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Field day for Bay Area girls at state meet
The female distance and weights competitors made the biggest impact among Bay Area athletes in the searing heat Friday at the CIF state track and field trials in Clovis.
The weights trio of Elena Bruckner (Valley Christian-San Jose), Pamela Amaechi (Lincoln) and Hannah-Sophia Hall (James Logan-Union City) advanced in both the shot put and discus at Buchanan High School.
Bruckner was the top qualifier in both events, going 165 feet, 6 inches in the discus and 51-9½ in the shot put.
What didn’t figure was that Mount Miguel’s Laulauga Tausaga-Collins, a senior from the San Diego Section, fouled on all of her throws in both events.
“You don’t wish that upon your competitors, but that definitely opens the door for Pamela and the other girls,” Lincoln coach Phil Doherty said.
Amaechi struggled somewhat in the shot put, but her mark of 43-9¾ ranked fifth as she advanced to the finals.
Hall, a sophomore, qualified 10th in the shot put (41-6) and seventh in the discus (143-10).
The top 12 in the field events and top nine in the running events qualified for Saturday’s finals, which have been moved to 6:15 p.m. (field events) and 7 p.m. (running) because of the heat.
Three Bay Area girls running the 1,600 — Monte Vista-Danville senior Brooke Starn (4:50.23), Granada senior Megan McCandless (4:50.45) and Sonoma Academy-Santa Rosa sophomore Rylee Bowen (4:52.33) — advanced.
The day’s biggest surprise locally came in the 100 hurdles, where 2014 state champion and 2015 runner-up Mecca McGlaston failed to advance.
The Dublin senior and USC signee, who rested her injured knee most of the season, appeared to pull a muscle and had the 10th best time of the day, 14.51.
El Cerrito junior Kaylah Robinson (13.62) and Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland senior Kara Awakoaiye (13.87) qualified second and fourth, respectively, in the 100 hurdles.
The Bellarmine 400 relay team of Troy Martig, Kyle Macauley, Devon Buenrostro and Earvin DaSilva won its heat in 41.49, the second fastest time of the day.
Another CCS sprinter, Palo Alto senior Eli Givens, qualified in the 100 with the eighth best time at 10.73.
Las Lomas-Walnut Creek senior Anaya Alexander recorded the fifth-best 400 (54.81) and O’Dowd sophomore Tierra Robinson-Jones had the seventh-best time at 55.04 as both qualified for the finals.
De La Salle-Concord senior Jonathan Harvey advanced in the 110 hurdles (14.43) with the seventh best time but failed to qualify in the 300 hurdles.
METRO AREA Qualifiers for Saturday’s finals
Jason Smith (Riordan) 23-5¾; triple jump:
Taylor Johnson (King’s Academy), 18-5¾; triple jump: 3.
More...
The female distance and weights competitors made the biggest impact among Bay Area athletes in the searing heat Friday at the CIF state track and field trials in Clovis.
The weights trio of Elena Bruckner (Valley Christian-San Jose), Pamela Amaechi (Lincoln) and Hannah-Sophia Hall (James Logan-Union City) advanced in both the shot put and discus at Buchanan High School.
Bruckner was the top qualifier in both events, going 165 feet, 6 inches in the discus and 51-9½ in the shot put.
What didn’t figure was that Mount Miguel’s Laulauga Tausaga-Collins, a senior from the San Diego Section, fouled on all of her throws in both events.
“You don’t wish that upon your competitors, but that definitely opens the door for Pamela and the other girls,” Lincoln coach Phil Doherty said.
Amaechi struggled somewhat in the shot put, but her mark of 43-9¾ ranked fifth as she advanced to the finals.
Hall, a sophomore, qualified 10th in the shot put (41-6) and seventh in the discus (143-10).
The top 12 in the field events and top nine in the running events qualified for Saturday’s finals, which have been moved to 6:15 p.m. (field events) and 7 p.m. (running) because of the heat.
Three Bay Area girls running the 1,600 — Monte Vista-Danville senior Brooke Starn (4:50.23), Granada senior Megan McCandless (4:50.45) and Sonoma Academy-Santa Rosa sophomore Rylee Bowen (4:52.33) — advanced.
The day’s biggest surprise locally came in the 100 hurdles, where 2014 state champion and 2015 runner-up Mecca McGlaston failed to advance.
The Dublin senior and USC signee, who rested her injured knee most of the season, appeared to pull a muscle and had the 10th best time of the day, 14.51.
El Cerrito junior Kaylah Robinson (13.62) and Bishop O’Dowd-Oakland senior Kara Awakoaiye (13.87) qualified second and fourth, respectively, in the 100 hurdles.
The Bellarmine 400 relay team of Troy Martig, Kyle Macauley, Devon Buenrostro and Earvin DaSilva won its heat in 41.49, the second fastest time of the day.
Another CCS sprinter, Palo Alto senior Eli Givens, qualified in the 100 with the eighth best time at 10.73.
Las Lomas-Walnut Creek senior Anaya Alexander recorded the fifth-best 400 (54.81) and O’Dowd sophomore Tierra Robinson-Jones had the seventh-best time at 55.04 as both qualified for the finals.
De La Salle-Concord senior Jonathan Harvey advanced in the 110 hurdles (14.43) with the seventh best time but failed to qualify in the 300 hurdles.
METRO AREA Qualifiers for Saturday’s finals
Jason Smith (Riordan) 23-5¾; triple jump:
Taylor Johnson (King’s Academy), 18-5¾; triple jump: 3.
More...