ESCARCEGA ON PREPS: AREA TRACK RUNNERS BEAT THE HEAT IN CIF-SS DIVISIONAL TRACK AND FIELD FINALS AT MOORPARK HS
Monrovia's Conte and St. Francis' Rock headline an outstanding day of performances for area athletes.
Monrovia’s Madeleine Conte celebrates winning the CIF-SS Div. 3 100 Meter Hurdles final. (Photo: Raymond Tran, Milesplit.com)
MOORPARK – Every season, prep sportswriters from throughout the state attend the CIF Southern Section Divisional Track and Field finals looking for stories that will fill the pages of newspapers or content on websites and newsletters. The 2022 edition of this year’s meet didn’t disappoint at all.
Spend a day in the staging area at the meet and the stories come out like water out of a facet. On a day that saw temperatures hit 100 on the track at Moorpark High School, water was in high demand. At one point in the day, bodies were spread out all over the area after athletes competed in temperatures that were cruel to those that were not prepared for the conditions.
But some thrived in those conditions as well. Serra’s sprinters were just as hot as the stopped the timer in state-leading times that had fans memorized. There was the coming-out party for Ventura’s Sadie Engelhardt as she won two gold medals and broke the Div. 2 record in the 800 meters. Not bad for a freshman.
But the best story for area track and field fans was the performance turned in by Monrovia’s uber-talented hurdler Madeleine Conte. For the second straight year, she won the Division 3 100 and the 300 hurdle events. Her day wasn’t perfect though, as a matter of fact, it started a little slow. When she arrived at the school to enter the team bus to go to Moorpark, she forgot one thing – her uniform.
When she arrived home to pick it up, she found out that the team bus had left. The senior had no choice but to drive the 59-mile, 1-hour journey to Moorpark. “It was great because I was able to listen to my music, lock in on what I needed to do, and get ready for the day,” Conte said.
When her day was completed, she not only won two gold medals, but she established a new lifetime mark in the 100 Hurdles (14.12), which moved her into the top five in the state. We’ll detail her performances later in the story.
Madeleine Conte Interview for Milesplit.com
It was also a good day for South Pasadena Zoe Tibbo and Mia Holden. Both medaled in field events and Tibbo was able to race home, trade her track uniform for a dress, and was able to attend the school’s prom that night in North Hollywood.
South Pasadena athletes celebrate winning sectional final medals (right) with Mia Holden (top left) and Zoe Tibbo (bottom left) showing off her medal in her prom dress (Photo: South Pasadena HS Track)
It’s stories like those we mentioned that make attending the CIF Southern Section Track and Field Division the highlight of the year for this writer. Let’s look at the day as we break it down to sprinters, distance runners, and field events.
Sprinters
Marshall’s Logan Davis (middle) and Covina’s Kerry Smith (right) finish second and third in the Div. 3 400. (Photo: Raymond Tran, Milesplit.com).
Marshall’s Logan Davis and Covina’s Kerry Smith knew that all eyes were going to be on them in the Division 3 400. After all, both runners were not only the area’s elite sprinters, but they were also among a handful of the fastest athletes in Southern California in the 400. They were the co-favorites of many fans when they took their spot in the starting blocks.
When the race was done, both athletes delivered solid performances with Smith taking third (47.80) and Davis establishing a new lifetime mark (47.77) and entering the top-10 in the state (CA #8) while taking second. No one talked about Cathedral’s William Mullens who took the gold medal in the event with a lifetime mark of 47.62 seconds, good enough to be slotted seventh in the state. It won’t be the last time we’ll be hearing from these three.
Monrovia’s Carlos Hernandez, one of the top elite wide receivers in the area, made the final in the star-studded Division 3 100 and finished in sixth place (10.95)
There was also a level of expectation for Glendora’s Maya Shinnick. She had turned heads all year at events such as the Arcadia Invitational and the Mt. SAC relays. That was why she was the heavy favorite to win the Div. 2 400.
