Season-ending event at Arcadia showcases distance relay for first time in postseason competition; Bakersfield Liberty’s Bender takes over national lead in girls discus, with Murrieta Mesa’s Moran adding to state boys shot put lead in prelims

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

The first day of the California Track and Field Championships on Friday at Arcadia High brought the usual survive-and-advance tactics one would see at a normal state-championship meet, with one exception.

On a day filled with preliminary races, the 4x800-meter relays – the day’s only crowning events –stood out, with Loyola’s boys winning in 7 minutes, 55.55 seconds and La Canada’s girls earning the title in 9:26.52.

California’s official state-championship meet was canceled due to the COVID-19 concerns, as the event would normally be contested Memorial Day Weekend in Clovis. This California Championship meet offered the chance for athletes to still compete to be among the best in the Golden State.

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The 4x800 has not been staged as a state championship event, but it was Friday.

The boys’ race was the closer of the two, with Loyola’s team of Zach Zambrano, Harrison Lavery, Arjun Vadgama and Dylan Bissell outracing South Pasadena, which ran 7:58.44. Third-place Cathedral clocked 7:59.06.

“We’ve got to live up to our name at Loyola,” Lavery said, “and our coach (Lalo Diaz) has put us through hard work, and this is what happens when you put in the hard work and you grind it out every day.”

Vadgama’s third leg was particularly impressive, with both laps run in less than 60 seconds to take the lead and surge on the field for Bissell’s anchor leg.

“We wanted to make sure we had a lead by that last anchor so we had a good-enough cushion for those fast (400) guys at the end,” said Vadgama, the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 champion in the 1,600 meters.

“We executed pretty well.”

So did South Pasadena’s team of Patrick Latting, Andrew Villapadua, Brady Nakamura and Andrew Parkinson that featured three seniors; Nakamura is the only returner.

“Even though we were looking for something a little faster, something like sub-7:54, which was the school’s record, we didn’t get it today,” Villapadua said. “But since it was our last race, I think we all had a really good effort here and I think we all did an amazing showing.”

La Canada’s girls bolted out to a nine-second advantage by the 1,200-meter mark and never relinquished the lead. The team of Catherine Mispagel, Arielle McKenzie, Katelyn Matarese and Ellaney Matarese prevailed, with Atherton Sacred Heart taking second in 9:33.04, and Chino Hills placing third in 9:40.12.

McKenzie took control of the race in her second leg, when she ran in 2:10.23.

“I was going pretty fast the first 400,” said McKenzie, the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 champion in the 800 and 1,600.

“I was trying to go 63, and I started slowing down right before the 400 and then the dude yelled out ’60.5’, so I was kind of frantic.”

In actuality, it set the table for the win for the Spartans.

Ellaney Matarese ran the anchor leg after qualifying for the 800 final (2:11.66) earlier in the day. Mira Costa’s Dalia Frias and Mayfield’s Audrey Suarez both ran 2:11.55 to produce the top qualifying times.

“I’m excited to get to run again tomorrow,” Matarese said.

Saturday’s other events featured three athletes who qualified first in their events.

San Diego Madison senior and Cal-bound Aysha Shaheed ran the top marks in the 100 (11.69) and 200 (24.31), with Arroyo Grande junior Daniela Ruelas leading in both hurdling events by clocking a personal-best 14.24 in the 100 hurdles and 43.91 in the 300 hurdles.

Serra sophomore Rodrick Pleasant also swept the 100 (10.47) and 200 (21.14) with strong marks and an eye for something bigger Saturday.

“I’m looking at breaking the sophomore state record – 10.39,” he said.

Several athletes set personal bests in field events while qualifying for Saturday’s finals.

Arizona State commit and Bakersfield Liberty senior Faith Bender padded her state lead and produced the top national prep mark in the discus this year with a throw of 173-9 (52.95m) to enter Saturday’s final equal to the No. 18 competitor in California history.

Mission Viejo’s Sara Pettinger nearly joined her, throwing 44-1.25 (13.44m) in the shot put, just off her best of 44-3 (13.48m). Pettinger also qualified third in the discus at 150-11 (45.99m) 

San Mateo Serra senior Will Denning topped the triple jump with a personal-best mark of 46 feet, 3 inches (14.09m). Murrieta Mesa junior Cade Moran, already the state leader in the shot put, extended that edge with a mark of 63-1.75 (19.24m).

Fresno Central’s Jeremiah Walker ran a personal-best in the 400, producing the state’s top time this year and entering Saturday’s final at 47.43.

Cathedral’s Anthony Taylor didn’t run a personal best, but did run a season-best mark in the 110 hurdles of 14.43 after recovering from a hamstring injury that shortened his season.

“I just started recovering a couple of weeks ago,” said Taylor, who also watched his Cathedral teammates lead the 4x400 relay time in 3:18.97. “This is just like my third hurdles race this year. I’m looking to get down to the 13s tomorrow.”

Poway’s Camren Willis (23-1.75 in the long jump) and Maxwell Jefferson (38.26 in the 300 hurdles) rounded out the boys leaders Friday.

Clovis North junior Takiya Cenci led the 400 on Friday in 54.80. Rocklin Whitney’s Sydney Johnson led Friday’s qualifiers in the long jump with a leap of 18-8.50 (5.70m).

Carson’s girls turned in Friday’s top time in the 4x100 relay in 46.69.