Track: Nipomo boys and girls win CIF Central Section championships

May 17—Nipomo didn't just go to Exeter High School for the CIF Central Section divisional track and field championships to come back empty-handed.

Oh no. The Titans came back with plenty of hardware.

Nipomo's girls and boys teams each won CIF Central Section Division 3 championships at the finals held in Exeter on Friday night.

Nipomo's girls dominated their competition, scoring 129.5 points, well in front of Exeter, which was second with 67.5 points. Hanford West was third with 49 points and Templeton was fourth at 44.5.

Nipomo's boys didn't have nearly as wide a margin. The Titans won with 58 points, just in front of Tulare Mission Oak, which finished with 49 points. North Bakersfield was third with 47 points, Hanford West was fourth with 46.5 points and Reedley was fifth (42).

Girls results

Nipomo senior Iliana Murguia, a Cal State Bakersfield soccer commit, had a huge day for the Titans. Murguia won the 800-meter run, the 1,600-meter run and helped Nipomo win the 4x400 relay.

Murguia won the 800 in 2 minutes, 23.32 seconds. She won the 1,600 in 5:40.07, about five seconds in front of teammate Kayden Saunders, who was second.

Murguia, Toireasa-Marie O'Rourke, Kacie Slover and Austria Holland combined for the Titans' win in the 4x400 relay, with a winning time of 4:06.55.

O'Rourke also had a nice day for the Titans, taking second in the 100 at 12.63 seconds and winning the 200 in 25.84 seconds.

Holland was second in the 400 meters at 61.77 seconds. Saunders was also fourth in the 800.

Cramer finished second in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.84 seconds and Lily Gash was third at 17.07. Gash then won the 300 hurdles in 47.67. Gash is a sophomore.

The Titans also finished second in the 4x100 relay with Cramer, O'Rourke, Holland and freshman Brooke Marsden running in 50.68 seconds.

Senior Gracie Gutierrez had a winning mark in the high jump at 5-feet. Gutierrez also won the triple jump at 33-11, with Marsden taking second at 31-8.

Boys results

Nipomo junior Nathan Gardner is one of the top hurdlers in the area and he had a day at the CIF-CS Div. 3 finals.

Gardner cruised to a win in the 110-meter hurdles with a team of 15.21 seconds, well in front of Verquel Turner of North Bakersfield, who was second in 16.03. Morro Bay senior Phoenix Popp was third at 16.05.

Gardner then had to fend off Turner in the 300 hurdles, winning with a time of 41.10. Turner ran a PR of 41.14 to finish second and Mission Oak sophomore Kenny Jackson hit a PR of 42.33 to finish third.

Nipomo's Louis DiModica was fifth in the 110 hurdles with a PR of 16.88.

The Titans finished seventh in the 4x100 relay with Kyle Kuhn, Gardner, Raemar Agnes and Braden Reese running in 45.34 seconds.

Jared Holland, Gardner, Kuhn and Isaac Vazquez combined to finish seventh in the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:42.49.

DiModica also finished third in the jump with a mark of 5-10. Nipomo also scored some critical points in the pole vault, with sophomore Ian Dahmen taking third with a PR of 9-2. Holland also hit 9-2 and Ethan Edwards, a sophomore, was seventh with a PR of 8-8.

Kuhn then popped a critical PR in the long jump to get some more Nipomo points, taking fourth with a mark of 19-4.

Dimodica then took fifth in the triple jump at 37-11 and Reese also scored some more Nipomo points with a sixth-place finish in the triple jump at 37-0.

CIF-CS Div. 1

Washington Academic Middle School was the site of the CIF Central Section Division 1 Finals, where Pioneer Valley, Santa Maria, Arroyo Grande and Righetti competed.

On the boys side, Isaiah Abrigo popped a PR in the 400-meter run and took eighth with a time of 50.94 seconds.

Marcus Gough had a PR in the 110-meter hurdles and took third with a time of 15.36. He was then second in the 300 hurdles with a PR of 40.74.

Arroyo Grande's 4x400 relay team of Evan Lopez, Nathan Reyes, Cory Wack and Christian Munoz took fifth and Righetti's team of Isaac Hernandez, Abrigo, Ethan Hanks and Zach Monighetti was eighth.

Arroyo Grande senior Kevin Sweeney was sixth in the pole vault at 13-2 and William Dawes, an Arroyo Grande senior, was fourth in the triple jump at 43-2.

On the girls side, Righetti sophomore Riley Allen was fourth in the 100 at 12.40 and Arroyo Grande's Daniel Ruelas was fifth at 12.42. Allen was sixth in the 200 with a time of 26.03.

Ruelas had a big day in the hurdles, though. The senior won the 100 hurdles with a season best of 14.74 and then won the 300 hurdles at 43.97.

Righetti senior Tainali Felemi was fifth in the shot put with a throw of 35-2 and was fourth in the discus at 130-03.

Righetti sophomore Kendra Daniels placed second in the high jump with a PR of 5-5. Arroyo Grande senior Madeline Scovil was fourth in the triple jump at 35-11.50.

Arroyo Grande junior Taylor Jones was fifth in the 800 at 2:19.42.

In the team scores, Arroyo Grande's girls were sixth with 33 points and Righetti's girls tied for eighth with 25 points.

On the boys side, Righetti was the top Central Coast team with 16 points, finishing in 11th place. Arroyo Grande was 12th with 13 points.

CIF-CS Div. 4 Finals

Orcutt Academy and St. Joseph competed at the Division 4 Finals held at Fowler High School.

Orcutt Academy senior Dominic LaMarca was fourth in the 400 at 54.22 and Dylan Felix was seventh with a PR of 55.67.

St. Joseph's Kristiano Plato was fifth in the 800 at 2:11.18, a personal best.

Orcutt Academy's 4x400 relay team of Isaiah Dollahite, Dylan Felix, Richard Samniego and LaMarca was eighth with a time of 3:48.06.

St. Joseph junior Will Kuykendall was fifth in the long jump (20-8.50).

On the girls side, Orcutt Academy senior Belinda Hernandez was eighth with a time of 13.66.

Orcutt Academy freshman Peyton Miya was sixth in the 3,200 with a time of 13:25.21.

St. Joseph senior Kaihla Lopez took fourth in the 300 hurdles with a PR time of 51.51.

Orcutt's 4x100 team of Hernandez, Mikaela Remolacio, Maleelah Acker and Meagan Westfall was eighth with a time of 54.33.

St. Joseph sophomore Dali Oliver finished fourth in the shot put with a throw of 29-10.5.

Swimming

Tuggle wins at state

St. Joseph senior Claire Tuggle won a state championship in the 500-yard freestyle swim at the CIF State Championships held at Clovis West.

Tuggle, who swam for Clovis North during her freshman year of high school, had a dominant showing in the 500, winning by nearly six seconds.

The Virginia signee finished first with a time of 4:44.88, well in front of Abby O'Sullivan, who was second at 4:50.76.

Tuggle nearly won another state championship, finishing second in the 200 free behind Justina Kozan. Tuggle was second at 1:44.97, with Kozan winning in 1:44.63.

Righetti senior Parker Reynolds was 15th in the 200 IM with a time of 1:52.89.