Indoor title is true California Dream for Donigian

FRESNO, Calif. – Californians are as familiar with indoor track as shoveling snow.

But more than 1,000 Golden State track and field standouts embraced the novelty of odd distances, raised turns, close quarters and a continual 80s soundtrack to put together a pretty fair rendition of the second California Indoor Championships - better known as Run For The Dream - at the Save Mart Center.

There was national best indoor season mark - Long Beach Poly senior Shaquille Howard in the 600 yards (1 minute, 15.45 seconds) and a sterling two-win performance by rising Holy Names (Oakland) sophomore Sasha Wallace (55 hurdles and triple jump).

But clearly the most head-shaking performance of this fast-moving – even for a 7.5-hour event – rollercoaster-feel event came from Trabuco Hills (Mission Viejo) senior Alex Donigian, who captured the open 55-meter final in 6.43 seconds over a far more experienced group that included Kennedy's Breonntae Snelling (6.45), Long Beach Poly's Kamern White (6.48) and Murrieta Valley's Ervin Simmons (6.52.).

Afterward, crashing into the makeshift padded wall about 15 yards after the finish, Donigian spun around, saw the results on the scoreboard and let out a giant hoot before embracing Snelling.

"Thanks man for pushing me," he said. "I'd never done this without you."

Donigian's spunky reaction was for good reason.

Like most in the crowd, this was his first indoor meet – he was a novice. But unlike most challenging for titles, his outdoor resume was remarkably bare.

He barely has run varsity track and field, his best legal 100 is 11.35 seconds and when he was a sophomore he stood all of 5-foot-2 and weighed 120 pounds. He's now 6-1 and 170.

He also admitted his passion for running was marginal at best.

"The only reason I ever went out was to get out a little stress," he said. "I'd just run 40-yard dashes to get the stress out."

He ran sporadically in meets for Trabuco Hills as a junior – "I got in a couple meets," but then got serious in September. "I don't believe in genetics," he said. "I believe anyone can be the fastest person in the world if they just put their mind to it. They just have to work hard enough.

"The moment I got serious and put in all this work… I don't want to say I work harder than anyone, but I've worked as hard as my heart will let me. And look what happened?"

Donigian's time is tied for 22nd nationally in the indoor season, according to dyestat.com. It gives him loads of confidence that he can reach his goal of a 10.45 100 in the outdoor season.

"I mean, I'm overwhelmed," he said. "I'm the state indoor champion. It's so cool. I'm ultra stoked."

Wallace's fast track
So is Wallace, who didn't quite articulate the same. She flashed a giant smile and beamed a bit after taking the 55 hurdles in 8.01 seconds and the triple jump (40-5¼).

She benefitted from the fact her track club teammate Trinity Wilson, a St. Mary's junior and national hurdles leader, and Ciarra Brewer (James Logan), the national triple jump leader left the premises after warming up, presumably because of an injury.

But it was an impressive outing nonetheless. Especially considering it was her second indoor meet. She finished
sixth in the state triple jump in June.

Wallace trains with coach Curtis Taylor, who has coached countless East Bay Area state champions including Ashton Purvis, Julian Purvis and Ke'Nyia Richardson, the latter who also attended Holy Names.

"I wasn't really expecting to win (the short hurdles)," Wallace said. "I've just started running the short hurdles. My specialty is the long hurdles. But after today, I think Curtis will be convinced to keep in the short ones. That was a fast track though."

Letting loose
Doesn't Howard know it.

The talented senior who left Poly's talented and nationally ranked basketball team during the season to focus on track and field, wasn't at all comfortable on the turns. He was well short of his probably unlikely goal of 2:09. 

This was his first indoor meet.

"I had to relax in the turns because they made me really uncomfortable," said Howard, who also contributed a leg on Poly's winning 1,600 relay team. "My dad (Elvie Howard) ran at the Sunkist (indoor) meets and gave me all sorts of directions but nothing really helped. I just let it loose on the straightaways." 

