Senior State Championship: San Diego Section Finals

Girls Seniors-Only San Diego Section Finals Highlights




100 Dash

Kalah Bateman (Eastlake) jumps to a quick lead and pulls away to a commanding win, shutting down in the last 20 meters to save her legs. The race for second is much tighter, though: Madison Thomas (Mission Hills) narrowly defeats Alexis Davis ca (Lincoln SD) as both move on to the state meet. 


200 Dash

Bateman is strong out of the blocks and through the curve, but Thomas is able to close over the last 50 meters to make the race close enough to force the favorite to work hard all the way to the line. Both go under 25, which leaves a substantial gap between them and the rest of the field. Sarah Mosteller (San Marcos) finishes strong to claim the final qualifying spot, holding off Jillian Hewett (Maranatha Christian) and Aubree Bell (Scripps Ranch).


400 Dash

Mosteller and Hewett are also involved in arguably the most exciting finish of the day, along with Madelynn Worley (Christian High SD) and Toren Dunbar (Steele Canyon). All four go under 58, racing shoulder to shoulder coming down the final straight and finishing separated by less than a tenth of a second. Dunbar, who was on track to be a contender in 2019 before her season ended short of the section playoffs, ends up in second place behind Worley. Hewett just barely nips Mosteller for the third and final state meet position. 


800 Run

Elizabeth Houk (Cathedral Catholic) is able to take control early with a 1:05 first 400, allowing her to separate on the second lap and not have to kick to take the win. Carolinh Calvert (El Capitan) is the only runner who tries to go with Houk, with the idea of burning out her competition for second place. Julia Kiersnowski (Scripps Ranch), who finished 5th in this meet as a sophomore, is able to track her down and get by coming out of the last curve, running 2:17 and looking as though she can still drop some time. Katherine Taylor (Point Loma) also squeaks by Calvert at the line to take third.


1600 Run

Though Calvert struggles in the final stretch of the 800, she has good reason: she stuck with Carlie Dorostkar (Canyon Crest) and Skyler Wallace (Sage Creek) for three laps before falling back just a bit to finish 3rd. Dorostkar looks very strong, clocking 4:52 after pulling away on the back stretch and then coasting to the finish line. Wallace comes through with a new PR well under 5, and Calvert goes under 5:05 to punch her ticket to Clovis. Later Wallace opts to drop this event to focus on the 3200 next weekend, allowing Alyssa Ruiz (Serra) to advance after holding off Katie Downs (Poway) for fourth.


3200 Run

Dorostkar and Wallace duel throughout the race, although from the pacing you can tell that they're not quite at 100% effort, as they know they can pull away from the rest of the field and advance. Nonetheless, both run under 10:30 and they do kick for the title and for pride, with Wallace taking the win by a second. Over 30 seconds behind them, an exciting race for the final qualifying spot culminates with Lavanya Pandey (Sage Creek) taking third ahead of Eva Rethmeier (Poway) and Amy Brown (Ramona).


100 Hurdles

In a repeat of the 2019 race, Emelliah Vaught (Steele Canyon) and Zoe Nolte (Carlsbad) are side by side over all 10 hurdles and finish separated by a tiny margin - less than 0.05 seconds. In a change from 2019, it's Nolte the gets by for the win at the line. Both go under 14.5, and both advance to the state meet. A second very close duel happens behind them, as Simone James (Christian) holds off Alexis Davis (Lincoln) to grab the final qualifying spot.


300 Hurdles

James had to race for third and a state meet trip in the high hurdles, but here she is racing for the title with Alexi Allen (San Marcos). The two come off the curve dead even and power down the straight, both straining to stay on rhythm. Allen pulls slightly ahead over the final two hurdles, then has to hold off a last-second charge to claim the crown as both go under 44. Nolte is able to separate from Francesca Feidelberg (Del Norte) and Nicki Gutschow (Rancho Bernardo) to take third and move on to Clovis.


Long Jump

In what some may consider a minor upset, Sofia Rodgers (Canyon Crest) posts an 18-6 jump on her second attempt that stands up for the win over Kalani Hardyway (Oceanside). Hardyway does uncork what looked like a 19-footer on her fifth jump, but the yellow flag wipes it out; she will have another week to try to get back into that territory. Mazzie Harris (Cathedral Catholic) improves consistently through the competition, eventually breaking 18 for the first time and punching her ticket to the state meet with a third-place finish as she edges out teammate Jasmine Rolland.


Triple Jump

Hardyway elevated her performance at the 2019 SDS finals with a nearly two-foot PR. Today she doesn't need that kind of effort to take the win, as her steady upper 38's put her in control of the event from the beginning. She now shifts her focus to making the finals next week and getting back to 39 feet. Anna-Kaye Powell (El Camino) emerges from a four-girl battle for the remaining two spots in the state meet to claim second. Alexis Davis, who dropped this event before the SDS prelims in 2019, battles with Sadie Heckman (Point Loma) and James through the last three attempts before Heckman grabs third place on her final jump.


High Jump

This is an exciting four-way competition for the top three, one of the best events to watch today. Cailey Beaudoin (Westview ) has the experience of making the state meet in 2019 under her belt, and she moves smoothly up the heights, clearing 5-4 on her first attempt. Lilly Vaal (Imperial) gets over on her second jump, and Emma Curtis (Point Loma) matches that for a new PR. Mazzie Harris joins the 5-4 club on her final attempt, and the bar goes up to 5-6. Beaudoin, who entered the competition later than anyone, has the freshest legs; that allows her to break through for a new PR on her second jump, locking up the title. Vaal responds by getting over on her final jump to take second, which leaves Curtis in third based on misses at 5-4. All three of the advancers have a chance to make the final next weekend!


Pole Vault

San Diego is a hotbed of vaulting talent, and Katerina Adamiec (Poway) is upholding that tradition. She has no pressure here today, clearing 13 easily as she tunes up and works on technique - the next group has been out for over a foot. Adamiec is a legitimate contender at the state meet, and we can't wait to see how this event shakes out in Clovis! Alyssa McKeever (Valley Center) gets 11 feet on her first attempt and 11-6 with one miss, giving her second place. Faith Heffron (Scripps Ranch) and Abrianna Sebastiani (University City) both miss three times at 11-6 as third place goes to a tiebreaker, with Sebastiani advancing on misses.


Shot Put

The memory of the 2019 SDS finals still stings for Alondra Cardona (El Camino) - she finished fourth, throwing almost a foot below her season best. Today her spot in the state meet is never in doubt, as she opens with a 42 foot throw and then posting a new PR in the 43's in the finals. Kyrasani Mitchell (San Diego High) also gets a new all time best as she cracks 40 feet, putting her comfortably in second place. Natalia Hyatt (Rancho Buena Vista) is able to defeat Juliana Vinluan (Mt. Carmel) to claim the final state meet qualifying position. 


Discus

Vinluan, perhaps motivated by narrowly missing the state meet in the shot put, takes the early lead with a new PR over 125 feet. Mitchell and Hiatt eventually reel her back in, both going over 130 and each holding first place at some point as they battle. Mitchell is too strong and consistent in the end, as she keeps pumping out better and better marks until she takes the section title. Vinluan's big throw holds up easily for third as she advances to the state meet.