Pleasant clocks wind-legal 10.14 to match performance at last year’s event, teammate Neal runs fastest all-conditions girls 200 with wind-aided 23.36 effort; Notre Dame’s Johnson and Long Beach Wilson’s Luckey join Long Beach Poly boys and Culver City girls 4x400 with top marks entering state meet

By Pete Marshall for DyeStat

MOORPARK, Calif. – The CIF-Southern Section Masters Meet is technically a qualifier for next week’s State Championships in Clovis.

There are no team awards given out, and for many, the most important goal is just to qualify for the California state meet.

But the best in the Southern Section don’t like losing at any point during the month-long postseason schedule and some remarkable results are the byproduct.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

Serra’s Rodrick Pleasant tied his own wind-legal state record in the 100-meter dash, Upland’s Davis Davis-Lyric nearly equaled his state-leading 110-meter hurdles mark, Long Beach Poly produced a new state-leading boys 4x400-meter relay performance, as did the Culver City girls 4x400, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s Aja Johnson achieved a new state-leading shot put effort, and Castaic’s Meagan Humphries qualified in four events Saturday at Moorpark High School.

A week after Pleasant ran a wind-aided 10.09 seconds in the 100 to win the Division 4 title and produce the fastest all-conditions performance in California prep history, the Oregon commit ran a wind-legal 10.14 to match his time from last year’s Masters meet at Moorpark.

Pleasant also ran a wind-legal 20.71 to earn the 200 title, after clocking a 20.53 to secure the Division 4 championship May 13.

Davis-Lyric ran 13.85 seconds in the 110 hurdles April 8 at the 55th Arcadia Invitational. He ran a wind-aided 13.89 on Saturday to prevail. Later, he also took sixth in the 300 hurdles to qualify for state in that event.

“Winning is definitely a goal for me, but the bigger goal would be to get a fast time,” said Davis-Lyric, who wants to run 13.5 in the 110 hurdles. “I know if I win, I would get that (fast time).” 

Humphries was in more of “just qualify” mode, but did exactly that in advancing to state in all four of her individual events: high jump (first), long jump (third), 200 (fourth) and triple jump (sixth). 

Humphries did not try to jump higher than 5-7 (1.70m) after she was the only athlete in the field to clear the height, and the junior took only two attempts in the long jump and qualified following a pair of opportunities in the triple jump.

“I could’ve done a little bit better, but I’m not worried about my performance,” she said. “It was a little stressful in terms of a lot going on, less in terms of the events and going back and forth. I’m kind of used to that. But running over to the awards, then running back to get ready for the 200.”

Humphries plans on competing in all four events at state, making her a contender for a team podium finish all by herself.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame won both girls throws events as expected, but who won them was a little unexpected. Senior April Fontenette, a UCLA signee, entered the meet as the top qualifier in both events, and won the discus (162-5/49.52m), but it was her sophomore teammate Johnson who won the shot put with a mark of 46-10 (14.27m).

“The goal was 45,” Johnson said. “I was not expecting a 46. Once I released it (on the fifth throw), I thought, ‘this has to be a 45.’ Then it went over the line and I was just like, ‘wait, what?’ I was extremely surprised.” 

Fontenette (sixth in shot put) and Johnson (third in discus) will both be competing in both events at state, keeping Notre Dame in team title contention.

One of the big showdowns Saturday was in the girls 4x400 involving Culver City and Long Beach Wilson. Wilson held the top mark in the state this season entering the race, but Culver City was looking at a chance to knock them off.

Wilson improved on its time (3:43.19), but Culver City’s quartet of Leena Powell, Morgan Maddox, Imaan Minwalla and Joelle Trepagnier won going away with a state-leading 3:41.40.

“Imaan held her own and I didn’t have that much to make up,” said Trepagnier, who ran the anchor leg on the 4x400 and was second in the open 400 (53.46). “And I just wanted to beat Wilson.” 

Although Wilson didn’t win the 4x400 relay, Bruins’ senior Aujane Luckey took home the open 400 with a state-leading 52.71.

Long Beach Poly junior Xai Ricks had an eventful day. He won the 400 with a PR of 46.50 (third-best in the state this year), ran on Poly’s 4x800 relay team (that qualified third for state), then ran the anchor leg of the 4x400 team that won with a state-leading time of 3:13.86.

