CIF State Track and Field Championships
Where: Cerritos College, Norwalk
Trials: See live results
By Mitch StephensMaxPreps.com
NORWALK, Calif. – Vashti Thomas can’t afford another hiccup.
Not if the Mt. Pleasant (San Jose) senior wants to win three events Saturday in the CIF State Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College.
Not if she wants to be considered one of great prep all-around female athletes in her sport.
Not if she wants to leave a prep legacy like fellow Californians Gail Devers, Wendy Brown and even Marion Jones.
“That can’t happen tomorrow,” Thomas said Friday during the State Trials. “That was horrible.”
“That” was her start in the 100 meters hurdles, an event she owns the national federated record of 13.03 set in last year’s state finals.
The 5-foot-7, 130-pound starlet jumped straight up rather than out at the gun and found herself in about seventh place after the first hurdle, an unusual position for Thomas to be sure.
“I said to myself, ‘What? This isn’t right,’ “ she said.
So after gaining her rhythm by about the fourth hurdle, Thomas blew past the field and won her heat in 13.94, the fifth fastest time of the day but well back of leader and arch-rival Julian Purvis (St. Elizabeth, Oakland), who won her heat in 13.64.
“By the end of the race it felt much more like this is where I need to be,” Thomas said.
Her coach Steve Nelson is confident she’ll be at the top step of the podium three times Saturday, which will put her in exclusive territory.
Olympic sprint champion Devers (Sweetwater, National City) at one point held eight San Diego Section records.
“The 100, 200, 400, 800, long jump, triple jump and both hurdles,” longtime San Diego Union-Tribune scribe Steve Brand said, ripping off the eight events. “She was just amazing. The most amazing was the 800. That tells you what kind of range she had.”
With eight sprint titles, Jones didn’t nearly have that range and was known almost exclusively for her speed. She does, however, own the state record in the long jump at 22-0½, accomplished in the 1993 state meet in Norwalk.
Unlike Jones, Brown was barely heard of after high school but she put on the single greatest one-day performance in state history by winning the 1984 CIF State Meet all by herself (38 points).
She won three events in stunning fashion and added a second place, to of all people Devers in the 100 hurdles. Brown’s winning marks that day were off the charts: long jump (20 feet, 9¾ inches), triple jump (42-10½) and high jump (6-1¼). Fittingly, she pulled off the triple at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where the Olympics were held later that summer.
“They wanted to test a big track event there before the Games and (Brown) gave them a big performance,” Nelson said. “That’s as good as it gets.”
But Thomas added her name to the “all-time greats” conversation with last week’s performance at the Central Coast Section championships in Gilroy.
The Texas A&M-bound standout won all four events she entered and moved to the top of the national leader board in the long jump (20 feet, 5 inches) and triple jump (43-1½). She also won the 100 (11.95) and the 100 hurdles (13.52).
“Those were the marks I wanted to put up this week,” Thomas said with a giant grin. “That’s OK. Maybe I can do even better.”
She dropped the 100 to focus on her three main events.
On Friday, she took just two jumps in the long jump and despite a 1.6-meters-per-second wind in her face, Thomas qualified second at 18-9¼ behind Marlborough junior Ashtynn Baltimore (19-3), who had a 2.8 wind at her back.
After fouling on her first triple jump, Thomas took off well behind the board to go 41-1 and finish as the No. 1 qualifier.
“No Mas,” Nelson yelled to Thomas after her legal jump. “We’re through.”
“The name of the game today is simply get to tomorrow,” Thomas said earlier. “Spend as little amount of energy possible to advance.”
Nelson, Mt. Pleasant’s coach for the last 23 years and who led his team to a state title last season, said Thomas’ performance last week was as good as it gets.
“But you’re only good as your last meet,” he said. “Nobody tomorrow is going to remember what she did last week. The time is now.”
When Nelson first saw Thomas as an eighth grader at Boeger Junior High, he knew he had something very special.
“She had glasses and looked pretty goofy, but she long jumped 16-6 without a lick of training,” he said.
Nelson admits he didn’t think of Devers or Jones or Brown back then. Actually, another name popped into his head. She wasn’t from California either.
“Jackie Joyner Kersee,” Nelson said. “I know that’s a huge name to compare. But I stand by it.”
He doesn’t think Texas A&M is planning on turning Thomas into a heptathlete, like the late Kersee, but she’s certainly capable.
“If we needed Vashti to high jump 5-8 or run 11.6 in the 100 or run high 23s in the 200, she could do it,” Nelson said. “Heck, if we asked her to pole vault she could get to 11 and 12 feet pretty quick.”
Though many of the nation’s top triple and long jumpers are in Saturday's field, Thomas’ toughest foe is probably Purvis, the 2006 state 100 hurdles champion and runner-up last season.
“Julian is a better hurdler,” Nelson said. “Vashti is faster. It’s going to be a great race.”
MISHAP FRIDAY: Though Thomas was able to avoid any major mishaps, numerous event favorites weren’t so fortunate, starting from the start.
