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Preview - 10 Girls Storylines to Follow at California CIF Outdoor State Championships

Published by
DyeStat.com   May 22nd 2019, 2:45am
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By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Here are 10 storylines involving female athletes to keep an eye on Friday and Saturday at the 101st CIF State Championships at Buchanan High’s Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis:

Calabasas continues climb to the top

Following the postseason disqualification of senior Kyla Robinson-Hubbard and sophomore Bella Witt, along with both the 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays as a result of both athletes competing in five events each during the two-day Marmonte League championship meet, it appeared Calabasas’ pursuit of its first girls state team title was derailed before it had a chance to build any momentum.

But thanks to De’Anna NowlingJade McDonald and Tierra Crockrell, the Coyotes arrive at the state prelims with plenty of motivation following a third-place finish last year with 31 points.

Nowling is entered in the 100 and 200 meters, McDonald is scheduled to compete in the 100 hurdles, long jump and triple jump, with Crockrell qualifying in the shot put.

Nowling is the defending state champion in the 100, in addition to placing fourth in the 200 meters. McDonald finished sixth in the triple jump last season as a freshman at Mater Dei, before transferring to Calabasas this year.

Crockrell was part of the Calabasas 4x400 lineup that placed second in 2016, but she hasn’t been a scorer at the state meet since.

Serra won last year’s girls team title with 36 points, Long Beach Poly prevailed in 2017 with 31 points, Carson captured the 2016 crown with 40 points and Oaks Christian secured the 2015 championship with 34 points, with Calabasas capable of approaching similar numbers again Saturday.

Buchanan hopes to be hometown heroes

Bakersfield is the only Central Section girls program to capture a state team championship, sharing the title with Rio Mesa in 1988, before capturing it outright in 1990.

The closest a Clovis Unified School District school came was in 2011, when former Clovis High standout Jenna Prandini placed second with 30 points after winning the 100 meters, 200 meters and long jump.

State meet host Buchanan has an opportunity to make history Saturday by capturing its first girls team championship after winning its fifth consecutive Central Section Masters title and 10th overall.

The Bears placed fourth at the state final in 2015 and fifth in 2016, but then managed only eight combined points the past two years, finishing 64th in 2017 and 42nd last season.

But Buchanan has athletes entered in 11 events, led by seniors Shelby DanieleMeagen Lowe and Maren Butler, along with junior Corie Smith.

Daniele is entered in the 4x100 relay, 100 and 200, Lowe is expected to double in the 1,600 and 3,200, with Smith scheduled for the 3,200 and Butler in the shot put.

Buchanan accumulated 21 points in 2015, but will need to exceed 30 points in order to be in contention for the championship, with Calabasas, Long Beach Poly, Bakersfield Liberty and Long Beach Wilson all capable of surpassing that total.

Glenn tries to will Wilson to title, Shearer seeks stellar showcase

Long Beach Wilson hasn’t captured a girls team title since 2006 and their hopes rest on the strength and endurance of junior standout Rachel Glenn.

Silver Creek senior Jazlynn Shearer also has an outside shot of making the team podium by herself, similar to Clovis graduate Jenna Prandini in 2011 and Agoura talent Tara Davis in 2017.

Glenn is entered in the 100-meter hurdles, 300 hurdles, high jump and 4x400 relay, with Shearer scheduled to compete in the 100 hurdles, long jump and triple jump.

Shearer is the favorite in the 100 hurdles, having clocked the second-fastest time in the country this season at 13.36 seconds, along with the triple jump with an effort of 41-3.75 (12.59m).

Shearer placed fourth in the 100 hurdles, fifth in the triple jump and eighth in the long jump at last year’s state final, but she’ll need at least 28 points to have an opportunity to make the podium Saturday.

Glenn is the defending champion in the high jump and has run the second-fastest 300 hurdles time in the country this season with her 41.01 effort at the Southern Section Masters meet.