“Honestly, I didn’t think it (4x400) was going to be that fast,” Ricks admitted. “I did run the 4x800 and other things earlier and having energy, I didn’t know if it was going to be there. I’m glad we were able to PR.” 

The 4x800 races were not part of last week’s competition, but were run Saturday because the event will be run at the state meet for the first time next week.

Claremont won the girls competition (9:07.84), with San Clemente taking home the boys title (7:45.93). The top four in each 4x800 race qualified for state.

Another multi-event qualifier for state was Serra’s Brazil Neal. She was a little disappointed to finish second in the 4x100 and the 100, but won the 200 in a wind-aided 23.36, the fastest time in the state under all conditions.

“I have sinus issues (which were a factor Saturday),” Neal said. “It kind of messes with my breathing a little bit. So for me to go out there and run that, I’m very pleased.”

Ventura sophomore Sadie Engelhardt – who has the top times in the state this year in the 1,500, 1,600, mile and 3,200 – continued her push toward the rare 800/1,600 double at state. She won the 1,600 and finished second in the 800.

“My thought process in this was that I can’t really go wrong, I’m either top six or in the qualifying time,” Engelhardt said. “I’m excited to kind of cruise today. In the 1,600, that wasn’t my plan to win.”

Dana Hills sophomore Evan Noonan was another competitor who was a little surprised by his result, in setting a school record in winning the 3,200 (8:49.38), the No. 3 time in the state this year.

“I just came here to qualify, but I knew I had to work because these guys push hard and they’re great runners,” Noonan said. “I just wanted to give it my all.”

Unlike some high jump and pole vault competitors who chose to stop after qualifying, Vista Murrieta junior Aspen Fears won the girls pole vault and kept going, setting a PR (13-4) and coming up just short at 13-6. Fears won DIvision 1 and Masters each of the last two years.

“It feels amazing. It feels a lot like last year,” Fears said. “I want to keep this feeling. It’s an adrenaline rush.” 

Other girls Masters champions included: Oaks Christian’s Niya Clayton (100, 11.46), JW North’s Mackenize Browne (800, 2:07.49), Corona Santiago’s Rylee Blade (3,200, 10:27.84), Orange Vista’s Kailah McKenzie (100 hurdles, 13.85), Redondo Union’s Lela Divinity (300 hurdles, 42.86), King’s Alyssa Hope (long jump, 19-9.50/6.03m), MIssion Viejo’s Jada Gatlin (triple jump, 39-10.75/12.16m), and the Long Beach Wilson 4x100 relay (46.28).

Other boys Masters champions included: Cathedral’s Ambodai Ligons (800, 1:51.96), Great Oak’s Westin Brown (1,600, 4:11.50), Roosevelt’s Cayden Roberson (300 hurdles, 37.59), Mater Dei’s Brandon Gorski (high jump, 6-9/2.06m to equal the state best), Redondo’s Dylan Curtis (pole vault, 16-6/5.03m), Sultana’s Elijah Crook (long jump, 22-1.75/6.75m), Great Oak’s Andrew Robinson (triple jump, 46-10.25/14.28m), JSerra’s Brendon See (shot put, 63-10/19.46m), J.W. North’s Justice Mephors (discus, 184-7/56.26m) and the Oaks Christian 4x100 relay (41.43).

In a nearly empty stadium, one final race against the clock was held about 45 minutes after the final scheduled event of the day, the girls pole vault.

In the boys 4x400, Long Beach Wilson finished second, but was disqualified for impeding Northwood, which moved up to seventh. Because the TImberwolves were the victims of the impeding and did not finish in the top six to automatically qualify for state (and did not achieve the qualifying standard), they were able to re-run the race by themselves, to see if they could qualify for state.

It was not clear whether Northwood needed to reach the qualifying standard of 3:19.48, or if beating sixth-place Orange Lutheran’s time of 3:21.38 would have advanced the Timberwolves and knocked Lutheran out.

Regardless, Northwood’s time improved to 3:21.51, not good enough to reach the qualifying standard or to pass Orange Lutheran for sixth.