By Leonard COUTIN

Finalists in the CIF Masters Meet were welcomed to Buchanan High School’s newly renovated all-weather track for the 101st CIF State Track and Field Championships this past weekend. The two-day event began with prelims on Friday and finals competition on Saturday. The CIF State Track and Field Championships is considered the most grueling of all track and field competition at the high school level. Those who qualified for the finals were the top six in the running events with two heats, the top 12 in all field events and the top nine in both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.

Attempting to qualify while reserving one’s strength was the key to the competitors’ success as they completed the prelims then rested overnight before Saturday’s finals. Falcon champion runner Dylan Wilbur, with the help of head CV Coach Mark Evans, planned his strategy. Wilbur’s mark of 4:12.31 in the 1600m at the Southern Section Division 1 track and field finals on May 11, which earned him the win, no doubt boosted his spirits greatly. At the Masters Meet last weekend, Wilbur clinched fourth place in the 1600m with a time of 4:12.78.

About 18,000 visitors filled Buchanan’s Veterans Memorial Stadium over the course of the weekend. Field events on Saturday started at 4 p.m. with running at 6 p.m. In the 1600m, Matt Strangio of Jesuit took the lead with Christopher Middleton of Dublin running alongside. Wilbur positioned himself in the middle of the pack running sixth as they approached the first of four laps. At the second lap, Peter Herold of Junipero Serra took the lead followed by Strangio and Middleton; Wilbur maintained his position. Approaching the third lap, Strangio burst out to take the lead again followed by Middleton and Herold. Approaching the final lap, Strangio took advantage of his dominant position and separated himself ending with a 12-meter lead when he crossed the finish line with a strong time of 4:08.07. Wilbur placed eighth with a time of 4:14.56.

Top seven marks were Matt Strangio of Jesuit (4:08.07), Colin Peattie of Belarmine (4:09.99), Liam Anderson of Redwood (4:10.26), Anthony Grover of Junipero Serra (4:10.60), Christopher Middleton of Dublin (4:10.96), Peter Herold of Junipero Serra (4:11.85) and Sebastian Fisher of Laguna Beach (4:13.06).

This was the final meet of the season for Dylan Wilbur. He most likely welcomes the summer break and the chance to return as a competitor next year.     

Another Pacific League standout was Jayla Flowers, a sophomore from Burbank High. In the prelims, she triple jumped 39-01.25 to better her PR and qualified in ninth place for the finals. Two obstacles faced Flowers on Saturday evening: qualifying in the first round of the finals and posting another personal best mark in the last round. Flowers posted a triple jump of 38-09.25 on her fifth jump in the last round but needed another PR to get on the podium. As she ran down the runway, her lift on her sixth jump marked another personal record of 39-06.00 to earn her fifth place at the CIF State Finals. She was the only Pacific League qualifier to get on the podium this year. 

  Leonard Coutin