This year marked the first time that medals were presented to the top nine place-finishers in each event at the state track and field championship meet. Previously, only the top six-place finishers had received state medals.
East County qualified athletes in 17 events, notched finalists in seven events and scored four medals over the course of the two-day meet, which took place under rather mild weather conditions in the notoriously hot Central Valley at Clovis’ Buchanan High School.
Valhalla senior A.J. Cornthwaite was the highest East County place-finishers with a bronze medal in the boys long jump with a personal record leap of 23-4.75.
Other East County state medal-winners included Liberty Charter senior Micah Sanchez (fifth in the boys 3200 run), Steele Canyon junior Nicoletta Burkhardt (seventh in the girls 400 dash) and the Steele Canyon girls 4×100 relay team that included freshmen Kaliani Ewing and Ily Barclay, junior Brionna Dickens and Burkhardt.
Cornthwaite had qualified as the San Diego Section champion with a then personal best mark of 23-2.25. He extended that after jumping 23-2.75 in the preceding state prelims on May 26.
When the last jump had been taken, the Norseman standout had upped his mark by two inches from the section finals.
Sanchez, the Division III champion at the section in the boys 1600 with a 4:11.64 PR and first in Division III in the 3200 at 9:10.66, placed fifth in the 3 0-deep eight-lap race at state with a personal best time of 8:58.26, eclipsing his best time in the event by eight seconds.
Highland senior Matthew Donis won this year’s race in 8:51.37, followed by Millikan junior Jason Parra in 8:53.69. Sanchez was among seven runners in the field to dip under the celebrated nine-minute mark.
“It’s unbelievable from the middle of the season,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting to be here. I’m so stoked. This race I wanted to stay positioned and let everyone push me. I just told myself to stay in the front pack. I knew they would take me with them. I knew I could finish really strong.”
COUGAR COUNTRY
Steele Canyon entered the state meet after having won the Division I girls team championship at the section finals while qualifying athletes in six events. The state prelims were generally unkind to the Lady Cougars with athletes in just two events advancing to the finals.
The women of Steele did leave their mark with a ninth-place finish in the 4×100 relay in 47.77. The quartet had set the school record in the event in the preceding day’s prelims at 47.48 after winning the event at the section finals in 47.58.
Burkhardt, the Division I section champion with a personal record 55.13. came back strong a few events later with a time of 55.91 to place seventh in the 400 dash.
Among those who also passed through to the finals, Santana senior Jenna Fields (Division II section champion in both the girls long jump and triple jump) placed 11th in the long jump at 17-0.75 after jumping 18-0.5 in the prelims. She set a PR of 18- 3.5 in placing first at the Grossmont Conference championship meet on May 5.
The prelims were unkind to other East County athletes, however.
Steele Canyon senior Kennedi Jones (the Division I section champion at 39-1.5) finished 16th in the girls shot put with a mark of 38-5 while Helix’s Shani Ford (39-1), Tesa Liafau (36-1) were 13th and 21st out of 24 throwers in the field.
Fields finished 18th in the girls triple jump (36-0.75) to miss qualifying for the finals in two events.
Barclay (the Division I section champion in both the 100 and 200 dashes) finished 21st out of 30 entrants in the girls 100 dash in 12.20.
Steele Canyon junior Lillian Cook finished 20th in the 300 low hurdles (45.83) while placing 23rd in the girls 100 low hurdles (15.35). She had placed third at the section finals in both events — 15.25 in the 100 lows and 45.02 in the 300 lows.
Thank you for highlighting our high school athletes making their way to State! They’ve all worked hard and represent East County well.