GREATEST GIRLS DISTANCE RUNNER OF THE DECADE POLL TOURNAMENT
And now your semifinalists: (l-r) Bethan Knights (Northwood), Jacqueline Duarte (Chino Hills), Meagen Lowe (Buchanan) and Mariah Castillo (Saugus).
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In an absolutely epic quarterfinal vote of the MileSplitCA Greatest Girls Combination Distance Runner of the Decade poll tournament, the four ladies pictured above were the popular choice in each of their respective matchups and will advance to semifinal voting (on the next page).
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Quarterfinal winners:
- Bethan Knights (Northwood/SS/2014) eliminated Haley Dorris (Great Oak/SS/2014), 56.61% to 43.39%, winning by 88 votes.
- Jacqueline Duarte (Chino Hills/SS/2021) defeated Destiny Collins (Great Oak/SS/2016), 53% to 47% with Duarte receiving nearly 500 votes and winning by 56 votes to knock off the tournament favorite.
- Meagen Lowe (Buchanan/CS/2019) eliminated Anna Maxwell (San Lorenzo Valley/CC/2014), 54.21% to 45.79%, in the largest single-matchup of the tournament, generating more than a jaw-dropping 4,900 votes!!
- Mariah Castillo (Saugus/SS/2018) got past Fiona O'Keeffe (Davis/SJ/2016), 59.93% to 40.07%, receiving nearly 500 votes and winning by 161 votes.
Semifinal matchups:
- Duarte vs. Castillo. Knights vs. Lowe. Who ya got?
Of Note:
- Lowe received 2,660 votes in the quarterfinals. The previous tournament high was the 418 votes Castillo pulled in during second-round voting. Lowe's semifinal opponent, Bethan Knights, has received the fewest number of votes of all advancers the last two rounds. (Time for the Knights camp to ramp up support.)
- Anna Maxwell received 2,247 votes in the quarterfinal. And did not advance. Whoa!
- HUGE shout out to all of those who pushed the Lowe-Maxwell quarterfinal into the stratosphere!
- Castillo heads into semifinal voting averaging 413.67 votes per round, second to Lowe. Duarte is averaging 399 votes per round and Knights is averaging 227.33.
SEMIFINAL RUNNER BIOS
Mariah Castillo (Saugus/SS) - Ranks third in the decade for combined 8/32 times and eighth on the 8/16 combo list. PRs of 4:39.77c and 10:06.47 rank third and eighth, respectively, in the decade. Her 8/32 combined time ranks third in the decade.
Jacqueline Duarte (Chino Hills/SS) - Ran her 1600m PR of 4:42.45 as a sophomore to win the State title in 2019. Placed fourth as a freshman in 2018. Her 1600m PR ranks 10th in the decade and 21st in state history.
Bethan Knights (Northwood/SS) - Her 9:50.10 converted 3200m PR from 2014 is best of the decade and No. 2 AT in CA history. Her 4:42.29 PR for 1600m ranks eighth in the decade. State Meet 3200m champion in 2014 (10.00.19).
Meagen Lowe (Buchanan/CS) - Has PRs of 4:43.61 and 10:12.78. Three-time State Meet finalist including placing second for 1600m and third for 3200m to help lead Buchanan to the 2019 team title. One of only seven girls with 1600m and 3200m PRs that both rank among the top 15 within the decade.