Senior State Championship: North Coast Section Trials

Girls Seniors-Only NCS Trials Highlights




100 Dash

Trinity Bolden (Pittsburg) finished the 2019 season as a projected co-favorite for 2020, a title she shared with Kaiya Johnson (El Cerrito) and Aryel Coats (Carondelet). They are the top three returners and had very similar season bests; Johnson was only 0.01 behind Bolden in the section final. The start of 2020 told a different story, though: Bolden quickly dropped a 12.11, close to her PR, signaling she was in the lead in the pursuit of a title. As the weather has warmed up she has dropped under 12 seconds several times, and she comes out of the Tri Valley Area as the favorite for next week. This is not to say she will have it easy - far from it, as Coats has also broken 12 and Bay Shore winner Johnson is right on the verge of joining them (although she may drop this for the 400). Bolden might have the edge, but we wouldn't really consider it an upset for either of the other two to take the win. We also shouldn't overlook Zharia Dixon (Dublin), who is also in striking range of both the 11's and the top 3. The Tri Valley is loaded, by the way!


200 Dash

Familiar names in this race, but this time it's Johnson that holds the top spot in the 2019 returning rankings. Again, she has close competition for the title: Bolden has taken the same step forward that she made in the 100, opening with a sub-25 and keeping pace with Johnson every step of the way. Coats has already joined those two in the 24's, as well, setting up an outstanding final (Bolden and Coats chose not to go 100% in the Bay Shore Area, knowing they were set to advance). Dixon is the closest challenger for a top 3 spot here, although Zoe McDonough (Washington) has run a few mid-25's and could surprise some people (if she doesn't focus entirely on the 400).


400 Dash

Speaking of gaining ground in the offseason, Johnson debuted with a 57.68 in February, showing a new direction and revealing herself as a contender in this event. She still has to unseat the top returner, Daylee Dunn (Salesian), who repeated as Tri Valley champ this week. Both of them are already in the 56-second range, with McDonough right behind - any of the three could legitimately win next week, especially considering that McDonough beat Dunn in the section final last year. There is a significant gap behind the top 3, so the main question is their order of finish. Redwood Empire winner Anouk Guilhaume (Redwood) and Class A champ Simonne Alunan (Urban) lead the next group, which includes several athletes in the upper 58-59 range.


800 Run

None of the returning candidates made the section final in 2019, leaving a very wide-open field of returners. Sophia Stephens (Urban) looks ready to stake her claim to the title after a frustrating junior season (she ran under 2:20 several times as a soph but couldn't break that barrier in 2019). She opened with a 2:20 in March and has since improved her PR to 2:17, and she is the Class A champion today. Alicia Hober (Campolindo) is the closest competitor after a strong cross country season boosted her into the 2:19's, although the Tri Valley winner may decide to focus on the 1600. Hana Nip (Mission San Jose) leads the group battling for third, which also includes Haven Decker (Foothill Pleasanton) and Isabelle Thiara (Convent & Stuart Hall).


1600 Run

Kelli Wilson (Monte Vista) could have been a top seed in the 800, but she (rightly) chose to focus on the 1600 and 3200. She is the only sub-5 returner from 2019 in this field, and she has dropped into the 4:55 range this spring while claiming the Tri Valley title. Last year, however, she dropped this race after the area meet; will she stay in it for a run to the state meet, or put all her eggs in the 3200 basket again? Hober and Paloma Hancock (Campolindo) are the next candidates to break 5, but they trail Wilson in the Tri Valley race today. They aren't the only challengers for the top three, either: Sophia Zalewski (Piedmont) comes out of the Bay Shore Area with the win and a sub-5:05 PR, and Class A champ Mira Terdiman (Lick Wilmerding) is right behind her time-wise, as is runner-up Kaya Hano (Head Royce). We also wouldn't count out Jasmin Hirth (Maria Carrillo) - she has flown under the radar a bit this season, but everyone is paying attention after she went well under 5:10 in winning the Redwood Empire title.


3200 Run

Wilson is dominant in this race; the defending section champ is the only sub-11 returner and has run roughly 30 seconds faster than her nearest competitors. Having posted a sub-10:30 this spring, she is looking to return to the state meet and move up from her 15th-place finish last year. Bayshore champ Zalewski has improved tremendously in this event, clocking more than one 10:50's time, which is enough to push for the state meet but not enough to seriously threaten Wilson. Hancock looks ready to break 11, as well, after leading the section in the 5K during cross country season. Hano, Mia Marsh (California NC), and Derica Su (Amador Valley) comprise the next group, all evenly matched.


100 Hurdles

St. Mary's College has the top 2 contenders in this event, although one of them has some competition for her spot on the podium. Sofia Bailey is the two-time Bay Shore champ, the defending section winner, and went to the state meet in 2019; she is a lock to move on again this year. Her main goal next week is to finally break through the 15 second barrier, as her current season best is almost a half-second faster than anyone else in the section. Teammate Amelia Tremain has run under 15.5 a few times, putting her in the lead in the battle for second place. Mila Mathias (Acalanes) and Amaya Berkeley (Carondelet) stage quite a duel in the Tri Valley today, each trying to get closer to 15.5 and position for a top 3 finish next week; Mathias wins that race narrowly. Although Olivia Steele (College Preparatory) hasn't broken 16 yet, the Class A champ could be a sleeper in the final. 


