Girls Virtual Round 1: Pittsburg vs. Norco

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This article highlights the results of first-round dual as part of the MileSplitCA March Madness Virtual Meet Tournament. Virtual meets are scored based solely on 2020 results using the standard dual meet scoring points format of 5-3-1 for individuals and 5-0 for relays. Athletes are scored in no more than four events. Teams are limited to three athletes per event. Stay with us for the entire tournament to see which boys and girls teams reign supreme in this virtual meet format.

Read more about this series.

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No. 15 PITTSBURG (NC) vs. No. 18 NORCO (SS)

When ranking Taylor Shorter's worth to the Norco High girls track team, her contributions in the throws likely wouldn't make the top five.

However, in a March 5 dual against La Sierra (SS), Shorter, a nationally ranked hurdler headed to UNLV, dipped her toes into the throws pool and, through a series of unfathomable changes to all things normality, those throws marks went a long way to determining the outcome of this virtual dual track meet matchup. 

In the closest score yet of this 32-team girls bracket, No. 18 Norco edged No. 15 Pittsburg and Shorter's five-point event win in the discus throw accounted for most of the difference. 

Shorter also had a 32-09 shot put at that dual that would have scored three second-place points in this virtual but the program that scores this event limits athletes to four individual events. Shorter, who placed second in the 300m hurdles at the 2019 State Meet and fourth in the 100m hurdles last May at Buchanan HS, only scored in the 300s in this matchup.

Her 44.11 from Saddle Up on Feb. 29, an early season time that ranks CA No. 2 and is U.S. top 30, added five points to Norco's total. Shorter also added another eight points with fastest time in the 400m (57.40) and the No. 2 time in the 200m (25.20). In all, she attributed 18 individual points to Norco's total and that's without even having a 100m hurdles time on the books in 2020. 

Pittsburg was led by star senior sprinter Trinity Bolden who had the fastest times in the 100m (12.11) and 200m (24.94) and undoubtedly anchored the Pirates' winning 4x100m relay team (48.34). Her 100m time ranks CA No. 4, she's tied for No. 3 in the 200m and the relay ranks CA No. 10 for marks achieved before the 2020 outdoor season was stopped. 

Bolden's help included freshman Gabriella Hernandez with five-point wins in both the 1600m and 3200m, and junior Ariane Nelson with eight points for a first and second in the hurdles. Pittsburg won three events, including the hurdles, split the relays, but took a 17-1 hit in the throws it couldn't overcome.