Here's who won girls titles and qualified for the Masters at CIF-SS track championships

Lauren Thai embraced her disappointment, both old and new, and used it to fly over every hurdle in front of her.

Right to a pair of shiny new gold medals.

One year after missing the postseason due to injury and a little more than an hour after finishing fifth in the long jump, the Thousand Oaks High senior grabbed individual titles in both Division 2 girls hurdle events at the CIF-Southern Section Track and Field Championships on Saturday at Moorpark High.

“I was a little disappointed from long jump,” the UC Irvine commit said. “I wanted to take my energy and channel it into what I know I can do in … the hurdles.”

Shortly after finishing fifth in Division 2 in the long jump with a leap of 18 feet, 6 inches, Thai won the 100-meter hurdles in 14.50 seconds and the 300-meter hurdles in 45.08.

“I’ve really been working so hard just to keep getting better this season,” Thai said. “So winning really means a lot.”

More: Here's who won boys titles and qualified for the Masters at CIF-SS track championships

Thai also anchored the Lancers’ 4x100 relay team, which finished fifth in 48.37, and helped Thousand Oaks to a third-place finish in Division 2 as a team with 41 points.

Distance dynamos

One is on the last push of a glittering high school career.

The other is just beginning her much anticipated quadrennial.

But both Newbury Park senior Sam McDonnell and Ventura freshman Sadie Engelhardt excelled in the spotlight Saturday afternoon at their final and first, respectively, divisional finals.

McDonnell won the Division 1 3,200 in 10:28.91 and finished second to Mira Costa’s Daria Frias in the 1,600 in 4:50.35.

“It’s mainly about having fun and getting a good last workout-type meet in before the hard races come at Masters and state,” said McDonnell.

The Alabama commit also entered the day planning to run the 800, but scratched the event due to hot and windy conditions.

After making sure she advanced in the 1,600, she grabbed hold of the 3,200 after a hectic opening few laps.

“It was honestly just a matter of settling in and making sure I held a good position and didn’t really let people push me around too much,” McDonnell said.

Engelhardt breezed to victory in both the Division 2 800 (2:08.26) and 1,600 (4:43.93), then helped the Cougars’ 4x400 relay team set a school record.

“It went well today,” Engelhardt said

Engelhardt’s time in the 800 set a Division 2 record.

“I felt better during the 1,600,” Engelhardt said. “I think, during the 800, there was a lot of lactic acid built up. … The whole time I was kind of hurting.”

The 4x400 quartet of Valentina Fakrogha, Ryan Mendez, Olivia Mobley and Engelhardt finished third in a school-record 3:55.53, advancing to next Saturday's Masters meet at Moorpark.

Coyotes howl

The Calabasas High girls track and field team finally has its sectional title.

After finishing as the runner-up four straight years from 2016 to 2019, the Coyotes dramatically won the Division 3 team title with 80 points.

In the final event of the day, the quartet of Lahela Ray, Zanae Woods, Braelon Holmes and Zoe Ray won the 4x400 relay in 3:51.56, giving Calabasas enough points to leap over previous leader Harvard-Westlake, 80-79.

The team of Brooklyn Kennedy, Woods, Zoe Ray and Lahela Ray also won the 4x100 relay in 46.87 seconds.

Zoe Ray, Lahela Ray and Holmes were second (56.44), fourth (57.33) and seventh (59.27), respectively, in the 400. Rachel Bir won the triple jump title (37-3.50) and was third in the long jump (18-0.50). Amia Witt placed fifth in the high jump (5-2).

Champion quintet

Despite five individual champions, the Oaks Christian girls track team came up five points short in its quest for seventh Division 4 team title in eight seasons.

Gardena-Serra edged the Lions 83-78 after the teams finished first and second, respectfully, in the 4x400 relay, the final event of the day.

A dropped baton in the 4x100 relay at the Marmonte League finals kept the Lions out of the meet, and probably kept them from a third straight sectional title.

