CLOVIS, Calif. — On your mark. Get set. At last, let's go.
After a two-year hiatus and a three-year span, the California Interscholastic Federations' finest, most compelling, most complete sporting event returns Friday and Saturday to Veteran's Memorial Stadium on the campus of Buchanan High School.
The 102nd CIF State Track and Field Championships, cancelled both in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, takes full flight Friday and Saturday and the weather Gods have offered their support.
Conditions are warm — in the mid-to-upper 80s — but not sweltering like many of the past 11 state meets held in the heart of the raisin capital of the world.
We will offer live coverage of the event — Friday's trials and Saturday's final — right here with race updates, upsets, records and short interviews.
As a 38-year Bay Area reporter, there will be more updates on those athletes and storylines, but as a 15-year senior writer for MaxPreps, look for a more complete look at the meet, which we have all missed so thoroughly since 2019.
Here are some key links from the CIF and other track and field sites. Stay tuned and enjoy.
The Friday trials field events begin at 3 p.m. and the running events at 5 p.m. Saturday's finals begin at 4:30 p.m. with the field events and the running races at 6 p.m..
Our meet preview | State meet program | Performance list/heats | Live results
Fast start at Buchanan High
The first running race of prelims produced the fastest 4x100 girls relay in the state this year as state leader won its heat in 45.82 seconds, bettering its previous best of 45.98. The team of Kylee Davis, Tyler Gallien, Navaeh Williams and Adonijah Currie are the overwhelming favorite to take tomorrow's final.
Serra of Gardena, which won its heat in 46.36 will be a strong contender. Other teams to reach the finals were Long Beach Poly (47.60), St. Mary's-Stockton (46.70) and Carson (46.95) all have good chances to medal.
Central relay ready to win one for home crowd
The state leader in the 4x100 boys relay Central-Fresno looks primed to win a state title for the home crowd, qualifying first in 40.92 but off its best time. The squad of Jeremiah Walker, Cameron Tarver, Elijah Lindsey and Imari Conley has run 40.63.
The mild shocker in the relay was Oakland Section champion McClymonds winning its heat in 41.54 over Serra (41.57). The McClymonds squad of Javian Thomas, Michael Dansby, Jay'Vion Cole and Roland Hammonk had the 17th best qualifying time of 42.36 but that's largely because it wasn't pushed.
Earlier this season the Warriors, all members of their state championship football team, went 40.98 at the Sacramento Meet of Champions. They took it out and had a 10-meter lead heading into the anchor, where Serra (Gardena) junior sensation Rodrick Pleasant helped Serra take second in the heat.
Other who figure to push Central on Saturday are Granada Hills (41.46), Los Alamitos (41.33) and other local squad, the host school, Buchanan (41.59).
Lowell's Oliver Witt: From last to state finals
Sometimes winning a gold medal isn't the best story of a state meet. Sometimes it's just an surprise athlete getting to the finals. Oliver Witt qualifies for that.
The Lowell-San Francisco senior had the slowest qualifying time coming into the 1600 trials at 4:34.69, but that certainly wasn't indicative of his talent. He ran that slow in the San Francisco Section championships because he needed to reserve energy in order to win the 800 and 3200 which he did to help the Cardinals edge rival Lincoln for the team title, 182-178.
On Friday, he showed what he could do focusing in one event, knocking more than 21 seconds off his section time to claim the 12th and final qualifying spot with a mark of 4:13.16. He bettered his previous best of 4:14.23.
Lowell coach Andy Leong was confident Witt could do it, especially after the first heat Friday was slow. He told Witt to go out fast and he did, leading in 1:02. He eventually fell back but never faded. He said when he finished he had no idea if he advanced. "When I heard the announcer say I made it was I so happy, but I was just too tired to really react," he said.
See his complete answer below. Leong's reaction was sheer pride. "It really doesn't matter what he does tomorrow," he said. "He made the finals of state. What a great accomplishment."
Anything appears possible in the finals. The top qualifier was College Park (Pleasant Hill) junior Ale Lamoureux (4:11.62). Witt is only 1.54 seconds behind that time.
100 — Reign Redmond (Carson) 11.45
200 — Redmond (Carson) 23.86
400 — Takiya Cenci (Clovis North) 53.72
800 — Sadie Engelhardt (Ventura) 2:10.13
1600 — Dalia Frias (Mira Costa) 4:49.83
100H —Charlize James (San Diego) 13.67
300H — Karina Janik (Torrey Pines) 42.77
400 relay — Golden Valley 45.82
1600 relay — Calabasas 3:46.73
HJ — Elizabeth Churchill (Aptos) 5-6
PV — Rose Wagner (Fallbrook) 12-7 (one of eight tied at height)
LJ — Alyssa Hope (King) 20-3.75
TJ — Jada Gatlin (Mission Viejo) 40-9
SP — Hope Gordon (Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks) 42-11.25
DT — April Fontenette (Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks) 157-1
Bay Area qualifiers to finals
BOYS
100 — 6. Zach Card (Pittsburg) 10.47 (+2.4), 9. Cornell Davis (Pinole Valley) 10.59.
200 — none
400 — 8. Bryce Thomas (Moreau Catholic) 48.23
800 — 9. Furious Clay (Crystal Springs) 1:54.04; 10. Ben Pinkel (Bellarmine) 1:52.62; 11. Timothy Keller (Berkeley) 1:53.11
1600 — 1. Alex Lamoureux (College Park); 7. Harrison Dance (Saratoga) 4:12.09; 12. Oliver Witt (Lowell) 4:13.16.
110HH — 6. Anthony Trucks (De La Salle) 14.38; 8. Adam Wright (Monte Vista) 14.48; 9. Anish Kasam (Dublin) 14.50.
300IH — 4. Shawn Toney (Los Altos) 37.68.
400 relay — 3.McClymonds 41.54; 7. Pittsburg 41.68
1600 relay— 9. Dublin 3:21.66.
HJ —1T, Travis Hightower (Justin-Siena) and Chukwunonso Udeh (De La Salle), 6-4
PV —1T, Parker Terrill (Piedmont), Khaliq Muhammad (Dublin), 15-3
LJ — 7. Elias Ajamu Reed (Salesian) 23-5
TJ —10. Jacob Watts (Logan) 44-9.75
SP —None
DT — None
GIRLS100 —None
200 —None
400 — 9. Anjali Yella (Harker) 56.31.
800 — 5. Tatum Olesen (Menlo-Atherton) 2:12.05; 11. Carolina Dawson (West County) 2:13.89
1600 — 6. Brianna McInnis (Tamalpais) 4:52.35
100H — 8. Mari Testa (Campolindo) 14.50
300H — None
400 relay — 7. Campolindo 48.04
1600 relay — None
HJ — 2, Hannah Slover (Los Gatos) 5-6; 7T, Mara Lampsas (California) 5-5
PV — 10T, Jathiyah Muhammad (Dublin) 12-3
LJ —None
TJ — None
SP — None
DT — 7. Ellie Roan (West County) 133-0
