By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Here are 10 storylines involving female athletes to keep an eye on Friday and Saturday at the 100th CIF State Championships at Buchanan High’s Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis:

Two decades since distance double

Although there have been several exceptional performances in the past 20 years in both the girls 1,600 and 3,200 meters, there hasn’t been a sweep of both titles since Sara (Bei) Hall of Santa Rosa Montgomery in 1998.

Four athletes have legitimate opportunities to achieve the feat Saturday, including Oak Ridge senior Maddy Denner, the defending 1,600 champion who also placed second in the 3,200 last season.

Elena Denner, fourth in the 3,200 last year, is also entered in both events, along with senior Olivia O’Keeffe of Davis Senior, the 1,600 runner-up last season.

Perhaps the most dangerous challenger is Saugus senior Mariah Castillo, trying to win the Centurions’ first state title in either race and the program’s first crown in any track event since 1986. Castillo took second in the Division 2 state final in cross country and placed third at Nike Cross Nationals.

The other female athletes in meet history to achieve the impressive distance double are: Santa Rosa’s Julia Stamps in 1997, Fallbrook’s Milena Glusac in 1993, San Jose Del Mar’s Cory Schubert in 1983 and Livermore’s Cheri Williams in 1978.

What’s in a name?

Ariana Washington left a lasting impression at Long Beach Poly by winning both the 100- and 200-meter titles in three consecutive years from 2012-14.

Ariyonna Augustine, the latest in the Jackrabbits’ exceptional sprinting legacy, has an opportunity to repeat in both sprints after securing a championship sweep as a junior.

Augustine will be challenged by Calabasas’ De’Anna Nowling, Serra’s Jazmyne Frost and Bakersfield Stockdale’s Aaliyah Wilson in the 100, with Bishop O’Dowd senior Tierra Robinson-Jones a leading contender in the 200, along with Frost and Nowling.

Wilson is pursuing a significant double of her own, looking to become only the third female athlete in state history to secure titles in the 100-meter hurdles and 100-meter dash in the same year, joining Sweetwater’s Gail Devers in 1984 and Pomona’s Janeene Vickers in 1987.

Silver Creek stars could jump to historic golds

Senior Arianna Fisher and junior Jazlynn Shearer of Silver Creek have the potential to achieve a feat never before accomplished in the state finals.

A pair of teammates, regardless of gender, have yet to win championships in the long jump and triple jump in the same season.

Fisher enters the meet as the state triple jump leader with a wind-legal 42-9 on April 21, the same date when Shearer produced the state’s best mark this season in the long jump with a wind-legal 20-1 effort.

Fisher is expected to be challenged by St. Mary’s Berkeley senior Kali Hatcher, Leigh senior Hawa Kamara and Castro Valley senior Allanah Lee.

Shearer will likely have to contend with Coronado junior Alysah Hickey, Carson senior Jonon Young and St. Ignatius freshman Megan Ronan.

Mater Dei senior Dominique Ruotolo could upstage both Fisher and Shearer, with strong potential to win both state titles.

The most impressive aspect of the potential for both Fisher and Shearer is neither athlete made the state podium last season. Now they are both in contention to capture Silver Creek’s first state crown in any event since 1977.

Shearer is also entered in the 100 hurdles and triple jump, with both athletes scheduled to run the 4x100 relay.

Striving for sprint supremacy

Bishop O’Dowd senior Tierra Robinson-Jones has her own aspirations for a sprinting sweep, but the goals include becoming only the fourth female athlete in state meet history to achieve double gold in the 200 and 400 meters.

Robinson-Jones, the runner-up in the 400 last year, set the all-time North Coast Section record at the Meet of Champions by running 52.69. She also prevailed in the 200 in 23.56.

Although Bishop O’Dowd has won 4x400 state titles in 2007 and last season, with Robinson-Jones leading the charge, the Dragons haven’t captured an individual championship since 1993.

Robinson-Jones is looking to follow in the impressive footsteps of Granada Hills Kennedy’s Denean Howard in 1982, Long Beach Wilson’s Kinshasa Davis in 1997 and San Diego Morse’s Monique Henderson in 2000 by winning both titles.

Looking to rule the ring

Fowler junior Jocelynn Budwig, fourth in the discus throw and seventh in the shot put last year, could ascend all the way to winning both championships, looking to produce the first sweep since Dos Pueblos’ Stamatia Scarvelis in 2014.

Budwig produced the state-leading mark in the shot put with a 47-7 effort May 2 and ranks second in the discus with her 165-6 performance May 19 at the Central Section Masters meet.

Wheatland senior Erica Grotegeer, third in the discus last year, established the state leader April 20 with her 168-11 throw. Grotegeer is looking to become the first female athlete from the Northern Section to win a discus state title since Gridley’s Leslie Deniz in 1980.

James Logan senior Hannah-Sophia Hall, West Ranch junior Natalie Ramirez and Bakersfield Liberty freshman Faith Bender are all in contention in both events, along with Golden Valley junior Shyann Franklin in the shot put.

