WHAT: 90th Annual CIF State Track and Field Championships
WHERE: Cerritos College, Norwalk
FRIDAY TRIALS: Field events, start at 2 p.m., track events, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY’S FINALS: Field events start at 2 p.m.; track events, 4 p.m.
ALL QUALIFIERS: Click here.
ALL-TIME CALIFORNIA RECORDS: Click on dyestatcal.com list.
RETURNING CHAMPIONS (school, event, mark): Jasmine Joseph (Long Beach Poly, 400, 53.15), Christine Babcock (Woodcreek, 1,600, 4:38.85), Vashti Thomas (Mt. Pleasant, 100 hurdles, 13.03), Jordan Hasay (Mission Prep, 3,200, 10:06.76), Nico Weiler (Los Gatos, pole vault, 17-2).
TV: FoxSports Prime Ticket, 4 p.m., Saturday
By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
NORWALK, Calif. – It’s not just a fantastic high school meet.
Connoisseurs of the sport – and there’s a lot of them that go way back - will tell you that the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Meet is annually one of the top track and field spectacles period.
And that’s regardless of level.
Unlike Olympic, collegiate and international championships that sprawl over multiple days, the 3½-hour extravaganza around the track at Cerritos College in Saturday’s final is one-stop shop for athleticism, drama and speed.
That's a combination Hollywood is always trying to bottle.
Add in the field events that are scattered throughout the day and stadium and considering the constantly high level of athletes and sparkling marks that are produced from the state, and some consider this one of the country’s top high school events in any sport.
The 10,000 or so fans expected each day can only hope for a repeat performance from last year's state meet, when three national, four state and six state-meet marks were set at Sacramento City College’s Hughes Stadium.
This year’s event, which figures to be run under clear and mid-70s conditions, features seven athletes and one team with 2008 national leading times.
Two Northern California stars, distance runner German Fernandez (Riverbank) and jumper/hurdler Vashti Thomas (Mt. Pleasant), own two top times this year each.
Fernandez, a senior headed to Oklahoma State, has gone 4 minutes, 5.57 seconds in the 1,600 and 8:45.08 in the 3,200, while Thomas flew to the top of the national ranks in the long jump (20 feet, 5 inches) and triple jump (43-1½) in last week’s Central Coast Section finals. She’s already the defending state 100 hurdle champion..
Other Golden Staters leading the country:
Christine Babcock (Woodbridge, Irvine) 1,600, 4:36.57
Ryan Butts (Antelope Valley) long jump, 24-10½
Dominguez Boys, 4x400 relay, 3:11.50.
Jordan Hasay (Mission Prep, San Luis Obispo) 3,200, 10:03.07
Anna Jelmini (Shafter) discus, 183-11
Nico Weiler (Los Gatos) pole vault, 17-4½
Here are 10 electric storylines to follow throughout the weekend.
1. Did Babcock, Thomas and Fernandez peak a week early?
Babcock broke a national federated record last week with her 4:36.57 mark at the Southern Section Master’s Meet. With just one event to focus – she went 10:04.03 in a brilliant 3,200 duel with Hasay at the Arcadia Invitational last month – Babock could break her own mark. Thomas not only unleashed her jumps last week but recorded the country’s No. 3 100 hurdles (14.52) and won the 100, an event she dropped. Fernandez ran an easy 4:07.62 last week before recording his national 3,200 mark two hours later. A repeat performance for him would be astounding and all but assure two titles.
2. Dominguez or Poly?
The boys team competition should be a doozy and make for some major dramatics in the relays, which is always fun. The two Southern Section squads have divided the 4x100 relay most of the year, but Dominguez, the national leader, has been dominant in the long relay. The rest of the meet could very well come down to Poly 200- and 400-meter man Joey Hughes, a favorite in both events, against Dominguez’ De’Vron Walker, who could take both hurdles.
3. Which state champion will break the tie?
St. Elizabeth senior Julian Purvis won the 100 hurdles as a sophomore. Last year Purvis edged Julian to win the 2007 crown. Something will give – unless they tie – in the battle of state champions. So far, so close this year. Purvis went 13.49 last week and Thomas 13.52. Last year, Thomas won in a state-meet record but wind-aided time of 13.03. “It’s gonna take 13 flat this year,” Purvis said. Wouldn’t that be something if capable James Logan (Union City) senior Briana Stewart (13.61) steps up and beats them both.
4. Can Stanford-bound Laurynne Chetelat give Hasay a tussle?
It seemed with Babcock dropping the 3,200, Hasay would have her third straight state crown sewn up. But then Chetelat certainly lit a fire under the San Luis Obispo junior by running the sixth-fastest 3,200 in state history, 10:05.95 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters meet. “I feel now that I can at least take (Hasay) on,” Chetelat said afterward.
5. Is Ashton Purvis 100 percent?
The St. Elizabeth (Oakland) sophomore wasn’t last week while easily winning North Coast Section 100 and 200 crowns in 11.89 and 24.31. She had taken a nasty fall during practice four days earlier and twisted her knee. Her times were well off her best, but the state runner-up in both events last year had another week to rest up. She’ll probably be well enough to win her main event, the 200, but the 100 might be a tough double with another top sophomore, Jessica Davis (Highlands) having gone 11.62.
6. How low can Dominguez go?
The Dominguez (Compton) team of Kivon Grant, Manoah Wesson, Leon Dillihunt and Aaron Hester needs to go more than a second faster to 3:10.42 to move into the state’s all-time top 10 list? The Dons broke a seven-year stranglehold by Poly by winning the CIF Southern Masters title last week.
7. Will a freshman dethrone the defending champ?
The answer looks like yes but don’t ignore the will of a champion like Poly’s Joseph, a junior, who is currently running well back of teammate and freshman sensation Akawkaw Ndipagbor, who has the top qualifying mark of 53.71. Joseph is a distance second at 54.28. With those two, Poly should breeze to a pair of relay wins which should assure it of another team title. Thomas, by herself, may place second.
8. Will Jelmini surpass a legendl?
The Shafter discus thrower needs just more than five feet to surpass the state record of 188-4 set by legendary Suzy Powell (Downey, Modesto) in 1994.
9. Who will emerge in the boys short hurdles?
It’s a ridiculously wide open field in the boys 110 hurdles as 13 athletes are within a half-second. The top two qualifiers are Taft-Los Angeles sophomore Dale Morgan and Lynbrook senior Eric Surprenant, who each won their sections in 37.65.
10. How high can Nico vault?
Los Gatos senior Nico Weiler, a foreign exchange student from Germany, not only is the national leader but he set the state-meet record at 17-2. The national and state record is 18-2, Weiler’s all-time best is 17-6 ¼. The magic 18-foot mark is always a possibility when he enters. Don’t count out California (San Ramon) senior Justin Miller, who cleared 17-0 two weeks ago, if Weiler falters. In vaulting, anything is possible.
For complete details all weekend on the meet, go to maxpreps.com. E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephenes@maxpreps.com
