ESCARCEGA ON PREPS: AREA TRACK AND FIELD PREVIEW
Speed appears to be the name of the game in the area; South Pasadena and La Canada appear to be the teams to watch this season.
This is the first of weekly columns counting down to the CIF State Track and Field Championships on May 26-27th at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Buchanan HS, Clovis.
South Pasadena’s Boys Track and Field team photo after winning the CIF-SS Div. 3 Finals last year at Estancia HS. (Escarcega)
The early results are beginning to trickle in from the track meets throughout the area and the narrative is becoming very apparent, it’s all about speed in the SGV.
Many of the top sprinters in the Southern Section call the SGV home and are posting impressive times. Let’s take a deeper dive into each of the genders and see who’s flying and who’s not.
BOYS
Sprinters
The name you need to get acquainted with is Kerry Smith of Covina High School. The senior has the 12th fastest time in the state (according to athletic.net) with a 21.86 mark that was posted at the Colt Classic two weeks ago. If you are caught by surprise, you are not alone. His freshmen year culminated with him finishing fifth in the Valle Vista League finals.
After a limited exposure to the 2020 season due to a shortened season, Smith didn’t run at all in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s back on track and set to have a huge season for coach Kevin Glasby. He also has posted a 10.81 time in the 100 meters and 48.29 in the 400.
Sone of the other sprinters to keep an eye on includes Angelo Goody (11.01) of La Salle, a CIF-SS qualifier in 2019; Reid Pullens (11.08) of Maranatha, who hit a personal best time of 22.05 in last year’s CIF-SS Div. 4 Finals in the 200, and first-year track athlete Bruce Whitley (11.08) of La Habra.
Carlos Hernandez, who is one of the elite wide receivers in the area from Monrovia, is also running track this spring and turned in a solid time of 22.63 in the annual Pacific League vs. Rio Hondo League Dual Meet several weeks ago. Damien’s Nick Nocero (23.02) posted a decent 200m time at a Baseline League Dual Meet earlier this month.
Maranatha’s Pullens (49.68) has the fastest 400-meter time this season of 49.68 seconds that he posted at the All-Pacific League #1 meet back in February. The time was a personal best for Pullens won a CIF-SS Div. 4 title last season with a time of 49.89. Other athletes to follow include Josiah Chin (51.87) of Diamond Bar, Dylan Ochoa (51.92) of Northview, and Nicholas Mesa (51.92) of La Serna.
Distance
This year’s group of distance runners isn’t as solid as in the past, but several runners will be watched closely this spring.
La Salle’s Alexandro Alvarez, a junior, made his CIF-SS debut appearance at the Div. 4 finals last year in the 3200 meters and finished in sixth place with a 9:41.00 time. It appears as if Alvarez will be focusing on the middle-distance races, and he turned in outstanding performances in the 800 (1:59.28 – 2nd in CIF-SS D-4) and the 1600 (4:23.74 – 3rd in CIF-SS D-4).
The other outstanding distance runner to watch is John Sesteaga of Glendora. The senior has an area-best time of 4:22.99 in 1600. Walnut’s Joshua Razo of Walnut has the best mark for runners in the 3200m with a time of 9:21.05.
Other distances runners to watch include California’s Leonel Olivares (2:01.16 – 800m), Hayden Owen of St. Francis (9:33.53 – 3200m), and Andrew Garcia (2:00.70 – 800m).
Hurdles
Let the fireworks begin.
St. Francis’ Dario Rock will be one to watch in the 110 Meter Hurdles. (Photo: Rich Gonzalez, PrepCalTrack.com)
Let’s start with St. Francis’ mega-talented Dario Rock, who finished second at the Nike Indoor Nationals earlier this month (8.00 for 60m) and just missed winning the 110m Hurdles last year with a third-place effort (14.60). Since he was the only underclassman in the field for the final, he’ll be the overwhelming favorite to win a sectional final and make it to Clovis for the state meet. He has the third-fastest time for the state this year of 14.44 seconds at the Colt Classic earlier this month.
The other hurdler to follow closely is Finn Andrews of Maranatha. The senior won two silver medals at last year’s CIF-SS Div. 4 finals and has posted the seventh-fastest time in the CIF-SS with a 14.94 mark at the same Colt Classic event. He also has a sectional top-10 time of 40.65 in the 300m.
Other athletes to watch include Milo Orona (St. Francis, 16.13), Mateo Evanglelista of Walnut (16.09 – 110, 42.54 – 300), Youssef Salama (West Covina, 16.15), Nick Nocero (Damien, 41.71 – 300), Samuel Park (La Canada, 43.36 – 300) and Henry Thompson (South Pasadena, 43.44 – 300).
Field Events
South Pasadena’s Nicholas Iwankiw is a returning CIF-SS champion for the Tigers this season. (Photo: Milesplit.com)
No thrower will be under the spotlight more than South Pasadena’s Nikolas Iwankiw. The senior played a huge role in leading the Tigers to a CIF-SS Div. 3 team title with an impressive win in the shot put. Iwankiw has picked up where he left off last year in finishing second at the Redondo Nike Track Festival with a mark of 59-feet 8.25 inches, which is the sixth-best mark in the state. He also had a top-five mark in the discus for the state (177-9).
