Mater Dei junior Nate Frazier, left, took home three titles on Saturday, including in the 100 meter dash.
PHOTOS - INTERVIEWS - RESULTS
MISSION VIEJO -- The Orange County Championships is a scored high school track and field meet. Saturday's sun-drenched affair was a showcase for individual standouts as well as the enormous depth at JSerra.
The Lions dominated the team scoring, winning three of the four categories, including both varsity divisions. JSerra's boys, with big points coming in the throws - thank you, senior Brendon See!! - held off a Mater Dei team that was led by the duo of junior sprinter Nate Frazier, and sophomore jumper Brandon Gorski.
The Lions' girls, with event wins in the 400 meters, discus throw, 3200 meters, and 4x400-meter relay, posted 113.66 points (according to the live team tabulation via Finished Results timing), well in front of ladies representing venue host Mission Viejo.
See won the discus throw with a best of 197-8, as the defending CIF-State Meet champion extended his CA lead in the event. Also the state leader in the shot put, the University of Oklahoma-bound See didn't quite match his CA-best 61-11.75 but he's 61-1 is only the second 61-plus throw of his career.
Further fortifying the Lions' depth in the throws is senior Jake Stafford, who unleashed a lifetime best 183-3 discus throw that, conditionally, ranks CA No. 3. For anyone projecting to the end of May, those are potentially massive throws points the rest of the state cannot match. And, oh by the way, the versatile Stafford placed second in the high jump (6-2).
If See was the meet's top field event athlete, Frazier was the top boy on the oval. He won the 100m (10.83), 200m (21.62) and had a hand in the winning 4x100m relay team (42.38). His teammate Gorski might have ground to argue the field event athlete after winning the long jump (22-10.25) and high jump (6-4). He took three attempts at 6-7, which would have matched his co-state leading season best.
To win the 100m, Frazier beat Servite senior Alex Skalmowski (10.86) and Los Alamitos sophomore Devin Bragg (10.88). Beckman senior Matthew Yu was the runner-up in the 200m (21.87/0.7).
JSerra senior Josh Jornadal was second in the long jump (22-1.50).
Santa Margarita senior Roman Mendoza, the state leader in the 300m hurdles, swept both the 110m hurdles (14.71) and defended his OC Champs title with a 38.41 solo effort in the 300s.
While Frazier, Gorski, Mendoza, and See were multiple-event winners on the boys side, only Corona del Mar junior Ava Simos was the rare double-champion on the girls side. Simos took both the 100m (12.34) and 200m (24.88). She placed second in the 100m hurdles (15.41/-0.3) to Pacifica Christian senior Charis Wondercheck (15.22).
JSerra's girls scored big in the 400m with freshman Maya Woolforde running off with an almost two-second victory in 57.27 -- before running off to a soccer tournament in San Diego. Senior Siena Lambert won the discus throw at 145-6, sophomore Brynn Garcia won the 3200m (10:34.20), and the the 4x400m relay took the title in 3:57.98.
The rest of the Lions' points were piecemeal:
Sophomore Anne Elise Packard was third in the 400m (59.14). Senior Anastasia Snodgrass (2:13.97) and junior Brooke O'Brien (2:14.68) went 3-4 in the 800m. Lambert was third in the shot put (37-7). Frosh Kaylah Tasser (10:52.17) was third in the 3200m. Junior Georgia Jeanneret (4:56.00), Tasser (4:57.29) and O'Brien (5:02.90) went 3-4-6 in the 1600m. Senior Hanna Barmettler was fifth in the 300m hurdles (46.54) and sixth in the 100m hurdles (15.88). Juniors Charley Giacobetti (11-1) and Bridget Bourdon (10-7) went 2-3 in the pole vault.
Mission Viejo got event wins from USC-bound senior Jada Gatlin in the girls long jump (18-1) but the current state leader in the triple jump fouled on the first two of four attempts and maxed out at 37-0 for second place. The Monarchs also won the 4x100m relays (47.93). Mission's University of Arizona-bound senior Emily Psarras, still coming back from injury, was a presence in the sprints, placing third in the 200m (25.67/1.3) and fourth in the 100m (12.54/-1.1).
Newport Harbor got OC Champs titles from senior Leo Davis in the boys pole vault (15-5), senior Kenny Wanlass in the 3200m (9:14.96), freshman Natalie McCarty in the high jump (5-0) and sophomore Keaton Robar in the girls 800m (2:10.00). Robar won the homestretch sprint against Dana Hills senior and University of Oregon-bound cross country champion Allura Markow (2:10.38).
Junior Makenzie McRae of Huntington Beach won a tight battle with sophomore Holly Barker of Laguna Hills to win the 1600. McRae crossed in 4:53.84 to Barker's 4:55.19 in a race where four ran under 5 minutes.
Dana Hills sophomore Evan Noonan, a CIF-State divisional cross country champion in November, ran away in the 1600m (4:10.22) for a seven-second victory over the Beckman duo of junior Ibzan Felix (4:17.23) and senior Zachary Blum (4:17.77).
Matching the 300m hurdles win by Mendoza, Santa Margarita senior Lidia Major won the girls race in 44.96, barely beating Edison senior Lindy Tarvin to the line (45.08). Teammate Avery Groves, a junior, was second in the 200m (25.37/2.2) and third in the 100m (12.53/-1.1).
Junior Alexa Sheldon of Edison won the shot put (39-2) and placed second in the discus throw (125-1).
El Dorodo junior Karalyn Cheng was an upset winner over Gatlin in the triple jump at 38-1. Marina senior Khang Nguyen won the boys triple jump (45-8.50) with Mater Dei senior Jared McDuffie second at 45-4.
Portola junior Rider Cooper won the boys 400 (48.21) with JSerra senior Trevor Garrison second (49.32). Godinez junior Diego Mejia pulled away from challengers late to win the 800m (1:57.56) with Northwood senior Farhaan Safi next in 1:58.04.
Photos by Jeffrey Parenti
Jeffrey Parenti is the State Editor for California MileSplit
Mater Dei junior Nate Frazier, left, took home three titles on Saturday, including in the 100 meter dash.
PHOTOS - INTERVIEWS - RESULTS