Handicapping the CIF State Track and Field Championships

The CIF State Track and Field Championships begin Friday at Buchanan High School in Clovis. The Stanislaus District will send nine athletes, including Sac-Joaquin Section Masters champions Hannah Chappell of Oakdale (discus) and Hannah Hull of Calaveras (1,600-meter run).

Here’s an alphabetical look at how each of the nine athletes qualified for the two-day meet and what they can expect:

Anthony Santiago

School: Sierra

Event: Shot put

How he got there: The senior launched the shot a lifetime-best 57 feet, 11/4 inches and finished second in the Masters, sandwiched between Folsom heavyweight Jonah Williams (60-101/2) and Grant’s Darrin Paulo (57-1/2).

What to expect: Santiago will be chasing a school record in Clovis, but the clear favorite is Matt Katnik of St. John Bosco. Katnik is the only thrower to break the 70-foot mark this season.

Carl Chandler

School: Manteca

Event: Triple jump

How he got there: Chandler suffered a broken ankle during the fall but recovered in time to make one last run at state. With a hop, skip and jump, Chandler finished third in the triple with a personal-best 46-93/4.

What to expect: Chandler needed a 2-foot improvement to reach this point of the season. He must add another 2 feet to make a run at the podium. The senior is seeded 11th in an event tilted in Kingsburg junior Seth Brooks’ favor. Brooks is the standard at 49-93/4.

Cassi Land

School: Sonora

Event: 3,200-meter run

How she got here: The freshman qualified with a time of 10 minutes, 54.08 seconds, but more importantly she avoided Fiona O’Keeffe’s ability to reel in the field. The Davis dynamo posted the second-fastest time in the nation (10:00.85), set a Masters record and lapped nine of the section’s best along the way.

What to expect: Land’s time is the 55th fastest in the state. This race eventually will become a showdown between O’Keeffe, a two-time CIF state cross country champion, and Destiny Collins of Great Oak. Collins won the Southern Section Masters with a 10:11.64. She also has the top time in the 1,600. Land’s objective may simply be this: Don’t get caught.

Dani Olson

School: Hilmar

Event: 100 hurdles

How she got here: Olson caught everyone’s attention with a 14.90-second finish in the prelims. She backed that up in the finals, where a 15.16 placed her third behind Vacaville dynamos Jurnee Woodward and Nia Vance.

What to expect: Olson has enjoyed competing alongside Woodward and Vance, believing their speed has brought out the best in her. It will be fun to see how much time Olson can shave running alongside the fastest hurdlers in the state. Jasmyne Graham of Eastvale Roosevelt is the top seed, clocking a 13.52.

Hannah Chappell

School: Oakdale

Event: Discus

How she got here: Chappell made it 3 for 3 at Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Championships, launching her final discus into another ZIP code to claim gold. When the tape measure finally stopped, the 5-foot-4 Chappell had recorded a lifetime-best throw of 151-2.

What to expect: She returns to Clovis with a clear focus. Chappell wants to build on her runner-up finish from a year ago. Now that she’s broken the 150-foot barrier, Chappell believes she can continue to add distance. She’ll need to. The top throwers hail from Valley Christian in San Jose: Elena Bruckner, who set a Central Coast Section record with a 182-8 in the West Catholic Athletic League finals, and top seed Ronna Stone, who won the CCS title with a 155-7.

Hannah Hull

School: Calaveras

Event: 1,600

How she got here: Finished her senior season on top of the Sac-Joaquin Section, winning the 1,600 in 4:55.49. She was nearly two seconds faster than the runner-up, Kendall Derry of Bella Vista.

What to expect: Hull is a long shot to make the podium at state. Her personal best of 4:54.61 (set in the Sacramento Meet of Champions) is only the 18th-fastest time in the state. Hull is seeded 13th, but all eyes are on Collins of Great Oak. Collins’ 4:40.34 is the fastest time in the state.

Kiana Clay

School: Pitman

Event: 400

How she got here: Broke her own school record twice at the Masters and almost cracked the 54-second barrier. After posting the fastest time in the preliminaries, Clay went even faster in the final but settled for second with a 55.11.

What to expect: Clay’s personal best was believed to be the fifth-fastest time in the state, but updated results forced her down the leaderboard. Clay will be seeded 11th, but roughly a second separates the top 11 athletes. It might be asking a lot of a sprinter to shave that much time, but Clay already has cut four seconds this season.

Nicole Warwick

School: Modesto Christian

Event: Long jump

How she got here: This all-around athlete thought she might advance in a sprint event – the 200 is her favorite – but Warwick qualified in the long jump. She picked up the event two years ago and has matured quickly. She finished fourth at the Masters with a qualifying leap of 18-6.

What to expect: Warwick finds herself in the middle of the pack. The top jumpers in the state are clearing 20 feet: Courtney Corrin of Harvard-Westlake (20-23/4), Tara Davis of Agoura (20-21/2) and Ma’Ane Mosley of St. Mary’s (20-0). But would you bet against an athlete who has won a state basketball title and three individual Division IV-V track and field championships before her junior year?

Stephon Eastman

School: Buhach Colony

Event: High jump

How he got here: Eastman was down to his last attempt at 6-7 – the at-large height for state. The senior calmed his nerves and crested the bar, closing his Masters on an emotional high. He wound up fourth.

What to expect: Eastman is one of 14 athletes to arrive in Clovis with a qualifying jump of 6-7. At least the favorites won’t be much of a mystery. The top three jumpers are those who finished ahead of Eastman at the Masters: Isaiah Holmes of Oakmont (6-10), Kyle Clancy of Davis (6-9) and Phillip Fayne of Franklin-Elk Grove (6-9).

This story was originally published June 4, 2015 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Handicapping the CIF State Track and Field Championships."