DIVISION 2
This time last year, Calabasas was the overwhelming favorite to capture the Division 2 team title. With that, they were also the odds-on favorite for the 2019 California State team title. But, with the debacle that ensued with several state-ranked athletes competing in five events at league finals and subsequently being disqualified for the postseason, those plans went out the window. With that, Mission Viejo held on for a 72-62 team title over Calabasas in the CIF-SS D2 final.
With Jade McDonald moving away from Calabasas (28 points at
the 2019 finals) to join Long Beach Poly in 
Division 1, along with the
graduations of Deanna Nowling (a two-time State 100-meter champion) and Kyla Robinson-Hubbard, the Coyotes will face
some challenges in seeking the divisional team title in 2020. JW North only lost one to graduation from a
team that finished third in 2019, while also adding star freshman Mackenzie Browne. Browne will join two-time State
Meet 800-meter finalist in sister Makayla Browne (No. 9 at right) and will replace the one vacated spot
on their victorious 4x400 squad.
Defending champions Mission Viejo graduated over 70% of its points from 2019 while Woodbridge, placing fourth as a team in 2019, has moved to Division 1. The Warriors would have been projected for third as a team in 2020. With a lot of movement (four of the top six returners in the 100 hurdles have switched schools and/or divisions) along a high number of graduates (the top eight at the 2019 finals in BOTH throws were all seniors) for the Division 2 girls, JW North is a slight favorite for the team title in 2020. Meanwhile, do not count out Calabasas as versatile junior Bella Witt returns as one of the top hurdlers in the nation.
Sprints
With only two finalists returning in the 100 meters and three for the 200
meters, the Division 2 girls will witness a whole new look into 2020 for the
short sprints. Norco's Kirstin Light
placed third in 2019 for the 
100 meters and eighth in the 200 meters. With an impressive range that extends up to the
800 meters, we could very well see Light focus more on the 400 this
season. She was third at the Winter
Championships for the 600 meters while also running well in the 60 and
150-meter events. Coming over from Division 3, Leuzinger will bring a strong crew of sprinters, headlined by Aniyah Wyche.
But moving to the 400 meters, six finalists return while Bonita's Alisha Wilson (No. 5 above) seeks her second divisional title in the event (55.41 best). She was vital in Bonita capturing the 4x400 relay state title in 2018. She also qualified for the State Meet in the long jump that same season. Citrus Valley's Cienna Norman-Thomas (25.05/56.23) was fourth a year ago and looks to regain her from 2018, where she was a Masters Meet qualifier and peaked with a 55.00 best. One of the top freshmen in the state a year ago, Golden Valley's Tylar Gallien (24.85w/57.18) and Chino's Valeia Payne (24.89w/57.12) both qualified for the finals in the 200 and 400 meters. Gallien will team up once again with Yleana Lopez while Kylee Davis has transferred from Saugus to bring together what should be a strong relay squad.
Hurdles
As mentioned earlier, four of the top six returners from the 2019 100-hurdle finals
have either transferred 
schools or moved to another division. But the defending champion, Taylor Shorter
of Norco (No. 5 at right), returns for her senior campaign. After a sophomore season on balancing several
events, Shorter focused specifically on the hurdles in 2019 and paid huge
dividends. Although placing third at
the Division 2 finals in the 300 hurdles and sixth at the Masters Meet, she
almost pulled off the upset by placing second (42.06) at the State Meet. She
just missed qualifying for the State Meet finals in the 100 hurdles and returns
with a 13.92 lifetime best.
Bella Witt was among those at Calabasas who lost their postseason to disqualification. Witt returns to remind everybody just how talented she is. One of the top freshmen in the nation in 2018, she was the LA City Section Champion in the 100 hurdles and 200 meters while at Birmingham. She improved to a 13.63 personal best in 2019 for the shorter hurdles and, also returns with the top mark in the 200 meters (24.49). Excelling down to a 43.33 in the 300 hurdles while also demonstrating impressive long jumping skills.
JW North's Amari Jenkins (at right) came into her own in 2019, running
away with the divisional title in the 300 hurdles with a best of 42.75. The two-time State Meet qualifier finished
fifth in the event while playing a huge role in the Huskies' success as one of
the best 4x400 relay squads in California.
Another top returner from the
2019 finals was Hesperia's Nia Jones, who placed fourth in the 100
hurdles.
Elise Craft was runner-up in the 300 hurdles and fifth in the 100 hurdles in 2019. She has since transferred to Oaks Christian from Thousand Oaks and will take her talents to Division 4. Woodbridge also boasted a trio of underclass finalists in both hurdles but has moved to Division 1.
Distances
In the longer distances, Division 2 was very well represented in 2019. As a freshman, Emma Hadley of Anaheim Canyon captured the divisional title in the 1600 meters. As she advanced to the State Meet finals with
4:51.01, she is coming another strong cross country season. She also placed fifth in the 800 meters
(2:13.01) while owning a best for the 3200 meters of 10:44.94. Her
teammate, Isabella Frisone also qualified for the State Meet as a freshman with
10:37.65 best. Unfortunately, Frisone is
currently sidelined as she heals from a stress fracture that was not properly
diagnosed until after a frustrating cross country season.
Capistrano Valley's Carly Corsinita (center in photo) returns with the top
mark in the 3200 (10:29.63) and a best of 4:58.98 
for the 1600 meters. The
University of Oregon-bound senior is a two-time Masters Meet qualifier and qualified
for the State Meet finals last year in the 3200 meters. As she was runner-up at the divisional
finals, Ventura's Madeleine Locher is the defending champ
(5:01.96/10:30.73). With a nice
postseason peak in 2019, she placed tenth at the State Meet for the 3200
meters.
