Final jump lands All-District Girls Track Athlete of the Year on State podium

Give Nicole Warwick this: The recent Modesto Christian High graduate knows how to make an entrance.

Her exits aren’t bad, either.

The gifted Warwick won a CIF State championship as a freshman on the Crusaders’ 2014 girls basketball team and then closed her prep career with a silver at the CIF State Track and Field Championships.

The latter was settled on the final attempt of the long jump.

Warwick uncorked a personal-best of 20 feet, 2¾ inches, second only to Agoura High phenom Tara Davis, who won three events (100-meter hurdles, high jump) in Clovis.

“Personally, I do believe it’s my greatest accomplishment,” said Warwick, The Bee’s All-District Girls Track Athlete of the Year. “In basketball, we did it as a team, but because this is an individual sport, I do count it as my most memorable and greatest accomplishment.

“I’m still happy. When I think back, I can’t help but smile.”

Warwick was one of four Stanislaus District athletes to qualify for a final and the only female athlete to medal. She was joined on the podium by Golden Valley’s Shawn Bettencourt, who finished fifth in the 110 hurdles (13.94).

“That was my goal for the season – to make State and place. I did that and more,” she said. “I was pleased with how it ended. I waited until the last jump – I don’t know why – but I let it go on the last one. Thankfully, I pulled out a second place.”

The Masters champion refused to succumb to the pressure. After opening with a 19-4, Warwick failed to improve on her position. She was fourth going into her final jump.

“I told myself that this is the last jump of the high school season,” Warwick said. “You either end on a good note or disappointing one. I wanted to end on a good note, and the motivation overcame the pressure. I was so motivated. I was only thinking about doing it.”

Her path to the podium began at State as a junior, when Warwick missed the podium in the long jump by one spot. She finished seventh with a bound of 18-9¼.

The close call kept her on the track, even on days when her schedule was too demanding. She dedicated her summer to track, foregoing AAU with the Modesto Magic, and could be found running 300- and 400-meter repeats during the high school basketball season.

“It was a lot of work, but it was worth it,” said Warwick, who will compete in the heptathlon at Azusa Pacific next year. “I worked out more this year than the other three years, just because I was so determined. I wanted to go back to State and I knew I needed to pick up my work ethic.”

Warwick set 20 feet as her goal, and when she leapt 19-11 at the Stanislaus County Meet on March 10, her confidence soared. She improved by 18 inches and recorded three jumps of 20 or more feet, including a lifetime best at the 99th annual CIF State meet, one of the best in the country.

She also topped 20 feet at the Trans-Valley League Meet (20-0) and Masters (20-¼).

Davis won gold at State with a 22-1, eclipsing a 24-year-old national high school mark set by Marion Jones. After the meet, Davis told The Modesto Bee that Warwick elevated the field.

“It was a great experience to jump against her,” Warwick said of Davis, who is headed to Georgia. “If someone had to beat me, I’m glad it was her. She pushed me to be my best, and if I pushed her, I’m pretty happy about that.”

This story was originally published June 15, 2017 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Final jump lands All-District Girls Track Athlete of the Year on State podium."