“There were a lot of little pieces around that could have keep the streak alive,” Oaks Christian coach Wes Smith said. ”Sometimes, the loss is what we need to get better and learn.”

There was still plenty to celebrate, however.

Junior Danielle Irvin overcame an injury at league finals to win the long jump with a leap of 18-4.25.

“I was worried that I wasn’t going to do well this weekend, because last weekend I kind of had a rough weekend,” Irvin said. “I trusted myself. I trusted my training. I’m really happy I can take that away.”

Sophomore Niya Clayton won the 100 hurdles in 14.78, was fourth in the 100 in 11.98 and fifth in the 300 hurdles in 46.34.

Clayton was focused on breaking the 15-second mark in the 100 hurdles.

“My mindset today was to qualify for Masters and get a PR, which I finally did,” Clayton said. “I was really happy about it.”

Freshman Eleanor Borchard won the 300 hurdles in 46.34 seconds.

Senior Tenly Kuhn repeated as pole vault champion with a mark of 12-0.

Sophomore Payton Godsey won the 3,200 in 10:42.45. Teammate Sarah Colebrooke was fourth (11:31.66).

“I wanted to win and score some points for my team. We’re kind of in the battle for the team title,” Godsey said.

Sophomore Elyse Grant was sixth in the 800 in 2:25.02 and Morgan Quinn was sixth in the 400 in 58.83.

More results

Powered by McDonnell and her distance running teammates, Newbury Park finished sixth as a team in Division 1 with 34 points.

Newbury Park junior Ailish Hawkins was second in the 3,200 (10:48.17) and fourth in the 1,600 (4:59.48)

Newbury Park senior Morgan Nygren was seventh in the 1,600 (5:04.90) and eighth in the 3,200 (11:35.14).

Newbury Park freshman Tiffany Sax was ninth in the 3,200 (11:31.64).

Pacifica senior Kathleen Nelson was second in the shot put, registered a 38-11 on both her first and fourth attempts.

Camarillo freshman Trinity Tipton was third in the discus (125-3) and Oxnard senior Aaliyah Espinoza was sixth (115-10).

Big days by Thai and Engelhardt helped Thousand Oaks and Ventura finish third (41 points) and sixth (30) in the Division 2 team competition, respectively.

Agoura junior Savannah Starling was seventh (47.01) and Ventura junior Donnea Prehn was eighth (48.33) in the 300 hurdles.

Agoura senior Georgia McCorkle was sixth in the 3,200 (11:14.74).

Ventura sophomore Valentina Fakrogha, Thousand Oaks freshman Madison Thai and Agoura freshman Paloma Padilla-Kastenberg (Agoura) tied for fifth in high jump at 5-0.

Westlake junior Ariella Per was fifth (110-8) in the discus and shot put (33-10.50) and Thousand Oaks junior Alexandra Farfaras was seventh (104-3) in the discus and ninth in the shot put (31-4.50).

Thousand Oaks placed fifth in both relays.

The quartet of Katherine Kelemen, Rachel Valencia, Katelyn Edwards and Thai ran the 4x100 in 48.37. The team of Madeline Convy, Edwards, Valencia and Kelemen ran the 4x400 in 4:03.72.

In Division 2, Quincie Richards of Royal was seventh in the triple jump (34-8.75). Claire Goyette of Thousand Oaks was fifth (11-6) and Claudia Turner of Westlake (10-6) was seventh in the pole vault.

In Division 3, Santa Paula sophomore Lisette Magana was fifth in the 400 in 58.69. Caitlyn Berger of Moorpark finished sixth in the 300 hurdles (48.57).

In Division 4, Foothill Tech sophomore Rebecca Walker was eighth in the 1,600 in 5:38.34. Fillmore's Thalia Avila placed eight in the shot put (31-2).

Joe Curley is a staff reporter for the Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. Follow him @vcsjoecurley on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Here's who won girls titles and qualified for Masters at CIF-SS track finals