Christon steals the show at San Diego Finals

Kenan Christon now leads the state in the 100m and the U.S. in the 200m. (Frank Bellino/File photo) 

SAN DIEGO -- Track and field fans in San Diego have certainly been treated to something watching Madison's Kenan Christon run the sprints.

Now the show moves to Clovis and it promises to be very special.

As a prelude to the state championships, the USC-bound senior clocked wind-legal times of 10.33 in the 100 and 20.65 in the 200, anchored the winning 4x100 relay team that ran 41.88 and just for good measure, collected another gold in the long jump at 23-feet in the San Diego Section Championships Saturday at Mt. Carmel High.

That 10.33, with a legal 1.8 mps wind, gives Christon the fastest time in the state in both the 100, where he's also run a wind-aided 10.26, and the 200, where he clocked a legal 20.55 in the prelims.

Once again, Christon had to be concerned when a false start was called before the field got out legally.

"I couldn't go too fast at the start because you don't want a false start," said Christon who will don football gear in the fall before running track for the Trojans in the spring. "I admit it messed me up. I kept my head down longer than usual and was in third at the start but I got the lead after 20 meters."

The 10.33 is the second fastest legal time in San Diego Section history. The first is a 10.30 that Southwest High's Riley Washington clocked winning the 1992 state meet. Now Christon, wind permitting, is looking to erase that 27-year-old standard.

The 20.65 gives him the four fastest times in section history in that event and shows that even an almost disaster at the start can't slow him much.

"In the 200 I came out really low -- too low -- and I had to take wider steps just to avoid falling down," he explained. "I'm looking forward to the warmer weather in Clovis -- it'll be good weather (in the 80s) to break a sweat."

Waiting for him there will be Sherman Oaks Notre Dame's Christian Grubb who handed Christon losses at Mt. Carmel and Arcadia. He'll also provide a push that just might produce some scary-good times.

FAHY ROLLS

Settling first into third place and then second until the final 800, La Costa Canyon's Kristin Fahy appeared to be running just to qualify for the state 3200, conserving her energy.

Then, Fahy took off and although her winning time of 10:29.35 is well off the section record 10:15.80 she ran at Arcadia, it still produced the day's only meet record, eclipsing the 10:30.89 clocked by Torrey Pines' Alli Billmeyer in 2011.

The state Division II cross country champion showed she has been working on her speed as she pulled away to win by five seconds over Canyon Crest's Carlie Dorostkar, who led most of the race.

PHOTO FINISH

Four San Diego Section runners finished within a second of each other in the boys' 1600, with La Costa Canyon's Garrett Stanford (4:12.92) nipping Crawford's Nader Ali (4:13.00), his brother Jacob Stanford (4:13.12) and Mavericks junior teammate Caleb Niednagel (11:13.81).

Jacob led for most of the race but Nader moved along side him on the final turn and Garrett join the party off the bend. Niednagel kept closing the gap as the four powered to the finish line, all qualifying for the state championships with PRs.

HICKEY DOUBLES

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Coronado High's Alysah Hickey, the defending state long jump champion, had a pair of 19-07 long jumps and a 21-footer on her final attempt that was called a foul by a fraction of an inch.

She then got to rest before winning the high jump at 5-08, missing three times at 5-10.

"I was happy because I got some good long jumps and I came in in the high jump at 5-02 and had no misses until 5-10," said the University of Oregon-bound senior. 

"On the last long jump I got up, left the pit and looked from the side. That was 21 feet. The fans booed but it's OK."

At the State Meet a year ago she came from behind to take the lead on her next-to-last long jump and then added on to that on her final attempt.

CROWDED POLE VAULT CONTINGENT

In all, 11 San Diego pole vaulters advanced: five boys and six girls. The section would normally get six, three per gender.

With a 20-vaulter field advancing from the prelims a week before due to lightning delays, Rancho Bernardo's Jacob Rice soared over 16-03 and appeared to be well over 16-09 on his final try before dislodging the bar on the way down.

Four competitors cleared 15-03.

On the girls' side, three vaulters took cracks at the section record of 13-06 but despite close misses, none succeeded in topping 13-07. Sophomore Ashley Callahan won at 13-3, with Poway's Camryn Thomson second at 13-00, the same height at teammate Mia Cervantes.

SCRIPPS RANCH ROLLS

Having the same four girls back who ran 46.95 in the 4x100 relay certainly helped Scripps Ranch which clocked a 46.58 -- which is the fastest time in the state of teams still remaining.

The foursome of Jaymie Ruskovich, Aubree Bell, Brianna Sproles and Aaliyah McCormick won by more than a second in the fifth-fastest time in section history.

The Falcons' Bell returned three weeks ago while McCormick returned for this meet -- a real gamble since Scripps Ranch had times fast enough to stay with the regular foursome for another race. But McCormick clearly was fresh on the anchor leg and the mark got the meet off to a fast start.