California track trials: Jenna Prandini braces for showdown with Akawkaw Ndipagbor

CIF State Meet Trials
Where: Buchanan High School's Veterans Stadium, Clovis
Weather: overcast, windless, muggy, 68-75 degrees
Today's finals: 4:30 p.m. field events; 6 p.m. running
Trials and live results: CLICK HERE

CLOVIS, Calif. – Jenna Prandini lit up like a Christmas Tree when Akawkaw Ndipagbor's name was mentioned.

The Clovis High School and Oregon-bound senior track and field standout had another brilliant performance at Buchanan High School's Veterans Stadium during Friday's CIF State Track and Field Championship trials.

Prandini, winner of a staggering 13 Central Section championships including four on the same track last week, qualified first in the 100 meters (11.60) and long jump (19-9¼) and was second in the 200 (23.97).

She was second to Ndipagbor, the Long Beach Poly senior and USC-signee who had an equally stellar day, qualifying first in the 400 (54.28) and the 200 (23.57) and anchored the team's 400 relay (45.80).



Prandini and Ndipagbor will no doubt go down as two of the finest female athletes to compete in the state meet and today they'll face off for the first time in what figures to be a longtime rivalry.

"Oh yeah, I'm looking forward to it," Prandini said. "If I want to win I'll have to PR by a lot. I haven't run against anyone faster than me in the 200 this year. She's going to be real good competition. It will probably take 22.3 or 22.4 to win."

Ndipagbor said she was also looking forward to the 200 showdown. Like Prandini, there was no game face for Ndipagbor, but genuine excitement that the best competition will be out on the track.

"I know she was hurt earlier in the year, so I'm glad she's healthy ready to go," Ndipagbor said.

But Prandini will no doubt have the hometown backing of most the 10,000 fans who figure to pack the stadium tonight. Doesn't that bother Ndipagbor?

The ultra mature and engaging standout just smiled.



"No, I'll just go into game-face mode," she said. "I'll just get real quiet and focus on exactly what I need to do. I do my best when I do that. I won't really hear the crowd."

Ndipagbor and teammate Melia Cox are trying to become part of all sorts of history – four titles in one state meet; four straight team titles and to break Poly's own meet record of 80 points (with a new slightly inflated scoring system and 13 other quallifiers, Poly should shatter that mark).

"I'm really feeling good about where we are as a team," Ndipagbor said. "We're all putting out good marks tonight. I feed off Melia and her energy."

Prandini feeds largely off the crowd's energy and after winning two state titles here last year – in the long and triple jump – she's excited about today's finals.

Even though showers are in the forecast.

Prandini's 100 mark Friday was a PR and the fifth best in the country this year. She was most pleased with her long jump – the sixth best nationally this season.



The best part, she did it on her first attempt and shut it down, helping her to conserve energy.

"I just got my steps down yesterday, so that really gives me confidence heading into (today)," Prandini said.

More quick hit notes on a superb day that featured almost ideal calm, humid conditions and only one real surprise or mishap as state girls shot put leader Rebecca Hammar (Buhach Colony) failed to advance due largely to two fouls.{PAGEBREAK}Pretty and ugly

National hurdles leader Johnathan Cabral (Agoura) had a fantastic day for anyone else, qualifying first in the 110s (13.58) and 300s (36.85) but well off his bests of 13.43 and 36.19.
 
About his 110s, Cabral said: "That was pretty ugly. I got a bad start and hit a hurdle real bad. It wasn't a good race."

Asked about what effect possible wet conditions will do to his approach in the finals. "There will be no effect," he said. "I'll just do what I need to do. I'll attack like I do every race, especially more so because this is my last race in this uniform." {PAGEBREAK}Sunshine and gold

St. Mary's (Berkeley) junior Trinity Wilson is probably the most open and quotable athlete at the meet. Though qualified second to Cox in the 100 hurdles (13.42 to 13.57), Wilson's confidence hasn't deterred one bit.



Even with rain in the forecast.

"I feel the sunshine and a gold medal coming," Wilson said. "I'm not going to let (Cox) out of my sight. It's going to be a very interesting race."

Cox is the national leader at 13.34 to 13.50 for Wilson, who went 13.38 into a head wind during the North Coast Section finals. The wind gauge, however, went caput so the time didn't count.

Last year Wilson, then a sophomore, led the entire 100 hurdles finals but was clipped at the line by current Stanford freshman Kori Carter, 13.33 to 13.35.

"That won't happen again," Wilson said. "I refuse to lose."

The USC-bound Cox, who qualified third in the 300 hurdles and triple jump, has a much more relaxed approach. At least on the outside.



"I'll wish her luck before the race," Cox said "I know we'll push each other. It will take 13.2 or faster to win I think." {PAGEBREAK} Good as gold

What looked like a wide open race for the boys sprint titles earlier in the year looks like a whitewash thanks to Remontay McClain who once again dazzled on Friday.

The Covina senior, who is trying to become just the second sprinter in the meet's 93-year history to double back-to-back years, was easily the leader in both the 100 (10.31) and the 200 (20.92). He matched his lifetime best in the 100 and is after the state meet record of 10.25.

