Chappell, Seymour lead eight qualifiers to state track

More than 101,000 athletes compete in California high school track and field each year. Only the elite remain for the 98th CIF Track and Field Championships.

Eight Stanislaus District qualifiers, led by Oakdale’s four-time Sac-Joaquin Section Masters discus champion Hannah Chappell and Masters 400-meter champion Claire Seymour of Enochs, will compete in Friday’s trials. Their goal is a berth in the finals Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High in Clovis.

Chappell, who has finished seventh, second and fifth at state, holds the best chance for a medal (top six). The Alabama-bound Oakdale star is seeded fourth with a best of 156 feet, 6 inches, but she trails the heavily favored Elena Bruckner of Valley Christian by about 30 feet.

Competing with Bruckner, the future Texas Longhorn who owns the nation’s top throw this season (186-10) and is No. 2 nationally in the shot put (a state-record 54-7), is daunting. Complicating matters will be the anticipated triple-digit heat when the discus prelims start Friday at 4 p.m. The top 12 from the field of 25 will qualify for the finals.

“I just want to place and get a medal,” Chappell said.

Seymour, who peaked at the right time to win Masters last week, qualified for state with the 16th-best time in the 400 (55.65). Her best is 55.48. She’s entered in one of the three heats, and the winner from each heat plus the six fastest times advance to the final.

“A P.R. would be really nice,” Seymour said. “I think it will be stressful but a good experience, something that I will remember forever. Just going to state is an honor.

Modesto Christian junior Nicole Warwick travels to Clovis for the second straight year. Though she’s ranked outside the state top 10 in her event, she leaped a personal best of 19-1 1/2 for second place at Masters. That mark was the sixth-best of all state qualifiers last week. She bowed out after the prelims in 2015.

“This whole year, I wanted to go back to state,” Warwick said. “Going the extra mile, working out when I’m tired, I did all of that more than ever.”

One of the most pleasant surprises last week was Downey junior Anne Stuart, who placed third at Masters by clearing a personal-best 5-3 on her first attempt.

Lathrop junior Isaias Hunter topped 6-8 at the Masters high jump last week. His impact was muted, however, when champion Elijah Holmes of Oakmont – a state qualifier in four events – went 7-1. Hunter is encouraged by one fact: Only seven in the state have jumped higher than 6-8 this season.

Sierra junior Bikram Thiara earned his state berth the hard way in the 300 hurdles. He overtook five competitors in the final 100 meters to finish third at Masters (38.09).

Merced senior Daniel Ambriz makes his first trip to state after his runner-up finish last week in the 800 (1:54.21). It was an admirable feat following his disqualification for interference in the 1600 – arguably his best race – at the Division I meet two weeks ago.

Buhach Colony freshman Morgan Johnson will be a long shot in the discus. Her best is 129-4, a PR by nearly seven feet, for second place behind Chappell last week.

This story was originally published June 2, 2016 at 4:16 PM with the headline "Chappell, Seymour lead eight qualifiers to state track."