Budwig is attempting to become the first Central Section female thrower to capture both championships since Shafter’s Anna Jelmini in 2008-09.

Injury could derail another defending state champion

After Malibu junior Claudia Lane, the defending 3,200-meter state champion, decided to shut down her schedule before the postseason even began because of a stress reaction in her ankle, another reigning gold medalist could be in jeopardy of having her title pursuit halted by a foot injury.

California senior Alyssa Brewer, the two-time 800 winner, has been nursing a sore right foot, evident during her runner-up finish to Concord junior Rayna Stanziano at the North Coast Section Meet of Champions.

Brewer, looking to become the fourth female athlete in meet history to win at least three consecutive 800 championships, still boasts the fastest time in the state this season at 2:08.99 from March 17 at the Dublin Distance Fiesta.

Her potential absence opens the door for Santa Cruz senior Mari Friedman, Del Oro senior Cathilyn McIntosh, Menlo Atherton sophomore Charlotte Tomkinson, Mission Viejo sophomore Ashley Johnson, Los Alamitos senior Delaney Sanacore and Stanziano.

Corona Centennial senior Rylee Penn, the runner-up in 2015 in 2:07.43, is making her third appearance at the state meet.

High hopes

The girls high jump final features the state leader, the defending champion, the leading qualifier and the most consistent athlete in the past month, and they are four different individuals.

Riverside Poly senior Abigail Burke is looking to become the first repeat winner since Costa Mesa’s Sharon Day-Monroe in 2002-03.

Long Beach Wilson sophomore Rachel Glenn boasts a 5-11 clearance from March 17, with St. Ignatius senior Delaney Peranich clearing a personal-best 5-9 at the Central Coast Section finals.

The athlete with perhaps the most momentum is Coronado junior Alysah Hickey, who cleared 5-10 to win the title April 21 at the 60th Mt. SAC Relays and has cleared at least 5-6 in her past seven competitions.

Hickey is looking to become the first San Diego Section athlete to capture the championship since El Cajon’s Tia Hanson in 1998.

Making their way to the top

Calabasas has never won a state track and field title in any event, nor a team championship, but the possibility looms Saturday the Coyotes could end both droughts, depending on the performances of juniors De’Anna Nowling and Kyla Robinson-Hubbard.

Nowling is taking aim at titles in the 100 and 200 meters, with Robinson-Hubbard the state leader in the 300 hurdles at 41.82.

Both athletes are also scheduled to compete in the 4x100 relay, where Calabasas could accumulate valuable points in an effort to challenge for a team trophy.

Nowling was fourth in the 100 and seventh in the 200 last season, accounting for all seven points for the Coyotes, who tied for 32nd place overall after finishing in a 14th-place tie in 2016.

Primed for powerful debuts

Led by Westlake pole vaulter Paige Sommers and Bakersfield Liberty thrower Faith Bender, there are several freshmen who could not only secure podium spots Saturday, but also challenge for state championships.

Sommers, one of two ninth-graders in state history to clear 13 feet in the pole vault, is aiming for both the freshman state record of 13-3 set in 2012 by Santa Margarita’s Kaitlyn Merritt, as well as a championship.

Merritt is the last freshman to make the pole vault podium, finishing second that year.

Bender, who boasts a season-best 160-7, is chasing the freshman discus state record of 162-11 set in 1991 by Modesto Downey’s Suzy Powell. She is looking to follow state championship favorite Jocelynn Budwig of Fowler by making the state podium as a freshman.

Chino Hills’ Jacqueline Duarte, Village Christian’s Mia Barnett and Mayfield’s Audrey Suarez are all capable of making the 1,600-meter final as freshmen. The last ninth-grader to make the 1,600 podium was Torrey Pines’ Alli Billmeyer, who finished fourth in 2008.

Madison freshman Aysha Shaheed, the San Diego Section champion in the 100, could follow Calabasas standout De’Anna Nowling in 2016 by making the state podium as a ninth-grader in the straightaway sprint.

St. Ignatius freshman Megan Ronan is looking to become the first ninth-grader to secure a spot on the state podium since last year’s champion Tara Davis placed third in her championship debut for Agoura in 2014.

Hoping to celebrate Sweet 16

With only three scoring athletes last year – Ariyonna Augustine, Zhane Smith and Melissa Tanaka – Long Beach Poly increased its own state record by winning a 15th girls team championship with 31 points, dashing the dreams of Agoura star Tara Davis, who won individual titles in the 100-meter hurdles, long jump and triple jump to accumulate 30 points.

The Jackrabbits find themselves in a similar situation this season, with only a 4x100 relay, Kenya Payne in the 300 hurdles and Augustine qualifying again in the 100 and 200.

If Long Beach Poly can exceed 30 points, it will again be difficult for any challenger to prevent the Jackrabbits from their 16th championship in 27 years.

But Serra, Silver Creek, Oak Ridge, Calabasas, Bishop O’Dowd, Great Oak and Davis Senior all have the potential to capitalize and battle for podium spots if Long Beach Poly doesn’t maximize its points like last year.