Other shot putters to keep an eye on include St. Francis’ Preston Jernigan (50-11), and Marshall’s Hagop Marmarian (50-6.5). In the pole vault, La Canada’s Steven Miketta is the area leader currently with a mark of 13-3 that he cleared at the Rosemead Invitational two weeks ago. Covina has a pair of pole vaulters to follow in Noah Sipponpak and Marcial Velasquez, who has cleared 13-0.
In the Long Jump, Devon Patton of Monrovia, who is doing track for the first time in his prep career, has opened eyes with an area-best mark of 22-5 that he hit at the Rosemead Invitational. It’s the eighth-best mark in the CIF-SS. Other athletes to watch include Nicholas Mesa of La Serna (21-10), Salvador Navarro (21-1) of La Serna, and Matthew Le of Arcadia (20-7.5).
Monrovia has another stellar jumper in Triple Jump Joshua Barron. The senior, who won a Rio Hondo League title in the event in 2019, has the best area mark in the event of 42-10.5. It places him 12th in the Southern Section.
GIRLS
Sprinters
The Pasadena area has always been known to be the home of some of the lightning-fast sprinters in the state and that will be the case in 2022.
Courtesy: Arcadia High School Athletics
Arcadia’s Sy’Rai Yarborough has caught the eye of track fans with an area-best time of 12.27 (100) and 25.79 (200). She made the final of the Redondo Mike Track Festival earlier this season. Another high-caliber sprinter to watch is Kennedy Johnson of Glendora, who is also one of the top jumpers in the area. She posted a 12.62 mark for the 100m in a dual meet earlier this season. Other sprinters to watch include Lyla Keller (South Pasadena, 12.60) and freshmen Kaylei Combest (Covina, 12.68 -100, 25.85, 25.85 – 200).
Courtesy: Glendora High School Track and Field
Glendora has another outstanding runner in Maya Shinnick of Glendora HS. The senior who was a finalist in the 100 and 200 meters at the CIF Div. 2 final last year, has picked up where she has left off with the fourth-best mark in the Southern Section with a 55.80 time at the Colt Classic three weeks ago. Two other underclass 400m runners to keep an eye out for including L’Mio Edwards (1:00.28) of Diamond Bar and Layla Roslan of Arcadia (1:00.49).
Distance
This is where the fun begins.
La Canada’s Arielle McKenzie is poised to become the next great middle-distance runner in the area. (Photo: RunnerSpace.com)
La Canada’s super sophomore Arielle McKenzie, who is poised to take the baton from Mayfield’s Audrey Suarez as the best middle-distance runner in the area, was a double gold medalist at last year’s CIF Southern Section Div. 3 championships in the 800 and 1600. This year, McKenzie has the state best time of 2:08.89 in the 800 that she posted at the Redondo Nike Track Festival earlier this year. She has yet to perform in 1600.
Walnut High School has always had a distance runner that makes significant noise, and it appears they have a new gem in Kaitlyn Smith. The freshmen has the best area time of 5:12.12 in the 1600 meters, which is the 9th fastest time for freshmen in the state.
Other athletes to watch in the 1600m include Santa Fe’s Kayla Viramontes (5:14.12), Arcadia’s Reena Hsieh (5:15.58), and Glendora’s Maia Fernando (5:16.71). Sonora’s Elizabeth Stetina, a senior, has the best time for runners in the 3200 meters with a mark of 11:05.50. South Pasadena’s Sydney Morrow also has a nice mark of 11:16.17.
Hurdles
Looking for one of the elite hurdles in Southern California, look no further than Monrovia where you’ll find senior Madeleine Conte, a returning CIF-SS champion in the Div. 3 300 hurdles. Conte has the fourth-best time in the 110 (15.29 seconds) and the sixth-best time in the 300 (46.18). Right on her heels in freshmen standout Kaylei Combest of Covina (15.59-110, 49.46-300), Niya Clayton (15.80, 100m), and Mia Holden (47.64-300) of South Pasadena and Shriya Velichala of Arcadia (47.56).
Field Events
There are several athletes to keep an eye for in the always interesting field events.
In the high jump, Glendora’s Elenore Nguyen, who finished in 4th place at the CIF-SS Div. 2 finals, and Muir’s Deniya Fields, a finalist at the CIF-SS Div. 4 finals, share the top mark of 5-4. Other jumpers to watch include La Canada’s Katie McGuiness (5-2), and volleyball stars Katherine Porter (5-2) of Los Altos and Mia Delahoussaye of South Hills (4-10).
In the Triple Jump, all eyes will be focused on Glendora’s Kennedy Johnson. The senior, who finished in fourth at last year’s CIF-SS Div. 2 finals, leads all area jumpers in the event with a 38-0 mark that was achieved at the Rancho Cucamonga Kickoff Classic. It is also the seventh-best mark in the CIF-SS. South Pasadena’s Mia Holden (35-8) and returning Prep League champion Chase Sullivan (34-7.5) of Flintridge Prep are other jumpers to watch.