She is seeded sixth in the 100 hurdles at 14.32, but will likely need to move into the top three in order to give Wilson the opportunity to be in contention for the team championship entering the 4x400 relay, where the Bruins are seeded fourth at 3:45.98.

Two more memorable shows in the throws

Fowler senior Jocelynn Budwig is looking to become the first female athlete since Dos Pueblos graduate Stamatia Scarvelis in 2014 to capture both the discus throw and shot put championships, but the competition in both events is among the deepest in state history.

Budwig is the reigning shot put champion, but she is also nursing a sore hamstring, which resulted in her having a 26-meet winning streak halted by Bakersfield Liberty sophomore Faith Bender at the CIF Central Section Masters meet.

Budwig is attempting to become the first Central Section female athlete since Shafter’s Anna Jelmini (2008-09) to repeat as shot put champion. She is also seeking her first state discus title after capturing her fourth straight Central Section crown.

Returning from last year’s state shot put final are runner-up Shyann Franklin of Golden Valley, third-place Natalie Ramirez of West Ranch, sixth-place Carly Watts of Terra Nova, seventh-place Maren Butler of Buchanan and Bender placing eighth.

Budwig finished third, Bender took fifth and Ramirez placed seventh in last year’s discus final. The last Central Section female athlete to win the discus was Clovis West graduate Nikki Okwelogu in 2013.

No sophomore slump

Three talented 10th-graders and a trio of motivated seniors are prepared to battle for 1,600-meter supremacy.

After placing third, fifth and sixth last year as freshmen, Chino Hills’ Jacqueline Duarte, Mayfield’s Audrey Suarez and Village Christian’s Mia Barnett all return in their quest to reach the top of the podium.

Seniors Fatima Cortes of Great Oak, Meagen Lowe of Buchanan and Gabrielle Peterson of Healdsburg finished eighth, ninth and 10th last season, but have all demonstrated the ability to run under 4:50 this year.

Similar to last season, there are also a group of freshmen who have aspirations of making a big first impression at the state meet. Anaheim Canyon’s Emma Hadley, Granada Hills’ Sofia Abrego, Mira Costa’s Dalia Frias, Clovis North’s Miliana Perez and Rancho Bernardo’s Jacey Farmer all have the potential to make the podium in Saturday’s final.

The past 13 champions have all run under 4:48, including six under 4:43.

Funk takes flight toward 14 feet

Clovis West senior Elizabeth Funk is not only attempting to become her school’s first state pole vault champion since Anginae Monteverde in 2011, but also looking to join an elite group by becoming only the third female athlete in state history to clear 14 feet.

Funk, who eclipsed the Central Section record held by 2003 state champion Kira Costa of San Joaquin Memorial by clearing 13-9 (4.19m) at the Tri-River Athletic Conference finals, is looking to join Anaheim Canyon graduate Rachel Baxter and former Castilleja star Tori Anthony with a 14-foot effort at the state final.

Anthony cleared 14-1 (4.29m) in 2007, with Baxter clearing 14-2 (4.31m) in 2016, followed by 14 feet (4.26m) in 2017.

Funk is one of 10 athletes entered to have cleared at least 13 feet this season, along with sophomores Ashley Callahan of Rancho Bernardo and Paige Sommers of Westlake, juniors Kelly Kern of Carondelet, Morgan Flynn of Aliso Niguel and Katarina Adamiec of Poway, in addition to seniors Isabella Grant of San Jose Presentation, Mia Cervantes and Camryn Thomson of Poway, as well as reigning state champion Laurel Wong of Santa Catalina.

Fahy looks to add to family fortune

La Costa Canyon senior Kristin Fahy already joined older brother Darren Fahy by winning a Division 2 state cross country championship in November.

Fahy will seek an even bigger achievement Saturday by becoming the 3,200-meter champion, matching Darren’s achievement from 2012.

Only three schools have crowned both boys and girls 3,200 state champions in meet history, with no siblings having each secured titles in the event.

