Faster, stronger, higher hits mark for South County track preps

The road to this year’s high school state track and field championships stepped off with last weekend’s San Diego Section divisional finals. Student-athletes across the three divisional meets advanced to this Saturday’s sectional state qualifying meet at Mt. Carmel High School by hitting predetermined time and distance standards.

South County athletes definitely left their mark at last weekend’s divisionals.

Mater Dei Catholic High School’s boys team finished in third place in the Division III finals at Valley Center High School while Eastlake’s girls team finished in fourth place at the Division I finals at Del Norte High School.

For those counting, Eastlake junior Jaelyn Williams doubled in winning the girls 1600-meter run in 4:48.42 and 3200-meter run in 10:27.92 at the Division I meet while Mater Dei Catholic junior Mekhi Oluwa doubled in winning the boys long jump (23-11.25) and triple jump (45-7) at the Division III meet. Oluwa wasn’t finished by placing runner-up in the boys 110-meter high hurdles (15.19).

Not to be out-done, Bonita Vista sophomore Jerry Stokes won the Division I boys high jump by clearing 6-4 while Otay Ranch senior Zamaria Mack captured first place in the girls 100-meter low hurdles (13.86) and finished second in the 300 low hurdles (41.46), also at Del Norte High.

A total of 18 athletes in each event from the divisional championships qualified for this Saturday’s section championship meet.

The top six place-winners in each event at the divisional finals received medals.

Still the one
Williams is the section record-holder in the 1600 at 4:40.29 and the defending state champion in the 3200 with another section record time of 9:57.11.

The Eastlake distance queen won handily at the Division I finals, timing six seconds ahead of Patrick Henry senior Hannah Aguirre (4:54.87) in the 1600 and nearly 26 seconds ahead of Aguirre (10:53.16) in the 3200.

Williams was so far out in front in the 3200 that she was threatening to lap the field twice.
“I just wanted to see where I was to see my ability to double and get good times because I’m going to have more competition (at the section finals and likely beyond),” Williams said. “I just wanted to see what I could do.”

Olympian junior Isabel Lara finished 10th in the 1600 field in a personal record 5:16.44; she was also 10th in the 3200 in 11:39.50.

Mack lowered her PR in the 100 low hurdles to 13.86 while besting Grossmont junior Gabrielle Thomas (14.13). The Lady Mustang hurdler also ran a 41.46 PR in the 300 low hurdles, but it wasn’t enough to beat Carlsbad senior Morgan Herbst, who blazed over the barriers in 40.96.

Mack swept both hurdles events at the preceding league finals, winning the 100s in 14.59 and the 300s in 42.61.

“I believed in myself and appreciate everybody who’s been working with me this year,”she said.

Thomas was third in the 300 lows in 44.86, a personal record.

Olympian senior Sophia Getman was seventh in the 100s in 15.36, a personal record, and 11th in the 300s in 47.47.

Olawu collected four gold medals at this year’s South Bay League Finals (as did Williams and Olympian senior Gabrielle Hawkins at the Mesa League Finals). He recorded PRs in his three individual events at the CIF divisional meet.

The Mater Dei Catholic jumper finished more than a foot farther than Mission Bay sophomore Alijah Cheeks (22-6) in the long jump and bested Cheeks (43-10.25) by nearly two feet in the triple jump.

Olawu ran second in the high hurdles to Mission Bay senior Jayden Bailey (14.25).

Stokes cleared 6-4 to win the Mesa League boys high jump and matched that season best at the Division I finals ahead of Eastlake junior Mason Maryan (6-2). Stokes and Maryan had company with Bonita Vista senior Adrian Cruz tying four others at 6-0 for third place.

A 1-2-3 Metro Conference finish in the boys high jump at CIF? Well, it happened at this year’s D-1 finals.

“It feels great,” Stokes said. “I felt more confident and this has given me more confidence (going forward).”

Maryan started the season at 5-6 and first cleared 6-2 to take second place at the league finals.

“I think I met expectations,” said the Titan jumper, who also competes in the pole vault. “I didn’t expect to do it (take second place at CIF). I just recently cleared 6-2.”

“I think I definitely exceeded expectations,” said Cruz, who started the season at 5-8.

Mater Dei Catholic junior Steven Curran placed third in the Division III boys intermediate hurdles (41.44 PR), sixth in the high hurdles (16.29) and seventh in the boys triple jump (40-1).

