Ventura County athletes ready for the spotlight at CIF State track and field championships

These aren’t the events in which Lauren Thai envisioned herself competing at the state meet.

Even the school she’s representing has been a late change.

One year after missing the postseason entirely with an injury, Thai will be competing this weekend at the CIF State track and field championships in Clovis.

Despite the twist and turns of an eventful senior year, which she began as an Agoura High long jumper and will end as a Thousand Oaks High hurdler.

“It is a whole different training program, a whole different school,” Thai said. “It was definitely a big adjustment.”

When her family moved earlier this year, Thai transferred to Thousand Oaks High on the cusp of her senior season.

Thousand Oaks coach Marlene Harmon Wilcox called Thai’s arrival “an exciting challenge.”

“At first, I was really excited,” Wilcox said. “But, to be honest with you, there was a moment of panic.

“Any time you change a program, you usually go down before you come back up.”

That would take bravery. At Agoura, Thai had primarily competed in the jumps. At their first training session, Harmon saw potential in the hurdles.

Thai, who hadn’t run the 100-meter hurdles since she was a freshman, told her she was willing to try anything for the team.

“It turned into every week getting better,” said Thai. “Now I’m going to state for both hurdles.”

Read more: Here's who won girls titles at CIF-SS track championships

At last week’s CIF-Southern Section Masters meet, the UC Irvine commit responded to the disappointment to not advancing in the long jump by finishing third in the 100 hurdles in a personal-record 14:26 seconds and sixth in the 300 hurdles in 45.07.

Qualifying for both events in Clovis is Friday, with the championships Saturday.

“She did it,” Wilcox said. “She went for it. She has the courage of a lioness.”

Doing the double

Thai is one of three Ventura County athletes who will compete in two events this weekend, joining Newbury Park senior Sam McDonnell and Ventura freshman Sadie Engelhardt.

A week after becoming the first Ventura County runner — male or female — to sweep the 1,600 and 3,200 meters at the Masters meet, McDonnell is focused on an individual state title.

The title would be sweetened by events in the fall. The University of Alabama commit led the CIF State Division 1 cross country race nearly the entire course, until McClatchy junior Anna McNatt edged her in the final 100 meters.

“It would be awesome,” McDonnell said. “Cross country was such a disappointment, obviously. ... Things like that happen. It’s part of the sport. It’s nothing I’m going to beat myself up on too much. I’ll take it as a learning experience.

“It would be awesome to get one of those titles. It would be incredible.”

McDonnell and Engelhardt will compete against each other in the girls 1,600 meters, bringing in two of the top six times in the country.

Engelhardt is the national leader at 4:33.29, while McDonnell is sixth at 4:38.91, according to Dyestat.com. Mira Costa senior Dalia Frias, who is second at 4:33.54, is also in the race.

Teammate Ailish Hawkins and Oaks Christian sophomore Payton Godsey join McDonnell in the 3,200.

Related: Here's who won boys titles at CIF-SS track championships

Engelhardt will also run the 800 meters. Her time of 2:05.66 ranks fourth nationally.

The freshman phenom also ran the anchor leg of Ventura’s 4x400 relay the past two weeks. But an alternate will “most likely” take her place Friday, according to Ventura coach Tyree Cruz.

“All through the season she’s quadrupled for us,” Cruz said. “The state meet is a different animal with qualifying on Friday and Saturday. It’s a big ask for a freshman.”

Emerging from the pack

During a career that has included league, section, state and national championships, Daniel Appleford repeatedly delivered for the Newbury Park High boys cross country team.

In winning the boys 3,200 meters last week at the Masters meet, the senior found himself in an unusual place.

Center stage.

“I’m hungry,” Appleford said. “It comes down to how mentally hard you can push.”

With teammates Colin Sahlman, Lex Young and Leo Young opting out of the CIF postseason, Appleford finds himself carrying the torch for Panthers’ nationally renowned program.

Sahlman, Lex Young and Leo Young are ranked first (8:33.32), second (8:35.72) and third (8:39.57) in the event nationally. Appleford is 16th (8:52.19).

Clovis junior Christopher Caudillo, who is ranked sixth (8:45.19) nationally, may be the favorite.

“I get this chance,” Appleford said. “I just take it as me going out to run. A lot of people definitely underestimate me.”

After a high school career running in the biggest meets, Appleford is prepared for Clovis.

“I’ll approach it with the same mentality,” Appleford said. “It’s a running event.”

Other races to watch locally include the boys 800, which will feature Thacher senior Ellis Delvecchio and Newbury Park junior Aaron Sahlman, and the boys 1,600, which will feature Agoura senior Ethan Godsey and Royal junior Jonah Bazerkanian.

Other local qualifiers include Oaks Christian’s Niya Clayton (girls 100 hurdles), Calabasas’ Amia Witt (girls high jump), Villanova Prep’s Liam Gair (boys 400), Moorpark’s Jordan Navarro (boys high jump), Westlake’s Adam Laycock (boys discus), and Foothill Tech’s Aidan Hagerty and Oaks Christian’s Jake Reed (boys pole vault).

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: Ventura County athletes ready for state track championships