Tiara Adeniji hands to Tatum Zinkin during the 4x400-meter relay at the West Coast Relays where Clovis North posted the state's fastest time so far this season. (Pat Rhames photo)
RESULTS | PHOTOS | INTERVIEWS
This article was updated 5/3 at 3:15 p.m. to reflect a change in the girls discus rankings.
CLOVIS -- As a warm-up to Arcadia, the West Coast Relays, held Saturday at Buchanan High School, proved to be quite an impressive act to have to follow.
The event at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis had strong elite fields across the program that produced eight new CA No. 1 marks (including one tie) and 25 other top-10 performances.
For a week, at least, the West Coast Relays 2021 sits as the most impressive full track and field meet of this spring outdoor season.
While it was mostly a showcase of Central Section athletes, there was representation from other sections across the state helping to kick this event up a few notches.
New CA No. 1s:
GIRLS
100m -- Lauren Fowler (Buchanan, senior) 11.70 (1.7 mps)
200m - Takiya Cenci (Clovis North, junior) 24.32 (2.7)
400m - Cenci, 54.75
4x400 Relay - Clovis North ( Maya Cordoba (Fr.), Tiara Adeniji (Sr.), Tatum Zinkin (Jr.), Cenci) 3:52.05
High Jump - Lauren Pritchard (Carmel (CC), Sr.) 5-6 (tied for No. 1 with five others)
BOYS
100m - Nathan Johnson (Clovis, Jr.) 10.49 (2.5)
800m - John Lester (Amador Valley (NC), Sr.) 1:51.62
Shot Put - Nick Godbehere (Shafter, Jr.) 61-00
Buchanan, which won the State Meet girls team title in 2019 -- the last State Finals on record -- and league rival Clovis North are two of the deepest girls teams in CA. That was on full display here.
Fowler, already the state leader in the long jump from a previous meet, took over the top spot in the 100 meters, also won the long jump with a best of 18-6.25 (1.9), well shy of her state-leading 19-4. She also placed second in the 200m with a CA No. 7 all-conditions time of 24.67.
Senior teammate Alexa Dandridge, and sophomore Sydney Sundgren, each won two events for the Buchanan.
Dandridge won both hurdles, going 44.41 in the 300s (No. 2 in school history) to rank CA No. 3, and 15.27 (1.7) in the 100s (third all-time at Buchanan).
Sundgren moved to No. 6 in CA in the very deep 1600m, dropping her PR to 4:53.46 (No. 3 AT in the rich distance history at Buchanan), while teammate Grace Hutchison went 4:56.07 to rank No. 9 in CA.
Sundgren also won the 3200 (10:49.76) with Bishop Union senior Sierra Burror crossing in a PR time of 10:51.99.
Junior Maddie Passmore was another invitational event winner for Buchanan, taking the triple jump (37-1.75 for CA No. 11).
For Clovis North, in addition to Cenci's spectacular day (which included a school record in the 400), Zinkin won the 800 (2:15.23 PR), Adeniji was second in the 400 (57.57) and third in the 200m (25.38), junior Miliana Perez was second in the 800m (2:16.27), and senior Briana Brugetti set a school record with a 130-9 discus throw to win the seeded competition (CA No. 17).
The Broncos 4x100 relay team also was a winner in 47.85, which fell short of their 47.72 season-best (CA No. 3 tied), while Buchanan ran second in a season-best 48.02 (CA No. 7).
In addition to Pritchard and Rigby, among girls field event standouts,
Galadriel Mellion, a sophomore from Weston Ranch (SJ), won the shot put with a 44-2.50 PR for CA No. 3, just ahead of Feyi Olukanni, a junior at Clovis East, whose 42-7 PR ranks CA No. 4. Mellion's mark ranks CA No. 1 and U.S. No. 4 in the sophomore class.
Mellion, who took over the state lead in the discus throw (160-11.50 from an April 28 dual; U.S. No. 3 in the class), wasn't able to duplicate that mark here as Liberty senior Bella Rigby won with a PR of 159-11 to rank CA No. 2. Also in the competition, Emma Harper, a senior at Oakdale (SJ), placed second with a throw of 150-9 (for CA No. 3), and sophomore Nailea Fields from Carruthers placed third with a best of 142-3 (for CA No. 10 and No. 2 in the class of 2023).
No race impacted the state rankings like the boys' sprints, the 200m in particular (Pat Rhames photo above).
Fresno Central is loaded with young sprinters, who were on display at Buchanan.
Junior Jeremiah Walker ran a CA No. 2 all-conditions time of 21.56 (2.5). He needed every fraction of it to hold off classmate Cameron Tarver (21.57, CA No. 3), Clovis North junior Jake Parnagian (21.59, CA No. 4), Clovis High junior Nathan Johnson (21.58, CA No. 8), and Central sophomore Imari Conley (21.86, CA No. 10).
Johnson won the 100m in 10.49. (2.5), all-conditions best so far this spring in CA, with Tarver crossing in 10.73, tied for CA No. 7.
The Central 4x100 relay team, which includes Conley, Tarver, Walker, and sophomore Terrell Johnson, ran 42.22 for CA No. 3.
Lester wasn't initially entered into the 800m, his specialty, and opened the meet with a modest 49.71 for second behind Buchanan senior Austin Gillen, whose winning time of 48.69 ranks No. 3 in CA and No. 2 in school history.
Lester then took the line in the 800 and dropped a U.S. No. 7 time of 1:51.62! Long Beach Wilson senior Nico Colchico was second in 1:56.05, and Buchanan sophomore Noah Ray (1:58.48).
Also among boys invitational competitors, Shafter junior Nick Godbehere recorded a CA-leading 61-00 in the shot put (U.S. No. 16), hurdler Jadyn Marshall, a junior at Stockton St. Mary's (SJ), ran a CA No. 2-time of 37.74 in the 300m hurdles, and Liberty junior Andrew Trottier won the discus throw with a PR of 162-9, which ranks CA No. 7.
A pair of sophomores went 1-2 in the boys 3200m, with Christopher Caudillo of Clovis winning in 4:14.52 and Buchanan's Ray crossing next in 4:16.58. Those times rank Nos. 4 and 5 among state leaders in the sophomore class.
Garrett Brown, a senior at La Costa Canyon (SD) and the state leader and U.S. No. 2 in the pole vault (17-0.75), won with a modest best of 16-2 in a competition where Gavin Hanes, a junior at Riverside Ramona (SS), and Cyprus Rice, a senior at Clovis North, each cleared 15-4 PRs to tie for CA No. 5.
Keeping an eye on versatile Buchanan senior Caleb Pouliot, who record PRs in the 110 hurdles (15.67) and discus throw (153-1). He also went 15-4 in the pole vault, two inches short of his PR , which is tied for CA No. 3.
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Tiara Adeniji hands to Tatum Zinkin during the 4x400-meter relay at the West Coast Relays where Clovis North posted the state's fastest time so far this season. (Pat Rhames photo)