Glendora’s Maya Shinnick in the final stages of the CIF-SS Div. 2 400. She finished in second place. (Photo: Raymond Tran, Milesplit.com)
For most of the race, it looked like Shinnick was on her way to capturing the elusive gold medal as she jumped out to a big lead. However, she was caught in the final stages by Culver City’s Joelle Trepagnier and finished a tough-luck second place. (56.08). Shinnick also turned a huge effort as she established a new lifetime mark (24.30, SGV #1) in taking second place in the Div. 2 200 to Golden Valley’s Adonijah Currie (23.82).
Shinnick’s teammate Kennedy Johnson took eighth in the Div. 2 100 (12.31)
Distance
Damien’s Eric Martinez in the final stages of his winning performance in the Div. 3 800 (Photo: Raymond Tran, Milesplit.com)
Damien’s Eric Martinez had his personal goal when he toed the line for the Div. 3 800. He not only wanted to win the race, but he also wanted to establish a new school record. A winning move midway through the race proved to be the right move as the senior held off a late surge from Cathedral’s Ambodai Ligons and Rio Hondo League champion sophomore Keeran Murray to win the race in a lifetime best time of 1:54.99 (SGV #1). While he just missed the school record, he was more than happy to show off his gold medal to his family and friends in the staging area afterward.
Damien's Eric Martinez in a Milesplit.com interview
South Pasadena’s Jason Baek took 10th place in the same race (2:01.62).
San Marino’s Benjamin Hughes wins the Div. 4 1600. (Photo: Raymond Tran, Milesplit.com)
San Marino’s Benjamin Hughes showed that his performance in capturing the Rio Hondo League title in 1600 two weeks ago was no fluke as he took first place in the Div. 4 1600 (4:29.17).
Wilson’s Luis (Gio) Gudiel took home the bronze medal in the Div. 300 1600 with a final time of 4:19.67 (SGV #3). Glendora’s John Sesteaga took the bronze medal in the 3200 (9:14.96) with Walnut’s Joshua Razo right behind him in fourth place (9:17.89). All three qualified for next week’s CIF-SS Masters Meet, a feeder for the state meet in two weeks, along with South Pasadena’s Brady Nakamura (10:10.10) and La Salle’s Alexandro Alvarez (9:59.85).
St. Francis’ Luke Metcalf took seventh in the Div. 3 800 (1:59.26) and qualified for next week’s Masters Meet with Sonora’s Nicholas Geringer taking 12th place (2:01.76)
The Monrovia boys 4x400 team took second place in the Div. 3 4x400 (3:18.95, SGV #1) and took four seconds off their best mark from the season. Marshall (3:26.58, SGV #3) and La Canada 3:26.79, SGV #4) took fifth and sixth place respectively. Damien (3:32.17) finished in eighth place.
La Canada’s Arielle McKenzie is all alone in winning the CIF-SS Div. 3 800. (Photo: Raymond Tran, Milesplit.com)
In the girls division, La Canada’s Arielle McKenzie didn’t feel well physically at the start of the divisional finals. Rather than take a chance and waste energy in the 1600 at the start of the day when temperatures hovered around 100 degrees, the sophomore chose to scratch out of the race and concentrate on the 800.
It was the right move for McKenzie as she took control of the pace midway through the race and repeated as Div. 3 champion with a time of 2:11.85 – considerably off of her personal best mark of 2:08.89. Her teammate Katelyn Matarese checked in 8th place. St Lucy’s Alexis Corvese captured fifth place in the Div. 4 800 (2:24.90).
La Canada's Arielle McKenzie's interview for Milesplit.com
South Pasadena’s Abigail Errington, a freshman, took fourth place in the Div. 3 1600 (5:03.25) with teammate Sydney Morrow finishing eighth (5:47.00). In the 3200, Bishop Amat’s Emma Arredondo trimmed a full second off her lifetime best mark (11:11.53, SGV #4) as she took third in Div. 4 and Glendora’s Maia Fernando finished in seventh place in Div. 2 (11:15.37, NEW SGV #5).
Diamond Bar’s L’Mio Edwards booked her spot into the Masters meet field as she took the bronze medal in the Div. 1 800 (2:13.47) and Mayfield’s Cecilia Kvochak checked home in eighth place in the Div. 4 800 (2:35.21).
