State of mind: Stanislaus District track and field athletes range from confident to coming-of-age

Hannah Chappell collected her discs, threw a bag over her shoulder and casually followed the crowd into the stadium at Elk Grove High School.

No fanfare.

No over-the-top celebration.

For this decorated and ambitious Oakdale junior, there’s work left to do.

Following a quick pit stop at the podium at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Championships, Chappell turned her focus toward Clovis, site of the CIF State Track and Field Championships.

She won’t make that trip alone.

Hilmar hurdler Dani Olson and Pitman sprinter Kiana Clay had trouble catching their breath after fans cheered them down the final straightaway. The two have seemingly tapped into another gear this postseason, and even they can’t believe the clock at the last few finish lines.

Olson knelt behind a tent after placing third in the 100-meter hurdles and wept tears of joy. So smooth and certain on the track, Clay fumbled her words in the infield, almost stunned speechless by a dramatic improvement in the 400.

In all, nine athletes from the Stanislaus District advanced to Buchanan High School on Friday and Saturday.

While many athletes, from sections near and far, followed similar paths to the final meet of the season, the Stanislaus District illustrates no two stories are alike.

Chappell is a three-time Masters champion in the discus and the silver medalist at last year’s state meet. In her final throw at Elk Grove on Friday, she uncorked a lifetime best of 151 feet, 2 inches.

The stage and pressure-packed moments no longer rattle this former softball player. She was born to throw fast and far. Her father and coach, Brett Chappell, competed in the hammer throw at Fresno State.

When Hannah’s softball career ended abruptly with an injury in eighth grade, she stepped out of the circle and into the discus ring. Softball has served as the foundation for her success in track and field.

“It’s the amount of throws. In softball, she had to throw into this tight, little window. Now she has all this,” Brett Chappell said, pointing to the sector at Elk Grove High. “You throw so much in softball. As a youth, it’s awesome. But she had injuries and with that wasn’t able to continue with softball. She had to choose a different event. Fortunately, she fell into this.”

Valley Christian (San Jose) junior Elena Bruckner owns the nation’s longest throw, a 182-foot, 8-inch moonshot at the West Catholic Athletic League Finals on May 15. It’s also the longest throw in Central Coast Section history. Valley Christian teammate Ronna Stone has the third-best mark in the state (158-10) and won the CCS title, edging Bruckner.

Hannah’s personal best at Masters is the state’s fifth-best mark. But father and daughter are adamant – they aren’t competing against Bruckner, Stone or the rest of the field in Clovis. Hannah wants to go farther than 151 feet and further up the podium, and the only obstacle in her path is, well, her.

“It’s a different monster. At least for this area, she’s the top of the mountain. Where things work easy for her, things might be difficult for other kids,” coach Chappell said. “But it’s track. It’s hard. It’s not easy to spin, land, turn and find the discus and then throw it as far as you can. This is difficult stuff; a lot of moving parts.”

Clay and Olson are just beginning to experience that mastery of mechanics.

Hilmar’s Olson is believed to be the first Yellowjacket to qualify for the state meet since actor Dot Jones (television’s “Glee”), a former Olympic hopeful in the shot put who graduated in 1982.

Olson qualified for her first state meet with a 15.16 time in the 100 hurdles. She finished third behind Vacaville twosome Jurnee Woodward (13.95) and Via Nance (15.15).

“Disbelief. I didn’t think this could happen to me. It doesn’t seem real,” Olson said. “It hasn’t hit me yet.”

It took a volunteer to make sense of the frenzy at the finish line. The gentleman approached Olson with a simple proposition: “You’re going to state … if you want to.”

Clay still can’t believe the company she keeps these days. The Pitman junior set the school record twice in the 400 en route to a second-place finish at Masters. She started the season running 59s but posted a 55.86 in the Masters preliminaries and one-upped that mark with a 55.11 in the final. It’s the 11th-fastest time in the state. Her confidence swells with each day, but she says it’s still hard to fathom her rapid improvement.

“It’s the coolest feeling. Honestly, this has gone beyond my imagination. I never thought I’d get this far,” she said. “I want to keep improving, enjoy it and see how far it goes.”

Collect your things. Grab your bags. All roads lead to Clovis.

This story was originally published June 2, 2015 at 9:49 AM with the headline "State of mind: Stanislaus District track and field athletes range from confident to coming-of-age."