California track finals showered with standouts

CIF California State Track and Field Championships
At Buchanan High School's Veterans Stadium
Boys state champions
100: Remontay McClain (Covina) 10.39; 200: McClain (Covina) 20.95; 400: Shaquille Howard (Long Beach Poly) 47.49; 800: Immanuel Hutchinson (San Jacinto) 1:49.63; 1600: Jantzen Oshier (Trabuco Hills) 4:00.83; 3200: Elias Gedyon (Loyola) 8:50.03; 110 hurdles: Johnathan Cabral (Agoura) 13.79; 300 hurdles: Cabral (Agoura) 36.20; 400 relay: Oaks Christian (Ronny Camacho, Tony Johnson, Ishmael Adams, Vinnie Saucer) 41.19; 1600 relay: Long Beach Poly (Arron Harris, Richard Smith, Kameron White, Shaquille Howard) 3:12.44; HJ: Crampton Cody (Canyon) 6-11; PV: Ian Rock (Davis) 16-2; LJ: Jovonte Slater (Vista Murrieta) 24-10½; TJ: Marques Roberts (Otay Ranch) 49-6½; SP: Nicolas Scarvelis (Dos Pueblos) 64-0; Discus: Ethan Cochran (Newport Harbor) 185-8.

Girls state champions
100: Jenna Prandini (Clovis) 11.69; 200: Prandini (Clovis) 23.81; 400: Akawkaw Ndipagbor (Long Beach Poly 53.38; 800: Amy Weissenbach (Harvard-Westlake) 2:02.04*; 1600: Cami Chapus (Harvard-Westlake) 4:40.88; 3200: Sarah Baxter (Simi Valley) 10:13.00; 100 hurdles: Trinity Wilson (St. Mary's) 13.41; 300 hurdles: Melia Cox (Long Beach Poly) 41.80; 400 relay: Long Beach Poly (Carisma Lyday, Melia Cox, Traci Hicks, Akawkaw Ndipagbor) 45.70; 1600 relay: Serra-Gardena (Megan George, Kayah Agudo, Deena Pierce, Dawnielle Baucham) 3:43.21; HJ: Rachel McCoy (Miller) 5-8; PV: Anginae Monteverde (Clovis West) 13-6; LJ: Prandini (Clovis) 19-11¾; TJ: Ciarra Brewer (Logan) 41-11; SP: Breana Jemison (Carlsbad) 43-1¼; Discus: Alex Morgan (Ventura) 153-8.

* - National Federation record.

Team scores
Boys: Long Beach Poly 35, Loyola 32, El Toro 22, Serra22, Covina 20, Agoura 20.
Girls: Long Beach Poly 72, Clovis 30, Harvard-Westlake 20, Clovis West 20, Mt. Pleasant 20.

Full results
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CLOVIS, Calif. - The drizzle started early Saturday morning and continued throughout much of the day and into the 93rd CIF State Track and Field Championships at Veterans Stadium on the campus of Buchanan High School.

But the athletic prowess of the state, from the bottom of Chula Vista to the tip of Yreka – all 770 miles – proved superior. No stinking and untimely moisture was going to rain on this parade.

Some of the marks – especially in the sprints and field events – were hampered, but overall, the event maintained the pace and quality established over the previous 92 meets.

As usual, this was a treat for senses and fans of speed, hops and in many cases, sheer will. Not to mention a national federated record.

Here are the Top 10 stories from historically one of the top athletic events in the country. Even when wet. {PAGEBREAK} 1. The Great Prandini

She envisioned it as a freshman she said. But truly, until it happened, she couldn't have fathomed.



Jenna Prandini, the hometown girl from Clovis who battled hamstring injuries and shut down most of her senior season, pulled off a rare triple, taking the 100 meters (11.69 seconds), 200 (23.81) and long jump (19-11¾) to the roaring approval of the 7,115 fans.

The sleek and athletic 5-foot-9 senior who is headed to Oregon captured her third, fourth and fifth state crowns in two seasons, which are fifth in state history.

"It's really, really exciting," she said. "I never imagined I could really do it. To actually do it was awesome."

And the memory of her final 200 straightaway - holding off Long Beach Poly and USC-bound Akawkaw Ndipagbor (24.05) with the loud locals roaring their approval - will be long lasting.

"The crowd pushed me," she said. "I did it for them. They were rooting me on. It was an awesome feeling."
 
