Amy Weissenbach, of Harvard-Westlake, moments after she broke the National Federated 800-meter record last season at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
Photo by Kirby Lee
One California boy, Darren Fahy of
La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.) is among the national leaders, according to dyestat.com. And that, while an outstanding time, is in the steeplechase, an event that is rarely contested on the high school level and, in fact, was achieved in open competition.
There are two Golden State girls who lead the United States.
Want to bet that changes? California is always one of the last state championships, going the first weekend in June, after other track-happy states like Florida and Texas.
There is no shortage of talent or intriguing stories and sub-plots in the two-day meet that will be held for the fourth straight year at Buchanan High in Clovis, located just north of Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley, square in the middle of the state. Unlike last year when there was actually a drizzle, this year the weather is cooperating. Somewhat.
Temperatures are expected to hover at triple digits - great for sizzling times in the sprints and jumps. But miserable for fans and distance runners.
Here are 10 things to look for:
1. What does Amy Weissenbach do for an encore?A year ago the
Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood) senior, who will head off to Stanford in the fall, surprised everyone including herself when she set a torrid pace and held on to set a National Federation record 2:02.04 over 800 meters. That was after running 2:06.18 in the Southern Section Masters meet. This year she sped to a 2:05.55 in the Southern Section Masters and now everyone is hoping to see the first-ever sub-2:00 in a high school competition. Since Weissenbach took it out at 58-seconds a week ago, many believe a field that includes seven runners at 2:11.00 or faster, plus a crowd that quickly adopted her last year, will push her to at least another national mark.
Weissenbach fights off Chimere Ezumah in last year's 1,600 relay.
Photo by Kirby Lee
In the 47 years the state has offered the mile-2-mile/1600-3200 combo, only seven runners have managed to win both events the same year. Although there are no prelims in the 3200, the 1600 is usually so competitive few even try to win both. Fahy is entered in both and said he has every intention of doubling even though he would be the favorite in the 3200 where his 8:54.51 is sixth in the nation. Only sophomore Blake Haney of
Stockdale (Bakersfield) is also under 9-minutes but his 8:54.65 could make it one fast race.
3. OK, what about the 1600? The field includes three runners who currently are among the Top 10 in the nation. Hometown favorite Cody Brazeal blazed a 4:07.72 (No. 5) in last week's Central Section Masters meet. He laid the challenge down for Fahy (No. 8 at 4:08.15) and Luis Gutierrez of
Rancho Cucamonga, who clocked a 4:08.68 (No. 10) in the Southern Section Masters meet. Then there are a half-dozen others at 4:12 or better who will be looking for a victory.
4. Can Sarah Baxter break the 10-minute barrier in the 3200?No one who has watched the effortless
Simi Valley sophomore run would be surprised. She is already the national leader at 10:08.11 and there are plenty of challengers to push her under the barrier if not pull an upset. Not a major upset since national No. 2 is
Marina (Huntington Beach) senior
Laura Hollander who ran 10:10.51 behind Baxter at Arcadia. Another hometown heroine,
Buchanan (Clovis) junior Hagen Reedy, is a ways back at 10:21.68. Like Weissenbach, the clock is the main competition.
Jasmine Gibbs looks to jump at least
20 feet.
Photo courtesy of El Camino High School
The
El Camino (Oceanside)) senior jumper/sprinter, who is headed to Kansas State in the fall, long jumped 20 feet, 11 inches in the Avocado West League finals but alas, there was no wind gauge. Veteran coaches say it would have been close to the maximum 2.0 meters per second allowable. She has so many jumps over 19-0 that distance has become passe' and anything under 21-0 will be a disappointment. She won't be the only over 20-feet, either as Shadonna Hunter of
Paramount has a windy 20-10 and Ashlie Curenton of
Silverado (Victorville) owns a legal 20-4. Both will make certain Gibbs will have to be at her best.
6. A triple for Khalfani Muhammad? The crowd might not get enough of the
Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) junior even though he'll run both the 100 and 200, not to mention the 4x100 relay. Californians love multi-event sprinters. In the 100 he isn't even the top-seeded runner, though, as Dylan McCloskey of El Camino (Oceanside, Ca.) qualified faster, 10.49 (2.1 wind) to 10.51. Muhammad, however, has run 10.45 with the wind and is a big meet performer. As for the 200, Muhammad is the clear favorite, having won the Southern Section meet in 21.10, destroying the quality field. The relay? Muhammad and his teammates will be eager to atone for a setback to
Rio Mesa (Oxnard) in the Masters meet when the Spartans trimmed the Knights, 40.95 to 41.01. Think those who witnessed that race aren't eager for a rematch?
7. OK, then what about Long Beach Poly's Ariana Washington? The female version of Muhammad, only maybe more of a sure thing. Just when people thought the Jackrabbits might be vulnerable in the team race, the sophomore speedster has just dominated, running bests 11.45 and 23.52 and anchoring the 4x100 relay to a state-leading 45.72 — a full half-second faster than Serra (Gardena, Ca.). Her biggest threat in the 100? None other than the aforementioned Gibbs, who has not been pushed while running a wind legal time of 11.68. In the metric furlong Washington looks unbeatable.
8. Will Alex Monsivaiz continue to dominate the 800? Out of tiny
Army-Navy (Carlsbad), the smooth-striding senior who is headed to UCLA is looking to get pushed well under 1:50 — something in the 1:47 or 1:48 range. Three Southern Section runners were under 1:51 while Monsivaiz was able to cruise in the San Diego Section championships. UCLA coach Johnny Gray thinks a 1:47 is possible even without a big push.
9. Will youth be served in the pole vault? Kaitlyn Merritt of Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Ca.) has gone higher than any freshman pole vaulter with a best of 13-3, but she is just a ninth grader and sometimes the circus that is the state meet gets to even the best. And it isn't like she doesn't have any competition. San Diego's 1-2 punch of McKenzie Johnson of Clairemont (San Diego, Ca.) and Mimi Lian of Rancho Bernardo (San Diego, Ca.) has gone 13-2 and 13-1 while Taylore Jaques of Presentation (San Jose, Ca.) is a 13-footer. And Foothill (Santa Ana, Ca.) senior proved she could beat Merritt when she won the SS Master's meet at 12-11. All of the contenders are among the Top 20 in the nation.
10. So, who is the second girls national leader? There are favorites and then there are prohibitive favorites. Sasha Wallace of
Holy Names (Oakland) leads the nation in the triple jump at 42-4¾ and she showed she's on top of her game with a section championship effort of 42-3¼ -- only two feet better than No. 2 qualifier Tamika Brazzel of El Camino (Oceanside). Brazzel went 41-1 in that same Avocado West championship but will need a big PR to contend.
