Stanislaus District sends 10 individuals, one relay team to state track championships
Top Stanislaus District track and field athletes competed against the best from across the Sac-Joaquin Section Friday and Saturday in hopes of advancing to the 103rd CIF State Track & Field Championships.
Local participants in Saturday’s Sac-Joaquin Section Masters championship finals qualified for state in a number of events including pole vault, discus throw and a number of sprint and distance track events. The top three finishers in each event advanced to the state championships that will be held May 26-27, at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
Local highlights included first place finishes in pole vault and the boys 800 meter, as well as second-place finishes in the boys 1,600 and 3,200 and the girls 4x400 relay.
Turlock’s McFarlane continues pole vault dominance
Max McFarlane on Friday afternoon won the pole vault final, adding to what has become a highly decorated career. The junior, who currently holds the state’s third-highest mark at 16-foot-5, which he set at the section’s Division II meet while taking turns going from pole vault to triple jump.
“I love what he brings to the pole vault in that he is there to be good,” said Turlock High coach Bergann Hernandez. “He has his goals, he knows what he wants. Everything that you put into an athlete as a coach, he is reciprocating with his effort.”
McFarlane does not come from a long line of pole vaulters and Hernandez, who knew McFarlane’s parents, was introduced to him when he was younger. “He tried pole vaulting and he liked it and he kept coming back.” she said.
Friday, he not only won the pole vault at 15 feet, beating out Benjamin Feyrer of Davis and Collin Young of Jesuit, he also qualified for the triple jump final.
While pole vault is where he has been most successful, he participated in every jumping event at the Central California Athletic League meets.
“He’s a team guy,” Hernandez said. “He wants the team to win so he knows he has to do his part.”
Pitman’s Stout qualifies in two events
Pitman High’s Joey Stout had never been to state until this year. Stout, a senior who also starred on the Pride’s football team, qualified at 200 and 400 meters after finishing second in both events at Saturday’s Masters after running the 200 in 21.84 seconds and the 400 in 48.27.
He considers the 400 his specialty after consistently dropping his time 6 seconds since his sophomore year, he ran a personal best 47.99 at the Division II section prelims. It is the 11th best time in California this year. Stout says running both events works hand in hand.
“Training for the 400 has prepared me for the 200 because you need to be a strong sprinter for the 200.” he said.
Stout ran the 400 first, finishing behind Vanden’s Brayden Chavez, who set a new personal best, and about an hour later, he ran the 200.
He was disqualified in the prelims of last year’s Masters 400 on a lane violation, so this year’s prelims he was focused on correcting his mistake. In the final, he had to make up ground, going from fourth to second, after getting out of the blocks slowly.
At state, his plan will be simple.
“Compete, get out of the blocks,” he said. “I normally look at the race at about 150m and if people are ahead of me I have to pick it up, and mentally, be more prepared.”
Stout’s “kill day” was Monday. He trained his hardest, running and working out to break down his legs, Tuesdays are speed work days, Wednesdays are for recovery, Thursday he will prepare for the meet and Friday, “Go run our hearts out.”
Walker’s 400 good enough for state
Turlock High junior Olivia Walker’s 400-meter wasn’t her best, but it was good enough to advance to state.
“I was looking to get to state,” Walker said of her goals. “I knew that if I ran my best I could win it. I fell a little bit short of my best but I’m happy I made it to state.”
Walker has seen improvement from last year, when she finished fourth at Masters. She set personal bests at 100, 200 and 400 meters while also competing in the high jump and running on the 4x400 team.
Saturday’s 400 finish was as close as it could get. Walker and second-place finisher Diyanna Hackley of St. Mary’s both recorded 57.38.
“I thought I at least got fourth or third.” she said after the race.
The difference between fourth and third is often less than two seconds and includes a reward — a 100-mile trip south down Highway 99 to Buchanan High School in Clovis. Walker missed out on state in the 400 last season, but this year will be one of three Sac-Joaquin Section girls 400 representatives.
“I’m very excited ... I get another shot at running a 400 because that’s what I want to do when I’m older.”
Walker qualified for state in the high jump and helped the 4x400 team that also includes Ava Torres, Zoe Lamur and recent Fresno State signee Ella Spaulding advance as well after finishing second behind Christian Brothers.
Oakdale’s Cavanaugh, Daley go the distance
Oakdale’s Caleb Cavanaugh and Dax Daley qualified for state in the 1,600 and 3,200, respectively, after both finishing second in their events. Cavanaugh ran his 1,600 in 4 minutes, 15.21 seconds, holding off Ryan Martin of River City and Callum Turner of Whitney, who both ran personal bests Saturday. Daley picked the perfect time to be at his best. The senior qualified for state with a personal best 9:08.84.
Daley qualified for state in a field littered with seven personal records including his teammate at Oakdale, Ismael Dominguez (9:29.03), and Gavin VanOostende, who ran a Turlock High record 9:25.56.
Lighthall easily takes 800
Hughson senior Joe Lighthall will have one more shot to crack his goal of a sub-1:50 800. Lighthall ran away from the competition in Saturday’s 800 final, finishing in 1:53.41, nearly two seconds faster than the second-place finisher. Lighthall repeated as Masters champion after running a 1:54.25 last season.
Sometimes things just don’t go your way and that’s what Lighthall was feeling during the race Saturday. He knew beating his personal record of 1:51.95 would have to wait until the next meet.
“300 meters in I’m like, ‘Wow, this sucks,’” he said. “My whole body was not moving the way I wanted it to.”
Last year, he PR’d in the prelims at state and was just happy to be among the talented finals field — he finished seventh. This year he says his strategy will be different.
“My goal is more oriented towards doing well in the finals instead of doing well in the prelims,” he said after Saturday’s 800 final. “Last year (the goal) was make it to finals, this year, I hope to win.
“My plan at state is on the back stretch to see if I can take the race. Just tuck it.”
Stanislaus District state qualifiers
Caleb Cavanaugh, Oakdale, boys 1,600
Olivia Walker, Turlock, girls 400, high Jump
Turlock Girls 4x400: Ava Torres, Olivia Walker, Zoe Lamur, Ella Spaulding
Joey Stout, Pitman, boys 400, 200
Joseph Lighthall, Hughson, boys 800
Dax Daley, Oakdale, boys 3,200
Shaylan Roy-Williams, Turlock, girls long jump
Max McFarlane, Turlock , boys pole vault
Chidiebere Agunanne, Modesto, girls triple jump
Logan Edwards, Enochs, boys discus throw
Phoenix Nunez-Bradshaw, Turlock, boys discus throw
