Central Section Masters
at Buchanan HS, Clovis
Field events at 4 p.m., track events at 5 p.m.
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Advancement to the CIF-State Finals May 26-27 at Buchanan HS: Top three (3) placers in each final shall qualify (top 2 in the 4x800m relay). Individuals and relay teams not among the auto qualifiers may also advance by hitting or bettering the State Meet at-large standards.
The Buchanan track and field program has dominated the Central Section for the better part of the 2000s and definitely the past decade.
The Bears of Buchanan and head coach Brian Weaver have won 13 CIF-Central Section titles since 2000 and the boys have won 10 since 2009. Together, the program has swept both titles eight times since 2012, including the last two in a row.
Coming off their latest sweep of the Division 1 boys and girls titles last Friday, this Saturday's CIF-Central Section Masters Meet at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis is as much a warm-up qualifier for next week's State Meet as it is a team battle for the best of the best of the CS.
Either way, when they enter the stadium, State Meet berths will be on the line, which will undoubtedly result in a tremendous showcase of elite high school track and field athletes.
Projections among the team competition in the new nine-deep scoring format are for the Buchanan girls to dominate and the boys' battle to come down to the Bears of Buchanan and the Broncos of Clovis North.
Clovis North is loaded with star senior sprinter/jumper Nickolas Miller and strong points in the throws. Buchanan counters with pole vault star Hilton Green, depth in the distances, and scoring opportunities across 14 of the 17 events. Should be fun!
Here's a closer look at top athletes to watch by event group.
BOYS
Sprints/Hurdles
Clovis North senior Nickolas Miller, runner-up here last year in the 200m and a State Meet medalist, has the top qualifying times in both short sprints from last week's Division 1 championship. He also has the No. 3 qualifying mark in the long jump.
Clovis junior Jacob Saldate ran second to Miller last week in both the 100m and 200m with the No. 2 qualifying times in both.
Liberty-Bakersfield senior Ethan Mahanke, fourth here last year in the 400m, is the top qualifier in that event and the No. 3 qualifier in the 200m.
Returning CS Masters 110m hurdles champion Kyle Hughes of Bullard went 14.45 (1.4) in the D-2 meet, the fastest of the section from last week. Buchanan sophomore Hudson Hergenrader, fourth here last year, has the No. 4 entry time (15.35/0.5) from winning the D-1 title.
El Diamante senior Jazper Malone and Stockdale soph Vincent Carnegie each went sub-40 in the 300m hurdles at the D-2 finals, the top two qualifying times in what appears a wide open competition.
Buchanan counters in the sprints with junior Henry Baxter in the 200 and 400, frosh Donovan Dunmore in the 100 and 200.
Distances
Buchanan seniors Noah Ray (1:53.80) and Zach Weaver (1:55.63) went 1-3 in the 800m and 2-3 in the 1600m (4:18.07/4:18.84) at the Division 1 meet. Both have dropped the 1600 where sophomore Luke Sanders is scheduled to take the line for Buchanan.
Ray is the returning section champion in the 800m.
With returning CS 1600-3200 champion Chris Caudillo of Clovis unable to compete because of injury, both titles are up for grabs.
Templeton junior Joshua Bell won the 1600m at the D-3 meet with the top entry mark of 4:16.41, and Clovis East junior Carter Spradling won the 3200m title in D-1 with the top qualifying mark in the section, 9:20.49. Spradling was third here last year in the eight-lap race.
Clovis West senior Nathaniel Nodal (1:54.63) and Edison junior Aidan Ransom (1:55.80) also went sub-1:56 in the 800m.
Frosh Jansen Geyer is in the 3200m field for Buchanan.
Relays
Liberty comes in with a section-leading 41.67 in the 4x1. Buchanan has run 41.89 and Clovis North has a best of 42.29. Injury-depleted Central, the defending section and State Meet team champion, did not qualify for the championship race.
If the meet comes down to the 4x400m relay, Clovis North would be in good shape. This is one of the three events (along with high jump and long jump) where Buchanan does not have an entry. The Broncos have a best of 3:29.26 from the Division 1 meet.
Buchanan has the state's best time in the new 4x800-meter relay at 7:43.84 (U.S. No. 5).