In the relay races, South Pasadena took sixth place in the Div. 3 4x100 (49.17) and Arcadia (3:56.83, SGV #1), established a new area standard by finishing in seventh place in the Div. 1 4x400. La Canada’s 4x400 team shaved off three seconds from their previous best mark (3:59.68) in taking fourth place in the Div. 3 4x400. St. Lucy’s took sixth place (4:11.84) in the DIv. 4 4x400.
HURDLES
The queen of the hurdles in the area lived up to her reputation as Monrovia’s Madeleine Conte took two gold medals in winning the 100 and 300 hurdles. Her performance in the 100 was more impactful at the state level as she established a new lifetime mark (14.12, SGV #1), and moved her into the top five in the state. Conte stopped the timer in 44.09 seconds in winning the Div. 3 300.
South Pasadena’s Mia Holden firmly held her spot as the second most accomplished hurdler in the area with a third-place effort in the Div. 3 100 (15.14). Area hurdlers were also in the crosshairs in the Div. 4 100 with La Salle’s Mia Reid securing a silver medal with a lifetime best performance (15.14, SGV #4) and Muir’s Kelayiah Johnston taking fourth place (15.38).
Monrovia’s Madeleine Conte winning the Div. 3 300 meter Hurdles with South Pasadena’s Mia Holden (left) finishing second. (Photo: Raymond Tran, Milesplit.com)
It was a 1-2 finish for area hurdlers in the Div. 3 300 with South Pasadena Holden taking second behind Conte with a lifetime best effort (45.76, SGV #3) and La Canada’s Brittney Rivas taking fifth (48.19). Arcadia’s Shriya Velichala took second place in the Div. 1 300 with a lifetime best performance (44.78, SGV #2). La Salle Reid also took second place in the Div. 4 300 (47.03).
St. Francis’ Dario Rock winning the Div. 3 110 Meter Hurdles (Photo: Raymond Tran, Milesplit.com)
If Conte is the queen of the hurdlers in the area, then St. Francis’ Dario Rock has to be considered “The King.” After failing to win the Div. 3 110 hurdlers last year, Rock looked good in winning the Div. 3 title this year (14.54) despite hitting some hurdles along the way. He’ll be part of a very talented field in next week’s Masters race. South Pasadena’s Henry Thompson (15.49) took fourth and Monrovia’s Nasir Samuels took sixth place (15.71).
St. Francis Dario Rock Interview with Milesplit.com
Whittier senior Gershwin Mason took seventh place in the Div. 2 final (15.44, SGV #5) with a time that moved him into the top five in the area for the event and West Covina’s Youssef Salama took eighth place (15.63).
Maranatha’s Finn Andrews (right) narrowly prevails to win the CIF-SS Div. 4 300-meter hurdles (Photo: Raymond Tran, Milesplit.com)
Maranatha’s Finn Andrews lived up to the reputation as the area’s best 300 hurdlers as he took the gold medal in the Div. 4 final with a lifetime best performance (38.44, SGV #1). Andrews also took third in the 100 (14,91, SGV #2).
La Salle’s John Alvarez took seventh place (43.10) in the same race with Flintridge Prep’s Kevin Martinez taking ninth place (44.67). Monrovia’s duo of Devin Paton (39.76, SGV #2) and Samuels (40.01) took second and third respectively in the Div. 3 final. Damien’s Nick Nocero stopped the timer at 41.36 finishing in sixth place in the event.
FIELD EVENTS
South Pasadena thrower Noah Leider in action in the Div. 3 Shot Put. (Photo: Daniel Hernandez, Milesplit.com)
When the subject of field events comes up amongst area fans, the first person in the conversation has to be South Pasadena elite thrower Nik Iwankiw. The senior won the gold medal in the shot put (59-10) and secured the silver medal in the discus (172-05) in Division 3. He admitted afterward that he was not at the top of his game mentally in an interview we did for Milesplit.com.
