CALIFORNIA STATE MEET

Engelhardt becomes first female athlete in state history to capture both 800 and 1,600 titles in same year, Clovis’ Vanek repeats in long jump, Caruthers’ Fields secures back-to-back discus crowns; Luckey triumphs in 400 and Edwards prevails in 300 hurdles for champion Wilson, with Culver City placing second and Castaic’s Humphries tying Serra for third

By Pete Marshall for DyeStat

Photos by Ken Martinez

CLOVIS, Calif. – The legend of Sadie Engelhardt continues to grow.

The Ventura sophomore pulled off the rare double Saturday at the 103rd CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High’s Veterans Memorial Stadium.

It was a double she came up just short in her attempt last year: winning the 1,600 meters and finishing second in the 800.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

This time she won the 1,600 in 4 minutes, 33.45 seconds, breaking the old meet record of 4:33.82 set by Christine Babcock of Irvine Woodbridge in 2008, and is the top time in the state this year, as well as the No. 2 mark in California prep history, trailing only Engelhardt’s 4:33.29 split at the Arcadia Invitational last year en route to a 4:35.16 mile.

And in the 800, Engelhardt passed last year’s state champion Mackenzie Browne of J.W. North down the final stretch to win by a 2:07.22 to 2:08.06 margin.

“That was definitely the goal,” Engelhardt said. “I wanted a little revenge from last year (in the 800). I’ve been working hard in my training and everything’s kind of just showing now. I’m very excited.”

Engelhardt was the lone double winner on the girls side, but there were several other multi-event successes Saturday.

One of those was Castaic junior Meagan Humphries. She qualified for finals in four individual events taking second in the long jump with a wind-legal 20-3.25 (6.17m) performance, second in the triple jump with a wind-aided 40-6.25 (12.35m) effort, fourth in the high jump (5-8/1.72m) and fifth in the 200 (24.02). Castaic finished tied for third in the team standings, with all 25 points coming from Humphries.

Last year, she made finals in two events competing for Golden Valley: finishing second in the high jump, and ninth in the long jump.

“I’m very satisfied,” she said. “Today was a little messy, in terms of the high jump and I guess my performance in the 200, we were expecting a little better. But I’m very happy with how today turned out.”

As is often the case for competitors in multiple field events, Humphries’ day started with high jump and long jump going simultaneously so she was constantly going from one to the other to take her turn.

Orange Vista’s Kailah McKenzie was in the same situation and ended up finishing fifth in the long jump and tied for eighth in the high jump. She also medaled in a third event, taking third in the 100 hurdles.

“I’m surprised about high jump. I didn’t think I placed. I’m really shocked about that,” McKenzie said. “Think I managed that (going back and forth between high jump and long jump) well. Only because I’m used to running back and forth.” 

There were some other outstanding marks put up by girls winners Saturday.

Oaks Christian junior Niya Clayton tied the state best this year in winning the 100 meters in a wind-legal PR of 11.45 seconds.

“I thought as long as I could get them in the beginning of the race and hold my position I could win it,” she said. “I was just thinking that whatever happens, I have to keep pushing. At the end, I was just trying to focus on ‘OK, keep your form.”

Long Beach Wilson won the girls team title, the program’s first girls championship since 2006, and sophomore Kaylin Edwards had a big part of that in winning the 300 hurdles with a state-best time of 41.57 seconds.

Culver City knocked off Wilson in the 4x400 relay last week at the CIF Southern Section Masters meet, and handled being the new favorite well: putting up a state-best 3:41.08 to win Saturday.

“I was just excited for all of us,” said Culver CIty sophomore Joelle Trepagnier, who won the 200 (23.62) and ran the anchor leg on the 4x400.

Junior Morgan Maddox was pleased with the way her team handled being the favorites.

“We had a talk with each other and we all just needed to run our leg,” she said. “Run your race and we’ll be fine.”

Del Norte’s Hannah Riggins, Paige Echsner, Ella Echsner and Emily Russo won the inaugural 4x800 state title, putting up the best time in the state this year: 8:55.99, beating out JSerra (9:01.10).

“They ran at Arcadia (against Del Norte) and they were the favorite team,” Paige Echsner said. “We came out as the underdogs and we knew they were going to be coming for us here at state. We were prepared for it.”

Other girls winners included: Carson’s 4x100 relay (45.61), Kori Fields of Stockton St. Mary’s in the 100 hurdles (13.79), Wilson’s Aujane Luckey in the 400 (53.26), Corona Santiago’s Rylee Blade in the 3,200 (10:02.19, a PR by about 19 seconds), Rocklin Whitney’s Ashanti Elie in the high jump (5-10/1.77m), Clovis’ Sydnie Vanek in the long jump (20-7.75/6.29m), Caruthers’ Nailea Fields in the discus (167-6/51.05m), La Costa Canyon’s Iliana Downing in the pole vault (13-5/4.08m), and Elsinore’s Dajeauna Williams in the triple jump (40-7.25/12.37m, first state title in school history).

Fields and Vanek joined Engelhardt as repeat winners. Vanek became the first Clovis female athlete since Jenna Prandini in 2010-11 to win back-to-back long jump titles.

Fields became the first female athlete to secure consecutive discus titles since Shafter's Anna Jelmini in 2008-09.