Field Events
Top qualifiers in the throws are Tulare Western senior Jose Soto in the shot put (59-0.50) and Buchanan junior Derek Smith in the discus throw (183-0). Smith has the No. 2 entry mark in the shot put at 58-6. Clovis North sophomore McKay Madsen, runner-up in both throws here a year ago, went 168-5/55-8.50 in qualifying. His junior teammate Brayden Bitter went 56-2 in the shot and 153-10 in the discus. Dinuba junior Julian Ramirez won the D-2 discus title with the No. 2 qualifying throw, 176-7.
Liberty senior Christian Edwards, third here last year in the long jump, won the D-1 title last week with a wind-legal best of 24-0 (1.1) to beat Clovis North's Miller for that division title. Bullard's Kyle Hughes won the D-2 title with the No. 2 qualifying jump of 22-11.50 (-1.8).
Returning CS triple jump champion, Shane Carr, a senior at South Bakersfield, is the top qualifier (47-6.25/0.0) from the D-2 meet. He also has the No. 5 long jump mark (22-8/-1.7). Buchanan senior Josh Dunu won the D-1 title with the No. 2 qualifying mark at 47-1 (0.4), with Hughes third at 45-8.50 (0.0).
Buchanan senior Hilton Green appears poised to defend his title in the pole vault after ramping up his state-leading mark to 17-1 at the D-1 finals.
GIRLS
Sprints/Hurdles
Buchanan senior Jordan Leveque is the top qualifier in both the 100m (12.15/1.5) and the pole vault. Frontier senior Natalia Carrillo, Righetti junior Riley Allen, Bullard senior Shaniya Randolph, and Clovis East sophomore Haley Duval are the top qualifiers in the 100m. Central juniors Keytonna Ross and Mikiyla Royal have the top two entry marks in the 200m, followed by Randolph and Duvall.
Clovis North sophomore Emerson Parks, the top returner in the 400m after placing fourth here last year, has the top entry time (56.75) following a narrow victory over Frontier senior Kenahdi Haslip (56.81) for the D-1 title.
Distances
Buchanan's nationally ranked cross country program looks for huge points here led by returning 800m champion Elliana Lomeli and returning 3200m champion Grace Hutchison. The Bears have the top three qualifiers in the 1600m in Hutchison, Lomeli and senior Sydney Sundgren.
Others to watch include Sanger senior Leah Mendibles, Clovis West freshman Cameron Macias, Liberty junior Nicole Bridges, Bakersfield junior Abigail Varner, Highland junior Mia Torrecillas, Clovis North senior Ashlyn Leath.
Liberty junior Bella Turner swept the hurdles at the Division 1 meet, running top qualifying times in both the 100m hurdles, 14.62 (1.3), and the 300mH, 44.02. She placed seventh and third, respectively a year ago. Clovis East junior Milani Ward, fourth here last year in the 100mH and second in the 300s, has top-3 qualifying times in both.
Relays
Buchanan has the nation's No. 4 ranked 4x800 time this season at 8:59.12 and is undoubtedly eyeing the inaugural State Meet championship in this event.
Central and Frontier have both run sub-48s in the 4x100. Clovis North and Frontier are the section's top two teams in the 4x400m.
Field Events
Caruthers senior Nailea Fields in the returning State Meet champion in the discus throw and the returning runner-up here in both. She has the No. 2 qualifying mark in both throws. Clovis North senior Loie Madsen has the top discus throw entry as does Paso Robles junior Nevaeh Dyer in the shot.
Fields isn't the only returning State Meet champion in this mix. Clovis senior Sydnie Vanek won the State title in the long jump last year and has been a consistent 20-foot-plus jumper all spring. She has the top qualifying mark here of 20-5.50 (0.2).
Clovis East senior Alyssa Murillo is the only girl to have exceeded 37 feet in the triple jump at the division meets. Here 37-0.50 was good enough to beat Liberty senior Emma Fredrick (36-10.50/1.3) at the D-1 meet.
Frederick is also one of only two girls to clear 5-3 in the high jump last year, along with Clovis East sophomore Indiana Davis. Returning section runner-up, Kendra Daniels of Righetti, went 5-1 for third in the D-1 competition, as did Clovis junior Karina Rodriguez.
The aforementioned Jordan Leveque of Buchanan and Paso Robles junior Peyton Bedrosian are the top two returners in the pole vault, as well as the top two qualifiers. Leveque went 12-3 and Bedrosian 11-9 at the D-1 meet.