In the day’s first running event, Long Beach Poly’s girls missed an exchange in the 400 relay and failed to get to the finals. The Jackrabbits came into the meet tied for best time in the state at 46.20.
There were plenty of tears and pain among the Poly team, though the team favorites rebounded the rest of the day and still look in good position to wrap up another title.
Freshman Akawkaw Ndipagbor (54.23) and junior Jasmine Joseph (54.74) were the top two qualifiers in the 400 and Poly’s 1,600 relay team, led by the same duo, easily had the top qualifying mark (3:41.99). Poly also has finalist in the high jump, 200 (Ndipagbor) and triple jump.
It does leave the door ajar for not only Thomas to win the meet herself for Mt. Pleasant, but also St. Elizabeth (Oakland), with Purvis and her sophomore sister Ashton Purvis, the No. 2 qualifier in both the 100 and 200.
“First of all you hate to see (the dropped) baton happen to anyone,” Nelson said. “It’s heartbreaking and you can see the pain. On the other hand it’s also what makes the sport so great. It truly shows that anything can happen and that you have to always run the race.”
Other first-day heartache.
* One 400 relay race after Poly, the team it shared the state’s top time with Rancho Verde did not finish because its leadoff runner dropped due to an apparent hamstring injury.
* The nation’s leader in the boys long jump Ryan Butts (Antelope Valley) got one jump in and twisted his ankle and couldn’t continue. His mark on the jump (22-2 ¼) was good enough for 12th (top nine advanced) but he couldn’t compete Saturday anyway.
* Three girls – one each heat – false started in the 100 and were eliminated, including Rancho Bernardo junior Tenille Stoudenmire, a possible medalist.
* State boys high jump leader Tynan Murray (Poway) cleared only 6-3 and failed to advance.
* Another state leader Chris Benard (Santiago) qualified 10th at 47-1½, one spot out of advancing.
HAPPY TRAILS: One of the country’s top big men in basketball, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) senior and UCLA Drew Gordon made life miserable on himself.
He threw a lifetime best of 180-2 in the discus, qualifying fourth. He flew home late Friday night (San Jose is approximately 450 miles from Norwalk) to catch his 9 a.m. graduation ceremony Saturday morning and plans to fly right back afterwards to make today’s 5 p.m. finals.
Gordon, who has made the state meet three straight years in the discus, probably won’t be shooting for gold today. State leader Dayshan Regans looks in top form after a toss of 203-7, better than 16 feet further than the No. 2 qualifier.
LOOKING HEALTHY: Ashton Purvis showed little to no affect to a twisted knee from 10 days previous as she looked strong winning her 100 (11.83) and 200 (23.47) heats.
In the 100 she faced a 1.2 wind, which bodes well considering top qualifier, Rio Mesa freshman Valexsia Droughn (11.77) had a slight breeze at her back.
Purvis’ 200 time was wind legal and the fastest in the country this year. She’s not even the leader however as Highland sophomore Jessica Davis had a breakout performance, going 23.22 but with a 2.1 wind, just over the legal limit.
AROUND THE TRACK: Other than leader Charles Sasseun, a junior from Rancho Cucamonga who won his heat in 10.47, the boys 100 field is remarkably even. The next eight qualifying marks were all between 10.77 and 10.79. Crenshaw freshman DeAnthony Thomas just missed out at 10.80. … Riverbank distance sensation German Fernandez looked in complete command while recording the day’s top 1,600 time at 4:11.62. “Just as planned,” he said. “Didn’t want to break 4:09.” … The Dominguez (Compton)-Poly boys showdown is set up nicely. Leader Dominguez has the edge in both the 400 (41.28 to 41.33) and 1,600 relays (3:12.77 to 3:17.31). Poly ranks second and third in the relays. … Dominguez sophomore Leon Dillihunt has a surprise lead in the 400 (47.09) over No. 4 Joey Hughes (47.23), of Poly. … Cathedral junior and USC-bound Randall Carroll put on a show in the 200, winning in 21.00 well ahead of No. 2 qualifier, St. Bernard senior Adam Long who was equally impressive at 21.25 considering he ran into a 2.2 wind. … National federated 1,600 record holder Christine Babcock (Woodbridge) spent little energy while recording the day’s top time of 4:53.67. The 11 other qualifiers were all under 4:59.
ON THE FIELD: Swirling winds led to many top jumpers not advancing. … All nine male pole vault qualifiers cleared 15-0, including national leader and defending champion Nico Weiler (Los Gatos). … The only girls to advance in the shot put were 40-footers, which is the way it should be. National leader Ana Jelmini (Shafter) is way out in front at 47-1. … Twelve girls cleared 11-9 in the pole vault, but Mater Dei sophomore Brooke Arthur, Mission San Jose senior Courtney Kiehl and Highland junior Tianna Webberly all lost a jump off and were eliminated. … Two of the state’s most versatile and talented athletes advanced in the triple and long jumps, Diamond Ranch junior Karyn Dunn and Moreau Catholic junior Alitta Boyd, but the winds made it uneasy.
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com