Santa Monica had Curtis Beck win in 1972 and Lisa Scaduto prevail in 1979, Agoura swept both championships in 1990 with Bryan Dameworth and Deena (Drossin) Kastor followed by her winning again in 1991, with Canyon Country Canyon crowning Dave Hartman in 1991 and Lauren Fleshman in 1999.

Fahy is the top returning finisher from last year, taking fourth. Buchanan senior Meagen Lowe and junior Corie Smith are back after placing seventh and eighth last season, Oak Park senior Sarah Shulze was 14th, Monte Vista junior Kelli Wilson secured 16th and Oakland Tech senior Caroline Garrett took 18th in last year’s final.

Del Oro freshman Riley Chamberlain is looking to become the first ninth-grader since Simi Valley’s Sarah Baxter in 2011 to win the 3,200 championship in her finals debut.

Leading ladies clash again in long jump

If the first two matchups involving Coronado senior Alysah Hickey and Upland freshman Caelyn Harris are any indication, it could be a memorable third act Saturday in the long jump final.

Hickey prevailed against Harris at both the Arcadia Invitational and the Mt. SAC Relays in April, part of a winning streak of 15 consecutive outdoor competitions for the Coronado standout.

Harris reached another level at the Southern Section Masters meet, elevating to the No. 3 all-time freshman performer with her 20-5.25 (6.22m) effort.

Hickey is the state leader with a wind-aided 20-9 performance in March, but she also has a pair of wind-legal marks beyond 20 feet as well.

Hickey is attempting to become the first female athlete to repeat as long jump champion since Clovis graduate Jenna Prandini in 2010-11.

Harris is trying to become the first freshman to capture the long jump title since former Harvard-Westlake standout Courtney Corrin in 2013.

Sophomores Jade McDonald of Calabasas and Asjah Atkinson of St. Anthony are also potential contenders, along with seniors Mahkaia Lee of Redondo Union and Jazlynn Shearer of Silver Creek.

Masterful middle-distance matchup

Another intriguing third chapter is expected to unfold in the 800 meters with Menlo School junior Charlotte Tomkinson and Concord senior Rayna Stanziano, but there are several other challengers looking to upstage the top two returning athletes from last season.

Tomkinson, who placed sixth last year, has prevailed in a pair of head-to-head matchups at the Dublin Distance Fiesta and Arcadia Invitational against Stanziano – third last season – and remains the only athlete in the state to have run under 2:11 entering the state prelims.

Four athletes – JW North sophomore Makayla Browne, Great Oak senior Fatima Cortes, Oaks Christian junior Hannah Wilson and Harvard-Westlake freshman Daniela Quintero – all ran under 2:12 at the Southern Section Masters meet.

St. Francis Sacramento junior Isabella Fauria, Marin Catholic sophomore Samantha Wallenstrom, Menlo School junior Kyra Pretre, Scripps Ranch senior Julia Morales and Trinity senior Lauren Harper are all capable of making the podium in Saturday’s final.

Tomkinson is looking to become the first female athlete from Menlo School to win the 800 title since Libby Jenke in 2005. Stanziano would the be first Concord female talent in any event to capture a state crown.

New faces in relay races

After Bonita captured its first 4x400-meter relay championship last year, Roosevelt, Oaks Christian and Dana Hills are all in position to challenge for their first state titles in the event Saturday.

Roosevelt won the Southern Section Division 1 and Masters championships, with the Mustangs entering the state prelims as the only program to have run under 3:44 this season.

A trio of former champions look to stand in the way of Roosevelt, Oaks Christian and Dana Hills making history, with Long Beach Poly seeking its first championship since 2014, Long Beach Wilson pursuing its first title since 2006 and JW North attempting to capture its first crown since 2000.

In the 4x100, Scripps Ranch is trying to become the first San Diego Section program since Crawford in 1977 to secure a championship, with host Buchanan attempting to become the first quartet from the Central Section to win a title since Bakersfield in 1990.

Roosevelt and J.W. North are also in contention for their first 4x100 crowns, with Long Beach Poly a leading challenger for its 10th championship in the event, the last one in 2014.



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