Showdown nixed

With Brewer gone, the much anticipated showdown between her and local hero Jenna Prandini never materialized. Prandini, from nearby Clovis, had a solid but not self-satisfying performance, taking second in the triple jump (40-1) and third in the long jump (18-8½). She won both events in the outdoor championships at nearby Buchanan High School Clovis.

"It wasn't how I wanted it to go," said Prandini, also her first indoor meet. "But it isn't what you do in February, it's what you do in June."

NOTES: Perhaps the grittiest effort of the meet came from Carter senior Shanice Stewart, who fell hard while being edged in the 55 hurdles finals to Wallace, before taking the long jump (19-3) over Summit's Kira Moreland (19-1¾). … Dos Pueblos senior Nicholas Scarvelis had very little time to warm-up but then broke his own personal best twice to take the shot put in 63-4½. He plans to improve on his fifth-place finish at state last year. … A pair of athletes from Redwood – not known as a track-and-field hotbed – won titles as Justin Villhauer took the mile (4:23.12) and Dillon Root won the long jump (22-6). … Stanford-bound pole vaulter Katie Zingheim no-heighted here last year in her first indoor event, but Saturday she won the event at 12-7. "It was all a mental thing last year," she said. "That's what makes this so satisfying." She's planning to go 13-5 in the spring.

WINNERS
BOYS
55 – Alex Donigian (Trabuco Hills) 6.43

600 – Shaquille Howard (Long Beach Poly) 1:15.45

800 – John Robinson (George Whittell) 1:58.53

Mile – Justin Villhauer (Redwood) 4:23.12

2-mile – Kevin Bishop (unattached) 9:32.12

55 hurdles – Devon Blackmon (Summit) 7.39

4x145 relay – Serra ‘A' (Megan George,Taisyn Crutchfield, Alexis Faulknor, Jasmine Hall) 73.78

4x400 relay – Long Beach Poly (Aaron Harris, Shaquille Howard, Richard smith, Kameron White) 3:32.33

4x800 relay – Carlmont (Pierce McKenzie, Chet Reyen, Donald Heatherington, Tim Layten) 8:23.71.

HJ – Cody Crampton (Cranton) 6-6

PV – Ian Rock (Davis) 15-7

LJ – Dillon Root (Redwood) 22-6

TJ – Johnny Carter (Team Raw) 47-11¼

SP – Nicholas Scarvelis (Dos Pueblos) 63-4½.

WT – Brad Bolton (El Toro) 73-4

Katie Zingheim was the winner of the pole vault at 12-7.

Photo by Todd Shurtleff

GIRLS

55 – Strangenae Campbell (Pinole Valey) 7.03

600 – Danni Alakija (Oaks Christian) 1:29.37

800 – Savannah Camacho (Templeton) 2:16.91

Mile – Ashley Roberts (Riverside Poly) 5:12.15

2-mile – Jessie Peterson (unattached) 11:06.75

55 hurdles – Sasha Wallace (Holy Names) 8.01

4x145 relay – Long Beach Poly ‘A' (Richard Smith, Kameron White, Blake Gray, Austin Gunter) 66.26

4x400 relay – Serra ‘A' (Jasmine Hall, Kayah Aquodo, Deena Pierce, Dawnielle Baucham) 4:01.23

4x800 relay – Rio Mesa (Jena Nava, Anika Gasmer, Sabrina Sewell, Yvonne Solis) 10:38.30.

HJ – Hannah McDaniel (San Marcos), Tess Roundtree (Paso Robles), Reagan Nizdil (Rio Mesa) and Courtney Tuck (Petaluma), all 5-4. (McDaniel wins on less misses).

PV – Katie Zingheim (Granite Bay) and Robyn Morioka (West) 12-7

LJ – Shanice Stewart (Carter) 19-3

TJ – Sasha Wallace (Holy Names) 40-5¼

SP – Lacie Basley (Shafter) 43-1¼

WT – Katie Kraychir (Desert)

See all results.