Like the boys high jump, the boys pole vault at the D-1 Finals proved to be Metro-heavy, four vaulters to be exact, which is a high water mark in a number of years.

The four Metro vaulters included Otay Ranch junior Dane von Guenthner, Eastlake junior Aidan Burgar, Eastlake senior Joseph Thames and Maryan among the field of 26.

Von Guenthner, the reigning Metro champion, placed fourth after clearing 14-8. Burgar was 11th at 13-2, followed by Thames in 15hth place at 12-8 and Maryan in 18th place at 12-8. Thames and Maryan’s marks were both PRs.

Grossmont sophomore Torin Sotelo was the lone vaulter to clear 15-2 to win this year’s event.

Hawkins led a trio of Metro medalists in the girls 400 dash with a third-place finish in 56.07, followed by Eastlake freshman Kareli Rascon (57.04) and Olympian senior Ivanna Ruiz (57.49).

Otay Ranch senior Dallas Corbett (48.65) and San Ysidro senior Luis Romero (49.42) both notched personal records in placing third and fifth in the Division I boys 400 dash. Romero, the South Bay League champion in the 400 and 800, also placed fifth at CIF in the 800 run (1:58.69).

In relays, Eastlake (3:55.48) and Olympian (3:55.87) power-punched the girls Division I 4×400 with second- and third-place finishes. Eastlake’s foursome included junior Samara Maldonado, seniors Jenna Cesena and Sheridan Roche and Rascon. Olympian’s quartet included Ruiz, junior Kelena Gallardo, Getman and Hawkins.

Eastlake was third in the Division I girls 4×800 relay (10:02.54) with junior Andrea Prado-Tamayo, sophomore Charlize Cruz, freshman Alayna Kruse and sophomore Myah Dunlap.
In the Division I girls 4×100 relay, Olympian was fifth (48.88) and Otay Ranch was sixth (49.09).

Mater Dei Catholic was fourth in the Division III girls 4×100 relay (50.76), fourth in the girls 4×800 relay (10:24.28) and fifth in the boys 4×100 relay (44.26).

Hilltop was sixth in the Division II boys 4×800 relay (8:24.62).

Bonita Vista senior Jamiya Marie Valenciano (12.25) and Olympian junior Aubrey Tibayan (12.28) finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the Division I girls 100 dash while Bonita Vista sophomore Mia Ramirez (25.14) was fifth in the girls 200 dash.

Eastlake’s Roche and Bonita Vista senior Christina Harris medaled in both the Division I girls long jump and triple jump. In the triple jump, Roche was third at 36-2 while Harris was fourth at 36-1.25. Roche jumped 17-4 to place fourth in the long jump while Harris was sixth with a 16-7.5 mark.

In the distances, Olympian junior Jack Degenhardt placed sixth in the Division I boys 3200 (9:46.27) and eighth in the 1600 (4:21.79).

Other medalists at the Division I finals included Eastlake senior Jacob Trang (third in the boys triple jump, 43-4), Otay Ranch senior Claire Schroeder (fourth in the girls high jump, 5-2), Otay Ranch sophomore Gio Spain (fifth in the boys shot put, 47-2.25) and Otay Ranch junior Mekielle Hollinquest (sixth in the boys 300 intermediate hurdles, 40.79).

Medalists at the Division II finals also included Montgomery senior Tiana Gordon in the girls 100 low hurdles (15.31) and Hilltop junior Anthony Martin (sixth in the boys 200 dash, 22.55).

Mater Dei Catholic senior Havana Jacobs placed second in the Division III girls triple jump at 34-10 and third in the girls long jump at 17-2.75 while Mater Dei Catholic senior Alessandra Rael placed fourth in the girls long jump at 17-1. MDC senior Isabella Jacobs was sixth in the girls triple jump at 32-11.75.

Medalists at the Division III finals also included Mater Dei Catholic junior Elise Datuin (fourth in the girls 400 dash, 58.49), Chula Vista Learning Community Charter senior Tristan Tessier (sixth in the girls 200 dash, 26.47) and Mater Dei Catholic senior Jaime Osmark (sixth in the boys discus throw, 121-11).

Olympian finished seventh in the Division I boys 4×800 relay in 8:31.05 while Mater Dei Catholic was seventh in the Division III boys 4×400 relay (3:37.17).

Castle Park senior Dillan Villareal was seventh in the Division III boys high hump at 5-10 while MDC’s Datuin was seventh in the girls 200 dash in 26.64.