Downey high jumper is state meet-bound

Anne Stuart bounced from the high jump pit, and her face bore a 1,000-watt smile.

The Downey High junior cleared 5 feet, 3 inches – a personal best for her in competition – on her first attempt Thursday. She and her coach Shawn Caris knew what that meant: Stuart had positioned herself for a berth in next week’s CIF State Championships.

Sure enough, Stuart’s leap held up for a surprising third place at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Track and Field Championships. It was a pinch-me moment for an athlete who walked away from soccer two years ago to concentrate on the high jump.

“You try to keep it calm, but after the 5-3, it was like, ‘Whoa!’” Stuart said. “I’m glad to say Downey got there.”

She referred to Buchanan High in Clovis, the venue for the state meet. The daughter of a former high jumper extended her season to the maximum, the goal for every athlete at Elk Grove High.

The Masters first day featured finals in six events and, on the track, preliminary heats to qualify in the top eight for Friday night’s finals. The top three finishers in each event, plus those who meet or exceed the standard time or mark, go to state.

Stuart appeared to be a longshot. She squeezed into the Masters by hitting 5-2 on her final try for sixth place at last week’s Division I meet. That left her in a small army of contenders, all behind a few favorites, for the coveted three berths.

“I made 5-2 and had a good try at 5-4 last week,” Stuart said. “I knew I had a chance to do this.”

Her buildup was steady – clearances of 4-11 and 5-1, both after a miss. Her approach on the runway at 5-3, however, was perfect. The bar did not move as she muscled over it.

Equally important, she was successful on the first attempt. Four cleared 5-3, but Stuart got the nod due to fewer misses. Amanda Brooks of Franklin of Elk Grove won and Shelby Dozier of Bella Vista was runner-up. Both topped 5-5.

“Last year, I was terrible at this meet (4-11). When I was a freshman, I missed the starting time. I was coming back here for redemption,” Stuart said. “This year I’m a little older. It taught me that you can mess up and still show people you can jump.”

Enochs junior Claire Seymour is showing people she can run. A week after she logged an impressive 55.48 in the 400 meters, she won her heat with room to spare in 55.80, by far the best time in the trials.

Seymour received even more good news when St. Francis’ Ariane Arndt, top-ranked in the section in the 400, scratched to concentrate on the 800 (she’s the two-time defending section champion) and both relays.

“Today went pretty good,” Seymour said.

Gregori freshman Briseida Garcia led for most of her heat in the 800 before she placed second at 2:14.56, fourth overall and good for a finals spot. Downey senior Andrew Raspo won his heat of the 100 (10.98) and automatically advanced to the finals.

Pitman junior Isaiah Marable, assigned to the slowest of the three heats of the 400, was timed in 49.87 and squeezed into the finals.

Sierra junior Bikram Thiara advanced to the finals in two events – the 110 hurdles (14.50) and the 300 hurdles (38.83).

Oakdale senior Kai Tanner, the D-II/III champion last week at Bella Vista, placed a thankless fourth in the shot put (39-7).

Two 15-foot pole vaulters, seniors Brandon Schimunek of Central Catholic and Zayn Largent of Modesto, saw their seasons end. Both cleared 14-6, resulting in a seventh for Largent and a 10th for Schimunek.

The Downey 4x100 relay team recorded a 42.74 for ninth overall, a tenth of a second shy of the finals.

East Union freshman Jadyn Snaer, the daughter of Modesto Junior College track coach Demitrius Snaer, was timed in 12.57 in the 100 and missed a finals berth by one-hundredth of a second.

This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 1:24 AM with the headline "Downey high jumper is state meet-bound."