It was a sick feeling when she slipped out of the blocks to start the day in the 100. Meanwhile Kylie Price (Bishop Amat-La Puenta) got a great start and had a 7-meter lead near the halfway point before Prandini chased her down at the tape. ... barely, 11.69 to 11.72.

"That was one of my worst starts of my whole high school career," she said. "She got on me. It couldn't have been much worse. But I did not want to lose that race."



Prandini's prep career played out like a movie. She was injured as a freshman – torn labrum – and had time to dream of the three state crowns. Then, the CIF moved homes from Cerritos College (Southern California) and Sacramento City College (Northern) to the central location of Clovis – her hometown.

"It's been awesome," she said. "It was moved here to this stadium where I love to run with the hometown crowd. Everyone has come out to see me. I look up in the stands and see all my friends and family and feel all that support. They were all a part of this." {PAGEBREAK}2. Record performance, controversial finish

Harvard-Westlake junior Amy Weissenbach was filled with emotion by the end of the night.

She was flooded with pride and joy for breaking the National Federation record in the 800 with a time of 2:02.04, breaking the mark of 2:02.90 set in 2008 by Chanelle Price (Easton, Pa.). According to dyestat.com, Weissenbach also broke the national junior-class record and national age-16 record.

Weissenbach thrilled the crowd even more with a remarkable 53-second anchor leg of the 1600 relay – the last event of the day – to carry Harvard-Westlake to a stunning upset of the nation's top team Long Beach Poly.

But Weissenbach was called for interference when she passed Poly's runner with about 200 to go. Harvard-Westlake, which crossed in 3:42.69, was disqualified giving the title to Serra-Gardena (3:43.21). Poly, which ran without open 400 champion Ndipagbor, finished second officially (3:44.00).



A protest on the call was denied 20 minutes after the meet.

"I don't know how I got disqualified," Weissenbach said. "I was just competing and running as fast as I could. I didn't think I did anything wrong. I didn't feel anything until I passed her and then I felt her hit my back from behind. I don't know what the call was for."

There was no such problem in the 800 because no one was near Weissenbach as she took it out extremely hard – a 57-second opening lap – and though she tightened down the stretch, she had enough to nip the record.

"I'm thrilled," she said about the 800. "I couldn't be happier. I wanted to go out in 59 so when I saw 57 it was a little scary. I just kept pushing, kept going. I tightened up with 200. I hit the wall a little, but I just swam to the finish. I guess my splits could have been better but I just went for it."

Weissenbach, the defending champion, had fought through injuries much of the season.

"I've just been working my way back so I definitely wasn't thinking something like this would happen," she said. "My whole goal was to meet up with the other girls and get back here to defend my title. I didn't expect it to happen the way it did. I'm so happy." {PAGEBREAK}3. Satisfying near record run



Jantzen Oshier had just finished running the fastest 1,600-meter time of the season nationally and was still breathing hard when came the inevitable question's

"Since you got so close, don't you wish you'd broken 4-minutes?" the 6-foot-3 runner from Trabuco Hills (Mission Viejo, Calif.) was asked. Oshier was unruffled, just as he was during the California State Track Championships at Buchanan High in Clovis where he roared to a time of 4-minutes, 00.83-seconds.

He smiled and calmly explained why he was more than a little pleased with the time which is second in state meet history only to the 4:00.29 run by German Fernandez of Riverbank (Riverbank, Calif.) in 2008.

"I started the year thinking I'd be happy if I ran a 4:07," said the University of California-bound senior. "I had to quickly change that to 4:05. I'm not worried about running 4:00 today, but I don't know how I'll feel tomorrow."


See Steve Brand's entire story.{PAGEBREAK}4. REALLY historic double

Remontay McClain knew he was attempting something special. But not that special.



The Covina senior became the second sprinter in state-meet history to double in the 100 and 200 for two consecutive years. Randall Carroll (Cathedral-Los Angeles) accomplished the same feat in 2008-2009.

McClain matched the feat without much trouble, breezing to wins in the 10.39 and 20.95, well off his bests of 10.31 and 20.68. He wasn't pushed in either race and the wet track didn't help.

"I knew it was historic," McClain said. "But not that historic."

McClain was flawless and workmanlike throughout the weekend, and wasn't challenged once.

"I got out of the blocks well (all weekend)," he said. "It feels great, like all the hard work paid off."

Challenged by learning disability, McClain will attend NAIA power Azusa-Pacific College next season.