300 Hurdles

400 favorite Daylee Dunn is even stronger in this event, so it will be interesting to see how she approaches the difficult double. Last year she stayed in both all the way to the Meet of Champions, but after making the state meet in the 300 Hurdles she might decide to focus on it. She has run consistent 44's with a dip into the 43's this spring, making her hard to beat next week. Her toughest challenge comes from fellow Bay Shore standout Bailey, who has stayed within a second of Dunn's best time all season. Dunn emerged with the area trials win, but neither ran close to their season best, indicating that they both raced to advance. The competition for third place is shaping up to be intense, with three athletes in the upper 45 - lower 46 range. Mikayla Lin (Tamalpais) wins the Redwood Empire title, while Journee Harvey (Carondelet) defeats Emily Sverak (Acalanes) for the Tri Valley crown. Zoe Bursch (Castro Valley) is lurking just behind and should not be overlooked, as she is capable of picking off a few athletes ranked ahead of her.


Shot Put

You might say that Lillian McCoy (Casa Grande) and Deanna Gaines (San Leandro) have a bit of a rivalry going. They finished 1-2 in the 2019 section rankings (with Gaines on top) and 1-2 in the Meet of Champions (with McCoy taking the title). Wanna guess where they stand going into next week? Gaines comes out of the Bay Shore Area with the better PR, having thrown in the high 42's; McCoy is the Redwood Empire champ and has improved into the high 41's. One thing we learned from 2019: when the section title is on the line, PR's go out the window. Those two are well beyond the rest of the field with the next group in the upper 30's, led by Danielle Cunningham (Ukiah) and Claire March (Granada). Kassidy Sani (El Molino) and Eden Broussard (Northgate) will try to crash the competition for third.


Discus

March is the defending section champion in this event, and she didn't need to match her season best over 140 to cruise through the Tri Valley meet today. Sani has emerged as the top contender, winning the Redwood Empire and continuing to move higher in the 130-foot range. That separates them from Gaines, who has been in the upper 120's all season. Unlike most events in the Meet of Champions, there appear to be only three clear competitors for the top spots; Bailey Keck (College Park) and Breana Williams (Dublin) lead the rest of the field, but they are more than 10 feet behind Gaines.


Long Jump

This could be one of the most exciting events in the Meet of Champions - we see at least four and as many as seven legitimate title contenders. Airiana Dargan (Concord NC) is the defending section champion and made the state finals last year, but Aryel Coats (Carondelet) also advanced to Clovis (and beat Dargan there). Dargan wins the Tri Valley title today, but things could easily go the other way in the final. Both are still in pursuit of the 19-foot mark, which adds extra motivation to next week's competition. Bay Shore champ Lydia Howard (St. Mary's College) has cracked 18 feet a few times this season, although she has been more consistent in the upper 17's. Runner-up Natasha Tehrani (Irvington) has been right behind Howard all season and was close to winning today, so keep an eye on her next week. Redwood Empire champ Hannah Matcham (Marin Catholic) is also very much in the thick of this competition. As if that wasn't enough, we could see Jayme Blackard (Carondelet) or Jessica Ogu (Clayton Valley Charter) popping a big jump and moving up this list.


Triple Jump

Dargan is the heavy favorite here at the close of a season in which she joined the 40 foot club. After finishing 4th in the state meet (half an inch under 40!), she certainly has her eyes on a possible title in Clovis this year. Bay Shore champ Nyah Paulding (Castro Valley) is the closest competitor with a season best in the 38's, but she will have her hands full holding on to second place in the Meet of Champions. Blackard, the second place finisher behind Dargan in the Tri Valley, has a PR just behind Paulding, but Blackard went to the state meet in 2019 and that experience could pay off next week. We also wouldn't be surprised if Howard challenges for a spot in the top three, with Kaylie Barrera (Sonoma Valley) and Sarah Van Loon (California) also potentially within striking range.


High Jump

This is an event where championships are often won below season bests, where consistency rather than PR is the key to advancing. That's why Amina Middleton-Pearson (Dublin) is the favorite - she has both, with the top mark in the section at 5-4 and consistent jumps at 5-2 or better. The Tri Valley champ is set to claim the Meet of Champions crown and return to the state meet, but the rest of the field is wide open. Camille Mantoani (Casa Grande), Alees Elshiek (James Logan), Isabel Rasmussen (Acalanes), Mila Mathias (Acalanes), and Zoe Null (San Marin) have all been over 5 feet (a few of them with a single higher clearance), but none of them has been able to separate from the pack. There is no way you're going to get us to predict the outcome of this one! 


Pole Vault

Similar to the high jump (though not as muddled), there is an overwhelming favorite here followed by a close group of contenders for second place. Kelley Kern (Carondelet) is a legitimate state title contender after a junior campaign in which she finished 4th and cleared 13-4. Isabelle Carreon (Liberty) may have the inside track on second after taking a big step forward this year, but Bay Shore champ Lauren Thorpe (Washington NC) and teammate Jasmine Dalangin are hard on her heels. Sydney Sullivan (Foothill Pleasanton) is a sleeper candidate to sneak into the top 3.