South Pasadena's Nik Iwankiw interview with Milesplit.com
Covina’s Cory Gamero delivered a huge effort as he just missed overtaking Iwankiw and finished third in the Div. 3 Discus (171-05, SGV #2) with a lifetime best mark.
The second boys athlete to win a gold medal was St. Francis’ Clint Geryak, who won the Div. 3 Pole Vault with a mark of (13-09). He owns the top mark in the area. Teammate Leland Lieberg and South Pasadena’s Nicolas Lawrence both cleared 6-2 and shared third place in the Div. 3 High Jump with Golden Knight’s Milo Orona securing sixth place (6-0).
Lieberg also took third place in the Div. 3 Triple Jump with a lifetime effort (44-06.50, SGV #1) that set a new area standard for the event.
Covina’s duo of Noah Sinpoonpak (13-09, SGV #3T) and Marcial Velasquez (13-09. SGV, #3T) tied for second in the Div. 3 Pole Vault.
The final boys athlete to take top honors in a field event was St. Paul’s Israel Gallardo who not only won the Div. 4 Shot Put with a new lifetime mark (56-0, SGV #2), but jumped to #2 for all throwers in the area for the event.
Walnut’s Evan Johnson, who has the top mark for area jumpers in the high jump, matched his lifetime best mark of 6-4 to take second place in the Div. 2 High Jump. Arcadia’s Matthew Le disappointed some with a suboptimal effort in both the Div. 1 Long Jump (20-9) and Triple Jump (42-11.5) finishing in eighth and ninth place respectively.
In the girls division, West Covina’s Devin Jackson easily took second place in the Div. 2 shot put final (39-00) with teammate Mckenna Venegas checking in fourth in the Div. 2 Long Jump with a huge jump (18-7, SGV #2) that was not only a lifetime best but moved her into the second spot for area jumpers.
San Marino’s Madison Spitzer delivered a lifetime best performance (11-00, SGV #1) in finishing in fourth place in the Div. 4 Pole Vault with St. Lucy’s Emily Samaniego (9-06) taking sixth place.
Mayfield’s Sissy Page took second place in the Div. 4 girls high jump (5-00) with teammate Sade Falese, the area’s top long jumper, securing sixth place in the Div. 4 Long Jump. Flintridge Sacred Heart’s Ella Venne took seventh in the Div. 4 High Jump (4-06).
The only two girls athletes to win a gold medal with Muir’s Kelayiah Johnston winning the Div. 4 girls triple jump (37-03.50) with fellow West SGV athlete Chase Sullivan taking second (36-01) and the La Salle duo of Carissa Santoyo (35-05) and Farrah McGarry (33-10) finishing fourth and fifth place respectively. Sullivan also took fifth place in the Div. 4 Long Jump (16-09.75).
South Pasadena jumpers dominated the Div. 3 girls triple jump competition with Zoe Tibbo (36-05.5), Mia Holden (36-00.50), and Kezia Gavlak (34-05.50) finishing second, third and fourth respectively. South Hills’ Savannah Horne was eighth (31-7.75). Tibbo also took fourth place in the Div. 3 Long Jump (17-08.75) and sixth place in the Div. 3 Pole Vault (10-00).
The other area female gold medalist in the field events was Los Altos’ Katherine Porter. Arguably the best girls volleyball player in the area, Porter took top honors in the Div. 3 girls high jump (5-5, SGV #1) which was not only a personal best, but it was the best mark turned in by area jumpers this season. South Hills’ Mia Delahoussaye, who is considered one of the top underclass volleyball players in the area east region of the valley, took seventh place (4-10).
Glendora’s Rebekah Zweerink in action in the Div. 2 girls shot put. (Photo: Daniel Hernandez, Milesplit.com)
Glendora’s Rebekah Zweerink nearly upset the apple cart as she took the silver medal in the girls Div. 2 discus (116-10, SGV #2) and teammate Kennedy Johnson delivered a lifetime best performance (39-10.25, SGV #1), in earning the silver medal in the Div. 2 Triple Jump. Johnson also finished in eighth place in the Div. 2 Long Jump (17-05).