"I've had a really good high school career," he said. "I've had a lot of people – friends and family – really support me. I couldn't have done it without them." {PAGEBREAK}5. Poly, Poly

For the third time and first since 1998, Long Beach Poly's boys and girls swept the team titles. No other school has ever accomplished the feat.

The Jackrabbits  became the first girls' team to win four straight team titles and they did so in convincing fashion with 72 points – just off the meet record of 80 by Poly in 2004.

The Jackrabbits opened the day with a win in the 400 relay as Carisma Lyday, Melia Cox, Traci Hicks and Ndipagbor crossed in 45.70. As expected Ndipagbor won the open 400 (53.38) and Cox breezed to a win in the 300 hurdles (41.80), but the talented USC-bound duo eventually got fatigued.

Ndipagbor had to be escorted off the track after her 400 – a lifetime best and second best mark in the country – and couldn't keep up with Prandini in the 200. She finished in 24.05, well off her best of 23.57 set in trials.

Cox, trying also to win three events, placed second in the 100 hurdles and third in the triple jump.
 
Ndipagbor and Cox were part of all the championship teams.



"As a freshman, I had no idea what winning state had done for my team," Ndipagbor told Kirby Lee. "I didn't really take winning state seriously because it was expected of us. … Looking back now that means more than I can fathom."

Said Cox: "Our goal was to make history. To be a part of history is like out of this world. It's like really crazy."

What made this even more enjoyable is Poly's boys joining the victory party, edging Loyola (Los Angeles) 35-32.

Shaquille Howard had much to do with the championship as he took the open 400 (47.49) and anchored the winning 1600 relay team that also featured Aaron Harris, Richard Smith and Kameron White.

"I am at a loss for words," Poly's highly successful coach Don Norford told Lee. "This is exhilarating. The boys took the title. Nobody gave it to them. And then to see the girls do something very historic is amazing." {PAGEBREAK}6. Three tears for Trinity

If she didn't know it before, Trinity Wilson found out just how badly she wanted to win her first state title when she crossed the line first.



She bent at the waist and wept.

The St. Mary's-Berkeley junior erased a bad memory from the season before with a resounding 100-meter hurdle victory over national leader Cox of Long Beach Poly.

Wilson, whose motto all season was "I refuse to lose," didn't once throughout her junior season and finished it off with a lifetime wind-legal best of 13.41 seconds to 13.57 for Cox.

Despite drizzly conditions, Wilson got an explosive start and held off the USC-bound Cox, who came in with a national best of 13.34. Wilson had a similar start last season but was caught at the line by current Stanford freshman Kori Carter.

Not this year. The race was only 100 meters but the road back to the state finals line was definitely a marathon.

"I was just so happy I just started crying," Wilson said. "I couldn't help it. I could just taste it. I knew I was ready."



She was the last girl in the blocks and she took a giant breath.

"I just shut it down and thought to myself, ‘let's get this party started,' " Wilson said.

And the fact a light drizzle had started didn't deter the animated standout one bit.

"Rain freaks out hurdlers and it freaked me out a little too," she said. "But I didn't care what was out there – thunder, lightning, hail – I wasn't going to lose." {PAGEBREAK}Four more shouts

7. Loyola senior Elias Gedyon didn't repeat as 1600 champion but he had a better meet. The talented Oregon-bound runner ran a lifetime best of 4:04.04 – which would have won the state title in 49 other states – and then came back with a remarkable kick in the final 300 meters to win the 3200 (8:50.03).

8. Though Prandini stole the show, Clovis West senior pole vaulter Anginae Monteverde wasn't far behind as she drew the loudest cheers by winning the at 13-6, which is No. 3 in the country this year and No. 5 all-time in the U.S.



9. Johnathan Cabral (Agoura), the national leader in the hurdles, seemed somewhat disappointed by his double because his times of 13.79 and 36.20 were off his bests of 13.43 and 36.19. The upbeat Cabral admitted that running on the wet track in spots was "like running on ice. … I'm not going to beat myself up. I wanted to go for some records but I'm still happy with the wins."

10. Though loudest hoot on the field came from Otay Ranch senior Marques Roberts who overtook Dublin's Keremiah Crockett on his last attempt to win 49-6½ to 49-1¾. Crockett had taken the lead from Roberts on his fifth attempt, but the San Diego Section standout took it right back on his final try. He let out a giant groan after his jump, then watched helplessly as Crockett went 47-11½ on his final attempt.