Girls Seniors-Only North Coast Meet of Champions Highlights
100 Dash
Having been to the state meet the last two years, Trinity Bolden (Pittsburg) is not about to break her streak. She puts that experience to good use here, staying smooth under pressure from fast-closing Aryel Coats (Carondelet) to take the title by a few steps, with Zharia Dixon (Dublin) right on their heels in third place. Bolden will be a sleeper to watch for in the state meet.
200 Dash
Kaiya Johnson (El Cerrito) opted out of the 100, but we still get to see her battle Bolden and Coats in this race. It's a fantastic finish, with Bolden leading out of the blocks, Johnson edging ahead in the middle before fatigue starts to bind her up, and Coats charging hard over the final 40 meters. If you forgot that Bolden ran 24.89 during her sophomore year, she reminded you today, taking her second win as she fights off Coats and Johnson fades to third.
400 Dash
At the end of the 2019 season, nobody would have predicted Johnson would be right in the middle of a three-way battle for the section title in this event, but she has been a revelation this spring. She goes toe to toe with Daylee Dunn (Salesian) and Zoe McDonough (Washington) for 350 meters, before Johnson pulls ahead slightly for the win. McDonough gets past Dunn, who seems to ease up (or at least not strain) at the end in an effort to save her legs for the 300 Hurdles. In fact, Dunn elects not to move on to the state meet in this event, allowing Jessica Ogu (Clayton Valley Charter) to advance with a fourth-place finish.
800 Run
There wasn't a single junior in the Meet of Champions last spring, which makes this a wild and exciting race. Sophia Stephens (Urban) sits in the middle of the lead group as they go through the 400 in 1:08, then makes her move with 300 to go. Hana Nip (Mission San Jose) responds and goes with her, but Stephens is too strong - she claims the title with a 2:17, Nip following a little over a second behind. Alicia Hober (Campolindo) holds off Margaret Black (Piedmont) and Isabelle Thiara (Convent & Stuart Hall) to claim the final qualifying spot, turning around a day that didn't go as planned in the 1600.
1600 Run
Kelli Wilson (Monte Vista) has developed into a legitimate podium contender at the state meet in this event, and she has the advantage of not needing to go all-out to win the title and move on today. It will be interesting to see her run in the prelims next week, as she is also a standout 3200 runner. As she steadily pulls away from the field, a tactical pack forms behind her, leading to a mad dash for the finish and the remaining 2 spots in the state meet. Mira Terdiman (Lick Wilmerding) wins that sprint to take second overall, followed by Jasmin Hirth (Maria Carrillo) in third, as Hober is relegated to fourth.
3200 Run
Wilson is unchallenged in this race and takes care of business, working on pacing for 10:20 before cruising to the win. Sophia Zalewski (Piedmont) and Kaya Hano (Head Royce) trade off the lead position in the chase pack for most of the race, only to see Paloma Hancock (Campolindo) kick past both of them and into second place. Zalewski holds off Hano for third, moving on to the state meet.
100 Hurdles
Sofia Bailey (St. Mary's College) dominates this race, breaking through the 15-second barrier on her way to the championship. Teammate Amelia Tremain his solidly in second, while Amaya Berkeley (Carondelet) and Mila Mathias (Acalanes) are in a tight battle for third with Olivia Steele (College Preparatory). Mathias is able to pull ahead of the other contenders over the final hurdle, claiming the last spot in the state meet.
300 Hurdles
Dunn got a taste of the state meet last spring, and today it's clear she wants more. She pushes right into the lead, putting pressure on anyone who might have challenged her, then stays on rhythm for a low-43 PR and the title. Bailey also returns to the state meet after bowing out of the 400, and with fresh legs she breaks 45 for the first time, locking down second place. Mikayla Lin (Tamalpais) narrowly bests Emily Sverak (Acalanes) and Journee Harvey (Carondelet) to go through to Clovis.
Long Jump
Airiana Dargan (Concord) and Aryel Coats (Carondelet) are very familiar foes, having finished 1-2 in the 2019 section finals and 10-11 (in the other order) at the state meet. This time Coats gets the better of her opponent, taking the section title as both jump over 19 feet for the first time. Hannah Matcham (Marin Catholic) outduels Lydia Howard (St. Mary's College) and Natasha Tehrani (Irvington) for third place and a ticket to the state meet.
Triple Jump
Dargan dominates in this event, taking only three jumps before passing the rest with the victory in hand. As one of the state's few 40-footers, she will be a title contender next weekend. Jayme Blackard (Carondelet) returns to the state meet a second time, while Howard edges out Nyah Paulding (Castro Valley) for the final qualifying spot.
High Jump
Favorite Amina Middleton-Pearson (Dublin) takes care of business and claims the section crown, moving on to Clovis for another chance at the 5-6 mark that has eluded her thus far. She has an excellent chance to make the final next weekend if she jumps like she did today - she clears every height through 5-4 on her first attempt. The battle for second comes down to Alees Elshiek (James Logan) and Zoe Null (San Marin) at 5-2; Isabel Rasmussen (Acalanes) is also over 5-0, but took more attempts. Elshiek gets over on her second try, locking herself into second place, and Null follows on her third attempt to grab the last qualifying spot.
Pole Vault
This is a tune-up and a workout for Kelley Kern (Carondelet), and she looks sharp. She is gearing up for a run at the state championship in this event, for which she is on the short list of contenders. Sydney Sullivan (Foothill Pleasanton), who cleared 11-6 as a sophomore but has struggled with inconsistency since then, finds her rhythm and upsets Isabelle Carreon (Liberty) for second place.
Shot Put
Deanna Gaines (San Leandro) has been consistently over 42 feet this spring, and she hits that again on her second attempt, putting her in the driver's seat. Lillian McCoy (Casa Grande) is able to go over 41, locking her into second with no challenger behind her. That frees Gaines of all pressure on her final attempt, having already won, and she responds with her first 43-footer. Danielle Cunningham (Ukiah) gets past Claire March (Granada) for the final qualifying spot.
Discus
March, perhaps with a little extra fire after narrowly missing out on a trip to Clovis in the shot put, defends her section title here in dominant fashion, throwing over 145 feet. Kassidy Sani (El Molino NC) isn't challenged for second, and likewise for Gaines in third, leaving little drama but three deserving state meet qualifiers.