Track and field notes: Modesto-area athletes highlight field at County Clash Championships
On Friday, over 100 of the top athletes from Stanislaus, San Joaquin and Merced counties competed at Oakdale High in the County Clash.
Each county held its own individual meet through March, with the top placers from each meeting at Oakdale High for bragging rights to call themselves the best in the southern part of the Sac-Joaquin Section. The meet started at 3 p.m. and extended past 7:30 p.m. The top three place finishers in each event earned patches.
Teams dive right into league meets starting this week.
Thanks to recent improvements that produced an all-weather track, Gregori on Wednesday will be the first Modesto school to host all six Central California Athletic League schools for a track meet in the league’s history.
League commissioner Ed Felt said that in the past, Downey has hosted dual meets, but not the six-school “center meets.” Pitman High, which recently installed lights at its field that has an all-weather track, hosted the first CCAL meet March 6. The third CCAL will be held at Turlock High.
The MJC High School Invitational is also Friday, where junior varsity boys and boys and girls varsity teams from 29 schools compete. The event features fully automatic timing with CalTiming and live results will be available at caltiming.com.
Medals will be handed out to the top three in each event and an award will be given to the top three teams in each division. An MVP award will also be handed out to the outstanding varsity boys and girls and a boys JV athlete.
League meets continue through May until Sac-Joaquin Section Divisionals during the second week of the month. Sac-Joaquin Section Masters is May 17-18 at Davis High.
On Friday at the County Clask, Stanislaus District athletes set personal and season records.
On the boys side, Zachary Early set a new personal record in the 400m and Oakdale’s Omar Alsaidi set his own in the 800m, both winning their events. Davis High’s Diego Cibrian was one of the Stanislaus District’s highlights in the 3200, finishing second and running a personal best time.
On the girls side, Hlimar’s Jayme Soares ran season and personal records in the 100 and 200, respectively. Ripon had a pair of runners, Clara Schoollard in the 400 and Starla Skiles in the 100 and 300 hurdles, who recorded personal and season bests. Davis 1600 runner Jymena Nguyen-Marquez ran a personal best. All runners won their events.
For full results, visit the event page on Athletic.net.
Here are some other highlights from Friday’s County Clash:
Davis runner wins girls 1600 with personal best
Davis High sophomore Jymena Nguyen-Marquez is making waves in just her second year of high school, claiming the crown as the top 1600 runner among the Sac-Joaquin Section’s southern schools, posting a personal best 5:28.17 Friday. It was her second straight first-place finish at 1600 after winning the Davis-Ceres-Mountain House Tri-Meet.
Marquez was one of the three Stanislaus District runners to PR while finishing in the top 5 of the event. Hilmar junior Sophia Lopes (5:30.11) and Riverbank junior Jessica Vigil (5:39.23) each set new top times. They finished second and fourth, respectively.
Marquez also set a personal record in the 800, posting a 2:32.86, finishing in sixth.
Siebert wins boys 100m with season best
Pitman High’s Blayne Siebert took first in an ultra competitive 100 meters race as the sun began to set Friday afternoon. The senior UC Davis signee won the third heat with a season record time (10.75) to claim his third 100m win this season. He won the first CCAL meet then claimed the Stanislaus County championship March 8. Siebert also finished first in the 200, finishing in 21.81, just off his personal record set March 15 at the Gateway to Track and Field Invitational (21.57). Carson Lamb of Downey also ran well in the 200, finishing fifth, Central Catholic’s Zachary Early ran a personal record 23.02 and Pitman’s Sean Forte ran a personal record 23.06.
Ripon’s Skiles dominates hurdles
Starla Skiles was in complete control of the 100 and 300 hurdles Friday. The junior set a pair of bests, recording a personal best 15.57 in the 100 and a season record 47.15 in the 300. After finishing fifth in the 100 and fourth in the 300 at the March 2 Timberwolf Invitational, she has finished in first in both events the last three times she has competed, highlighted by San Joaquin County and County Clash first-place finishes.
Central Catholic runner wins 400
“That was a good race!” were the first words an amped Zachary Early of Central Catholic yelled after winning an exciting boys 400 meter race Friday. The senior finished in 50.04, setting a new personal record. Early has won each 400 that he’s competed in so far this season, taking first in the 5th Annual Tiger Rustbuster Invite and The Timberwolf Invitational. He won the Stanislaus County championship March 8 before competing at the County Clash. He left the event with a pair of PR’s, his 23.02 in the 200 meters topped his previous record by over a second.
Enochs and Downey girls PR in 200 sprint
A pair of Modesto high school girls runners set new records in the third heat of the 200m sprint. Enochs junior Natalie Thorning and Downey senior Jada Orona each finished in the top 3 with Thorning coming in second with a 26.10 and Orona running a 26.36, good for third. Orona also PR’d in the 100, finishing fourth. They were followed by Hilmar’s Jayme Soares, who ran a personal best in the 200 and a season best in the 100. Atwater junior Jordin McDowell won the event, running a personal best 26.04. Modesto Christian’s Kylea McNeely rounded out the top five. All five ran in the third heat.
Oakdale’s Alsaidi leads record-filled 800 meter field
Omar Alsaidi set his third record in a month at the County Clash. The Oakdale senior set a season record in the 1600 at the Stanislaus County Championships March 8, set a personal record in the 3200 at the Dublin Distance Fiesta and Friday set a new 800 meter personal record, running a 2:00.12 to earn the title of best of the three counties. Alsaidi came in first ahead of Ripon’s Luke Bair and Devin Fitzpatrick, who set personal and season bests, respectively, Manteca’s Dario Rodriguez, who PR’d. Beyer senior Jackson Olsen rounded out the top five with a season best 2:02.26. Ceres High’s Sergio Torres and Pitman’s Colvin Hamel finished in sixth and seventh place, respectively and both PR’d.