Simi Valley junior Jill Walker has advanced to the Masters Meet in the 3200 meters the past two seasons but placed 11th both times. She placed seventh at this past cross country State Meet and placed third at the 2019 divisional finals in the event. Westlake's Rebecca Schultz 2019 season was cut short to a mid-season injury, but beforehand, she posted 5:00.89 and 10:35.62 lifetime bests. Schultz will be attending Yale this upcoming Fall.
Chino sophomore Mia Chavez (2:15.98/5:09.17) qualified to the Division 2 finals in the 800 and 1600 meters, with her best coming in a third-place finish in the 1600 meters. She was eighth in the 800 meters.
Regarding the 800 meters, JW North's Makayla Browne is the
defending Masters Meet champion (2:11.30).
As she placed ninth at the State Meet as a freshman in 2018, she moved
up to eighth last year. One of the
reasons why we are projecting JW North as the team favorites though is that
incoming freshman, Mackenzie Browne joins her sister. In 2019, she posted a 2:15.49 best for the
800 meters and came back a week later to shine with a 4:34.99 for the 1500
meters (converts to a sub-4:56 for a full 1600 meters). Demonstrating her aerobic strength, the
younger Browne capture the Division 2 SS-Finals Division 
2 Cross Country championship
last November as well. Milton Browne,
their dad, and head coach competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics for
Barbados in the 800 meters.
With Hailey Golmon (2:12.02) since moving on to Newbury Park and competing in Division 1, Ashley Johnson of Mission Viejo (No. 5 at right) is looking to rebound from a disappointing 2019 postseason. While Johnson (fourth in Division 2) placed eighth at the Masters Meet, do not overlook that she placed fifth at the State Meet in 2018 with a lifetime best of 2:10.57.
In the distances, also watch for Colony's Amber Rios while we expect some solid improvement to come from the Claremont squad, featuring Maddie Coles, Angie Gushue, and Azalea Segura-Mora. Westlake's Sydney Covington was a divisional finalist in the 1600 meters as well last year.
Horizontal Jumps
Jade McDonald won the D2 title in both horizontal jumps last spring but is now at Long Beach Poly in D1. With that,
the runner-up to McDonald in both events was Woodbridge's Madison Lyon. She, too, moves to Division 1 along with
teammate, Phoebe Ladd, who was third in the long jump! Expect a new crop of names to appear at the
2020 finals.
Before we think the cupboard is completely bare, Bonita's Alisha Wilson was the Division 2 champion in the long jump in 2018 as a freshman. She went on to place ninth at the State Meet. Her lifetime best is 18-08.50 as she is still one of the most talented in the section.
Rancho Verde's Jodeci Weems was a finalist in both events in 2019 which a fourth-place finish in the long jump. Meanwhile, Kylee Davis transferred from Saugus to Golden Valley and owns a best of 18-02w in the long jump. Also coming in from Division 1, Glendora's Shayla Dumas placed eighth in the triple jump in 2019.
Vertical Jumps
The verticals are headlined by two-time Div. 2 pole vault champion, Paige
Sommers of Westlake. Sommers (pictured) 
was also the
Masters Meet champion in both seasons with a runner-up finish at the 2019 State
Meet. Her 2019 best of 13-06 tied her for
the sixth-best mark in the United States.
Third, at the 2018 State Meet in the pole vault, Sommers is one of the
most talented all-around athletes in the section. She is the defending divisional champ and a State
Meet qualifier in the high jump with personal best of 5-06 while also qualifying
to the postseason in the 100 hurdles.
Peninsula's Gabrielle Pack was third at the 2019 finals and advanced to the Masters Meet. With a personal best of 11-08, she cleared 11-07 earlier this month and is off to a strong start in 2020. Also a Masters Meet qualifier, Mission Viejo's Jenny Kroeger was fourth with an 11-06 lifetime best. Mater Dei's Sophia Zarcone placed sixth at the 2019 finals and returns with an 11-04 personal best.
Victoria Plummer of Moorpark was third in the high jump last year while her teammate, Quynh Gedney was fourth. Both qualified for the State Meet with Plummer peaking for a third-place medal at the State Meet. Plummer is seeking a fourth straight State Meet finals spot.
Woodbridge's Lyon has moved to Division 1, but trading off with Golden Valley's Kylee Davis, who was a 5-03 high jumper for Saugus in 2019. Davis placed third at the Division 1 final while earning a spot at the Masters Meet. Mission Viejo's Sara Lindenthal and Capistrano Valley's Ina Wagner also cleared the 5-03 bar last year with the former advancing to the Masters Meet.
Throws
When it
comes to the Division 2 girls outlook on the throwing events, the primary
thought comes right back 
to the word ... graduation! The top eight
finishers at the 2019 finals ALL graduated! The only returner is
Elsinore's Leneah Olsingch, who placed ninth in both events. She is the top returner in the
division, boasting 38-08 and 129-02 bests in each event. For
the section, Olsingch (pictured) is the fifth-best returner in the discus and eighth
overall in the shot put.
Moorpark's Blake Lilly is the only other girl returning with
a 38-plus effort in the shot. In the discus, Ilaisaane Tovi returns for San Gorgonio with a best of 124-07 while Mission Viejo's Sara
Pettinger owns a 120-03 performance on her 2019 resume. Meanwhile, moving into
Division 2, Dana Hills' boasts the junior duo Logan Daniels (126-09) and Jillian
Stafford (122-00)