Girls Seniors-Only CCS Semifinals Highlights
100 Dash
The girls sprints are wide open in 2020, with several contenders but no clear favorites. Nina Barry (Valley Christian) and Kiana Ward (Los Gatos) both made the section finals last year, running within a few tenths of each other - and their times have been just as close all spring. Michelle Louie (Menlo) could also be a factor if she stays in the race, although she focused on the 200 and 400 last year. Those three have all run under 12.5 this spring, separating them from the rest of the field. If Louie doesn't compete, that would open the door to one of the runners from the evenly-matched next group: Kelaiah Moore (Kings Academy) and Maureen Gibbons (Gunn) are the most likely candidates.
200 Dash
Louie and Anna Zaeske (Los Altos) are the top contenders in this event, though both are better in the 400. With PR's in the mid-25's, they're not very far in front of challengers like Fallon Dexheimer (Valley Christian), who has broken 26 this spring. Aaliyah Carreras (Marina) could also be in the mix, and we are watching for Amaya Gray (Woodside Priory) to get all the way back to the times she ran her sophomore year (her junior season ended early) - if she does get back into the mid-25's, she could claim a top 3 spot.
400 Dash
If history holds true, Charlotte Tomkinson (Menlo) will run this race through finals, then drop it to focus on the 800. The reason is simple: she is at least a co-favorite and can score big points toward a section championship for her team. She will have her hands full with Abby Monti (Los Gatos), with each breaking 57 at some point this season. Zaeska is also capable of pulling off the win; although she hasn't gotten into the 56's yet, she is only a few tenths behind the top two. Louie has a very interesting choice: she favors this race as evidenced by her past choices, but the path to the state meet may be clearer in the 100. If she stays in this, though, she can crack the top 3 with a good race. If Louie opts out, Shama Tawakol (Homestead) may also be a factor.
800 Run
Of course, this is Tomkinson's premier event, and after finishing 2nd in the state meet last year you can bet she has strong motivation going into the championship. Last spring she didn't drop under 2:10 until the state meet, but she has broken it twice already this spring, and that bodes well for a new PR in the coming weeks. Kyra Pretre (Menlo) is a podium contender at the state meet, as well, and should not be overlooked; she is a lock to improve on her 10th place finish at the 2019 state meet. She has already exceeded her 2:13 from that meet in 2020, and she has a chance to threaten 2:10 in the right race. Claire Yerby (Half Moon Bay) opened this spring with an eye-opening 2:15, but her better race is the 1600 - it doesn't hurt to stay in this event, but we expect she won't have fresh legs when it starts next week. There is also a second group of three girls aiming to break 2:15 next week: Oriana Jalal (Cupertino), Ella Ball (Palo Alto), and Kendall Mansukhani (Half Moon Bay) all made the section final last year and are very evenly matched.
1600 Run
With 5 returners with time between 5:00 and 5:03 (plus four more in the 5:05 - 5:09 range), this event was a giant question mark coming into the season. Pretre is the defending champion, but Yerby and Gianna Mendoza (Presentation) have joined her under 5 minutes this spring and are also capable of winning. All three had very strong cross country seasons, which explains their improvement. Jalal leads the next group, with Mansukhani, Sofia Camacho (North Salinas) and Anna Mokkapati (Kings Academy) right behind her.
3200 Run
Kaimei Gescuk (Carlmont) was a mystery entering this season, as she didn't run cross country in the fall (our main method for evaluating progress). We're happy to see her healthy and posting almost identical times to her 2019 campaign, and that is enough for the defending section champion to have a chance to repeat. Her chief competition will come from Mendoza, who has closed the gap on Gescuk, running in the 10:30's. Mokkapati has the inside track on third place, but she has several challengers not far behind. In particular, keep an eye on Annika Paylor (Los Gatos), whose 2019 season ended early - she may have extra motivation to compete at finals and try for a state meet spot. Sarah Perry (Woodside) returns to finals, joining the upper 10:50's group.
100 Hurdles
It's not unusual for a section final race to be dominated by seniors, but it IS unusual for ALL EIGHT finalists to be seniors! That's the case in this event, leaving a complete vacuum for a new group of contenders to fill. Isabella Reimann (Notre Dame Salinas) has done her best to take advantage, opening her 2020 season with two big PR's in quick succession. Her jump from 17.24 in 2019 to mid-15's this year is remarkable, and it's enough to put her in the role of favorite. Only two other hurdlers in the section have broken 16: Marcela Mantilla (Gilroy) and Annabriza Melchor (Los Altos) both did that once last spring and a few times in 2020. Alexis McMahon (Valley Christian) leads the second group of advancers, which also includes Sydney Vandenbrandhorninge (Homestead), Maia Tse (Sacred Heart Cathedral), and Aneesha Nema (Lynbrook)
300 Hurdles
In contrast to the 100 Hurdles, there is a heavy favorite here in the person of Abby Monti (Los Gatos), who finished 7th in the state meet in 2019. Although her junior year was a roaring success, she also left it frustrated after clocking 44.18, 44.01, and 44.00 (!) in her last three races and missed the podium by one place. She opened 2020 a full four seconds faster than her first race last year, and she proceeded to charge past that pesky 44 barrier mid-season. Now, she has her sights set on the 42's and a medal when she gets to Clovis. Behind her is a deep group competing for second place, led by Melchor and Vandenbrandhorninge, both in the 46-second range this spring. Tianna Bumbaca-Kuehl (San Lorenzo Valley) hasn't broken 47 yet, but she has been close enough to be a threat to make the podium.
