By Leonard COUTIN

The CIF state championship track and field finals celebrated its 99th year by hosting the preliminaries on Friday and the finals on Saturday in the Buchanan Veteran Stadium in Clovis. Closing what many say was an incredible track season were many outstanding and exceptional performances that have been posted permanently in the record books.

With temperatures over 90 degrees, athletes stood firm, calculating how to maximize their performances. Understanding that competition was particularly fierce, several athletes stood out from the rest, attempting the impossible.

From Agoura High, Tara Davis single-handedly scored three medals with top performances in the 100m hurdles running a wind-aided time of 12.83, the fastest time ever for a high school runner. She also set a new state record in the long jump (22.01.00), breaking Marion Jones’ 1993 record of 22-0.50. In a wind-aided jump that could not be counted for the record she also posted a 22-01.25 mark. Lastly, with only two jumps, concluded her gold mark of 43.04.00 in the triple jump. Her executions demonstrated her grace and poise and she stands as one of the greatest high school athletes ever.

By Davis personally contributing 30 team points Agoura High came close to a first place title, but Long Beach Poly won the last event of the evening, the 4×400 relay, successfully snatching the trophy away by scoring 31 points. Agoura accepted a second place team title. Successfully setting an impressive personal achievement, Davis now leaves her final mark winning 10 individual state medals, five gold, three silver and two bronze.

Locally, only two Pacific League athletes made it to the state meet. Junior Micah Fulton from Muir moved on after winning three events at the CIF Southern Section finals, in the 100H posting 14.78, long jump 18-01.50 and triple jump 38-01.50. In the Southern Section Master Meet on May 26, Fulton placed eighth in the 100m hurdles (14.68), seventh in the long jump (18.05.50) and eighth in the triple jump (38-04.75). She qualified for the state meet in both field events. Continuing to demonstrate her strength, she posted in the state preliminaries a mark of 40-10.75 in the triple jump and a 44-04.75 jump in the finals to obtain a fourth spot on the podium. She finished eighth in the long jump with a mark of 18-06.25.  

Burroughs’ junior Christian Valles, who cleared 15-00.00 several times this year, unfortunately missed the qualifying mark for the finals and went out at 14-04 on Friday at the state meet but will return next year.

From Malibu, star distance runner sophomore Claudia Lane elected to only run one race – the 3200m at state. As the challengers were deep in strength, Lane did what she has done many times before – set the pace to her liking. Getting out strong and away from the pack, she continued to move farther away from the other runners, finishing 12 seconds ahead of the others. Finalizing a winning time of 10-07.33, she also posted two near equal 1600m times, 5-03.6 and 5:03.8.

San Luis Obispo’s Callum Bolger did the impossible in his 3200m race, coming from behind and posting a time of 8:53.91 to win against a very strong field. Blasting off his final lap as the announcer shouted out 55.7, he passed favorites Copper Teare of St. Joseph and Great Oaks Cole Spencer. Luis Grijalva of Armijo High School, who won the state cross-country title this year and clocked a winning time of 4:08.62 earlier in the evening in the 1600m, tried to make his move at the same time as his competitor, but was out distanced at the finish line to post a final time of 8:54.65 to take second place.

Pole-vaulter Rachel Baxter, a senior from Canyon of Anaheim, bedazzled the audience when she cleared a height of 14 feet and twice barely missed the 14-05 mark. Redondo pole vaulter, senior Tate Curran who has won most of the meets this year and has vaulted 17 feet, squeezed off a 16-10 jump to clinch the state title.

Southern Section continues to dominate. Calculating the number of wins at the state meet, the Southern Section took 23 of the 32 events. The significance of these winning numbers demonstrates how hard it is to make the top event of the season each year.

  Leonard Coutin