"I'm not holding anything back," he said after the 200. "I want to go out with a bang." {PAGEBREAK}Promises, promises

The other highly-anticipated showdown features 1600 runners Loyola (Los Angeles) senior and Oregon-bound Elias Gedyon and Trabuco Hills (Mission Viejo) senior and Cal-bound Jantzen Oshier, who recorded identical top qualifying marks of 4:10.39.

Oshier, the national leader, erased some bad memories when he turned his ankle on lap three during trials last year, ending his season.



It was difficult to watch last year's 1600 finals for two reasons:1. He would have certainly contended for the title and 2. It was a painfully slow pace and strategic race eventually won by Gedyon in 4:21.12.

"I can promise you (today's finals) will be nothing like last year," Oshier said. "It will probably take sub-4:05 to win it."

Gedyon, who has a good, friendly relationship with Oshier, agrees whole-heartedly.

"It's a really talented field and it's going to be a very fast race," he said. "I felt good today and did what I needed to do." {PAGEBREAK}Eye-balling history

Every since Logan (Union City) triple jumper Ciarra Brewer won the event as a sophomore, she' had one mark on her mind.

"Forty-five feet," she said.



A nagging hamstring problem over the next two seasons has stopped her at really even approaching that mark, which would break the national record of 44-11 set by Merrill West's Brittany Daniels.

On Friday, she took just two jumps, set a personal best and extended her national best by almost a foot with a leap of 43-2½.

"The weather was good, I felt loose so I took an extra jump," Brewer said. "I still want to hit 45-0 and I think tomorrow might be the day." {PAGEBREAK}Two-lap excellence

The boys 800 wasn't getting much talk heading into the meet, but it sure was after Friday's trials. San Jacinto senior Immanuel Hutchinson (1:49.82) and Long Beach Poly senior Myles Andrews (1:50.65) absolutely looked in control and at ease while winning their heats.

Both were lifetime bests.

"I was shooting for 1:49 today and tomorrow I want to get 1:48," Hutchinson said. "That may have looked easy but it's not really. It should be a great race (in the finals)."



While Hutchinson and Andrews are known commodities, the new kid on the block is Cole Williams, who ran the second best time of the day and 10th fastest in the country this year at 1:50.57.

Williams attends tiny Urban (enrollment 350) in San Francisco and only started running track as a sophomore. He didn't race in any big invitationals all season but did place second in the state Division V state cross-country meet.

He caused a stir by breaking 1:52 at a Class A meet, but considering he hadn't seen the top competition, no one was sure what he could do. He showed it.

Afterward, it looked as if he just got off a roller coaster. He staggered, laughed and kept shaking his head as he left the track to do an interview.

"That," he said, "was fun."{PAGEBREAK}Top qualifying marks

Poly 800 runners Dynasty Gammage and Arielle Stevenson both advanced.

Photo by Craig Morley

Girls
100: Jenna Prandini (Clovis) 11.60; 200: Akawkaw Ndipagbor (Poly) 23.57; 400: Akawkaw Ndipagbor (Long Beach Poly) 54.28; 800: Sydney Gray (Beverly Hills) 2:10.51; 1600: Nikki Hiltz (Aptos) 4:48.20; 100 hurdles: Melia Cox (Long Beach Poly) 13.42; 300 hurdles: Gianna Woodruff (St. Mary's Academy) 42.24; 400 relay: Long Beach Poly (Lyday Carisma, Melia Cox, TraciHicks, Akawkaw Ndipagbor) 45.80; 1600 relay: Serra (Megan George, Kayah Agudo, Deena Pierce, Dawnielle Baucham) 3:45.83.; HJ: 12 tied at 5-4; PV: 12 tied at 11-9; LJ: Jenna Prandini (Clovis) 19-9¼; TJ: Ciarra Brewer (James Logan) 43-2½; SP: Brenna Jemison (Carlsbad) 45-10¼ ; Discus: Alex Collartz (Stockdale) 164-2.
Boys
100: Remontay McClain (Covina) 10.31; 200: Remontay McClain (Covina) 20.92; 400: Rashad Clark (Dorsey) 47.58; 800: Immanuel Hutchinson (San Jacinto) 1:49.82; 1600: Elias Gedyon (Loyola) 4:10.39; 110 hurdles: Johnathan Cabral (Agoura) 13.58 ; 300 hurdles: Cabral (Agoura) 36.85; 400 relay: Roosevelt (Dameon Burnham, Leran Hutchings, Elijah Mitchell, Charles Sanders) 41.06.; 1600 relay: Long Beach Poly (Arron Harris, Richard Smith, Kameron White, Shaquille Howard) 3:14.60; HJ: Adam Aguirre (Cantwell) 6-7; PV: nine tied at 15-3; LJ: Jaecob Snow (El Camino) 23-4¼; TJ: Marques Roberts (Otah Ranch) 49-5¾; SP: Nicholas Scarvelis (Dos Pueblos) 62-9¼; Discus: Ethan Cochran (Newport Harbor) 186-8.