard. Los Alamitos' Faimalie Sale captured this event in 2017 while she worked her way to the 2nd place medal at the State Championships. Her 46-2 seasonal best is currently #2 in the state. West Ranch junior Natalie Ramirez was 5th last year and owns a seasonal best of 45-9.5 which is currently #3 in California. She captured the D2 title last week while she took 9th place at last year's state meet. Also in the Foothill League, Golden Valley's Shyann Franklin hit her seasonal best last week with a 44-6.25. She comes in ranked #6 in the state. San Gorgonio's Ana Tovi, along with Franklin, competed here in 2017 but fell just short of advancing to the state meet. Tovi's best is 43-6.5. D4 champion, Sarah Perkins of Santa Ynez has a best of 43-2. Rancho Cucamonga sophomore Abby Venglass is the youngest in the field with a best of 40-7.5. With the same seasonal best, Paso Robles' Kimberly Buchanan is also seeking one of those six automatic spots to the state meet. Talavou Maili of Lakewood St. Joseph's owns a best of 40-4.5. Representing San Jacinto Academy, Kalianna Lesa posted her best of 39-9.75 last week, while Erin Brown of Serra played a huge role in her squad capturing the D4 team title. Kimora Pooler of Oxnard Pacifica and Tayla Crenshaw will be trying to go out beyond 40 feet for the first time this season. The at large standard softened a bit, coming down from a 41-4 a year ago.
Girls Discus (134-5)
Southern Section representation for this event suffered some huge setbacks this past month. The top three underclassmen from the 2017 SS Masters Meet did not find their way back in 2018. Stepping up, West Ranch junior Natalie Ramirez is the favorite with a seasonal best of 154-5. The D2 champion last weekend, she owns the 5th best mark in California. Ramirez was 7th here last year but achieved the standard to advance to the state meet. Fifth in this competition last year and 11th at the State Finals, Canyon Country Canyon's Gabby Sanchez owns a seasonal best of 146-9. Sanchez ranks #8 in the state of all those that remain in the discus. Golden Valley's Shyann Franklin isn't too far back with a best of 143-5 while D3 champ, Tayla Crenshaw of Costa Mesa has measured out to 142-11. With a best of 140-2, Kyleigh Wilkerson returns back to this meet after earning the D1 title last week. Marina's Alejandra Rosales (131-8) and Mission Viejo's Sabrina Hartman (131-3) are the next two, most likely, fighting for that sixth automatic spot. Qualifying for the 2nd year in a row, Tahquitz' Estefani Flores owns a best of 128-10. Emily O of Orange Lutheran, Nikki Escobar of Bell Gardens, Victoria Soto of Shadow Hills and Serra's Erin Brown all have seasonal bests between 125-2 and 128-1. The standard toughened as it increased from 132-4 to 134-5 this season.
All photos by Lizette Adams. At top, start of the Division 1 Girls 100 hurdles. Above, Mia Barnett and Audrey Suarez celebrate after the D4 Girls 1600.