Shot Put
Moorea Mitchell (Castilleja School) finished 3rd in the 2019 section final, and as the only returning thrower over 40 feet she is the favorite to win in 2020. She has thrown over 42 a few times, in fact, and that puts her in range of the state's best. The next two throwers are close enough to each other to battle for second, but may not be close enough to Mitchell to threaten for the win. Diem Nguyen (Evergreen Valley) has been close to 40, although she is more consistently in the 38's, a range that Cassious Fiaui (Fremont) has hit 38 several times. Behind those three there is a substantial gap, with Ashley Tam (St. Ignatius) and Amy Arness (Archbishop Mitty) leading the next group.
Discus
Arness is both the top returner and the 2020 season leader, but not by much: Mitchell and Sydney Ghiglione (Aptos) are close behind, all three of them in the mid-120's. Nguyen is looking for her first 120-footer, but she has shown that potential and could be in position to pick off one of the top three spots if things fall right for her. Mariel Barbayan (Silver Creek) leads the rest of the field, but she has work to do to close on the top 4.
Long Jump
Kiana Ward (Los Gatos) is a bit of a puzzle. She jumped 18-11 in her first invitational of the 2019 season, but did not come close to that distance again; nonetheless, her 2nd-best mark of 17-2 would make her the #2 returner in the section, and made the finals last year. After opening in the 15's this spring, she has returned to 16 and 17 foot jumps, which puts her in contention but doesn't make her the dominant favorite that her PR would indicate. (Just to be clear: we're not questioning the mark - sometimes a jumper really does bust out an unusually big jump.) There are a bunch of challengers for the title, all in the same range as Ward. Emma Scarra (Notre Dame San Jose) has improved from consistent 16's last year to 17's this spring, exactly where Maya Evans (Mills) has been all season. Brynn Mitchell (Aptos) has an edge on them in terms of experience, as she finished 7th in the section finals last year; she is also the most consistent jumper in the section, which can really pay off at a championship. Hailey Richey (Kings Academy) broke the 17 barrier in her first meet of 2020 and has been past it several times since. Nicole Player (Los Altos) plays the role of the wild card, having popped a few 17-footers but not getting there regularly. This may very well come down to second-best jumps in a tiebreaker, but whatever the outcome it will be fun to watch.
Triple Jump
Scara enters finals as the slight favorite here, but again she has challengers close by (though not nearly as many as in the long jump). Mitchell and Fallon Dexheimer (Valley Christian CC) have both joined her in the 37-foot club, although only Scara has the experience of advancing to the state meet. They should be able to concentrate on the battle for the win, as the next group is back in the 35 foot range. Christina Wong (Los Gatos) has improved tremendously this year, and if she has one more step forward still to make, then she could grab one of the top three spots (likewise for Player and Evans).
High Jump
The theme of highly competitive jumps with no clear favorites continues! Kyla Tracy (Gunn) is the only returner to have cleared 5-2 in 2019, but she's not the only one to get over that height in 2020. Section finalist Tasina Westberg (San Lorenzo Valley) has the edge in championship experience over the rest of the field, and she has matched Tracy's season best. Naia Edwards (Westmont) made 5-0 several times last year, and she also has been over 5-2 a few times this spring. Cynthia Diaz (Presentation) has continued the steady progress she showed last spring, hitting 5-2 once while consistently clearing 5-0 - and the exact same thing is true of Mariama Indula (Salinas). Elaine Chen (Crystal Springs Upland) opened 2020 with a PR of 5-0, and she also has a 5-2 on her resume. Each of these athletes has a legitimate chance to win in what may be the wildest event of ANY section championship.
Pole Vault
Branham has the top two returners in Lindsay Gigliello and Phoebe Roach, but a 1-2 sweep is far from assured. Gigliello is a strong favorite, to be sure - she is the only vaulter in the section to have cleared 12-6, let alone get over 13 (which she accomplished this spring). Roach, however, will have her hands full with Julie Trundle (Sequoia) and Samantha Brackett (San Lorenzo Valley). All three have cleared 12 feet at some point, although Roach is more consistent. Samantha Irwin (Sacred Heart Cathedral) trails the top three by a foot, but when you improve from 9-6 to over 11 in one year, you have a chance to make another leap. Sabel De Oliveira (Woodside) has also made significant progress and can't be counted out.