Bean, Cenci, Harris, Hadley, James, McCormick and Monrroy all return to state meet after making debuts at Veterans Memorial Stadium in 2019 and qualify for their respective finals at their last championship as seniors

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

CLOVIS, Calif. – The CIF Outdoor Track and Field Championships returned Friday for the first time in three years, leaving an event familiar to Golden State athletes almost a distant memory.

In fact, there were just seven returning competitors at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High School in Clovis, seeing how one would have had to be a freshman in 2019 to still be competing this season.

But Upland’s Caelyn Harris and Scripps Ranch’s Aaliyah McCormick were among those able to rekindle memories Friday during the prelims at the first day of California’s state meet.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

Three years ago, Harris won the state title as a freshman in the long jump.

And after qualifying fourth Friday, she will compete again for that title. Harris could become just the second Upland female athlete to win multiple state titles in an event, along with Kari Gosswiller in the high jump  in 1976-77.

McCormick will, too, after qualifying third in the 100 meters in a time of 11.77 seconds.

McCormick was also seeking the first double title in the girls’ 100 and 100 hurdles since Pomona’s Janeene Vickers in 1987, but that dream might be gone after McCormick was disqualified in the hurdles after making contact with Daniela Ruelas of Arroyo Grande. She did add that her coaches were appealing the decision.

All that fueled her in the 100, where she won her heat in her best wind-legal time of the year.

“It felt like I was blowing off some steam, almost,” she said. “I was just like, I just went with it and I took the anger from my 100-meter hurdle race and just put that into my 100, and I felt like I did really well.”

Harris didn’t hit the top mark in the long jump, as that went to fast surging Martin Luther King junior Alyssa Hope, who surpassed 20 feet for the first time with a wind-aided 20-3.75 (6.19m).

Harris and McCormick weren’t the only freshmen at the state championship three years ago. Takiya Cenci of Clovis North and Samarra Monrroy, then representing Long Beach Millikan and now competing for Long Beach Wilson, both advanced to the 400 finals in 2019 and will compete again Saturday.

Emma Hadley of Anaheim Canyon also returned to the 1,600 final after placing 12th as a freshman in 2019.

Poway senior Alyssa Bean was out quickly after a 16th-place finish in the 400 prelims in 2019, but stayed longer this time. Bean qualified for Saturday’s final in the 200 (sixth, 24.36), 400 (third, 55.48) and as part of Poway’s 4x400 relay team, which qualified sixth in 3:52.21.

“It’s really nice to come back and qualify for all my events for finals,” Bean said. “It’s tiring, but I love it here and I’m glad to just be here at the California State Championships. It’s like one of the most rigorous places to be for track.”

The best performance Friday went to Carson junior Reign Redmond, who posted personal-bests in both the 100 (11.45) and 200 (23.86). She now is the state leader in the 100, along with being the only one Friday to top individual qualifying in more than one event.

She said she became more comfortable Friday as the competition progressed.

“As the day got longer and I ran in my first race,” she said, “I was definitely getting better. I felt more confident.”

Friday’s competition set up some great showdowns for Saturday, perhaps none more interesting than the sprints on the boys side,

Serra junior Rodrick Pleasant (10.38) and Servite senior Max Thomas (10.43) both had strong qualifying times, but Long Beach Jordan sophomore Jordan Washington and Long Beach Poly senior Jaelen Knox may have served notice to join the party.

Washington had the top time in the 100 on Friday at 10.31. Pleasant, the state leader in both the 100 and 200, will race Saturday against Washington in the 200.

“The 200, I felt like that for sure, that’s my favorite race,” Knox said. “Start was better than the 100, for sure…”

In the 110 hurdles, Kai Graves-Blanks will have to fend off his own teammates, though he looked sharp in winning in 13.69. Teammates DeQuan January (14.01) and Davis-Davis Lyric (14.05) had the Nos. 2 and 4 times Friday. Graves-Blanks qualified second (37.65) in the 300 hurdles to Long Beach Wilson’s Isaac Lewis (37.57), with Upland teammate Delaney Crawford qualifying third in 38.13.

Great Oak’s JC Stevenson might have a challenge after equalling his PR in the long jump at 24-9.25 (7.55m). However, Golden Valley’s Elijha Ellis struck back in the triple jump with a top qualifying mark of 47-10.75 (14.59m).

Ventura freshman Sadie Engelhardt (2:10.13) will undoubtedly have an eye on J.W. North junior MacKenzie Browne in the 800, who, after running with the second-fastest qualifying time at 2:11.89 said she was shooting for 2:05 in Saturday’s final.

Engelhardt’s quest to become the state’s first female to double with wins in the 800 and 1,600 will also be met with the challenges of Mira Costa’s Dalia Frias in the 1,600.

Frias ran 4:49 in the 1,600 on Friday, while Englehardt ran 4:51.18. Chino’s Mia Chavez qualified third in 4:50.58 and Newbury Park senior Samantha McDonnell was fourth in 4:51.58.

Fresno Central senior Jeremiah Walker helped his team qualify with the top mark in the 4x100 relay in 40.92 seconds, before returning to top the individual 400 in 46.81. Walker is the only athlete to advance to the finals in four events, along with the 200 and 4x400 relay.

Long Beach Wilson had the top qualifying time in the 4x400 in 3:16.21.

In throws, Great Oak senior Aiden Pastorian and Murrieta Mesa senior Cade Moran qualified 1-2 in the shot put at 61-1.50 (18.63m) and 60-7.50 (18.47m), respectively. Moran moved on in the discus, too, which was topped by Golden Valley senior Terraine Wiggins, Jr. at 195-3 (59.51m).

Newbury Park’s Aaron Sahlman led the 800 with a time of 1:51.60, with College Park’s Alex Lamoureux leading the 1,600 at 4:11.62, after much of the Newbury Park contingent opting out of the CIF postseason.

On the girls side, the USC-bound Cenci had the top qualifying mark Friday in the 400 at 53.72. Together, Cenci, Aujane Luckey of Long Beach Wilson and Bean were the only girls to move on in both the 200 and 400.

San Diego High senior Charlize James moved on by topping the 100 hurdles in 13.67 and qualifying third in the 300 hurdles in 43.35. James was 17th in the 100 hurdles prelims in 2019 and did not advance to the final as a freshman.

The San Diego Section owned the first three spots in the 300 hurdles with Torrey Pines’ Karina Janik running the fastest time (42.77) and Cathedral Catholic’s Kapiolani Coleman qualifying second in 42.93.

In the discus, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame junior April Fontenette topped the field with a throw of 157-1, a personal best for her by nearly seven feet. The top spots were swept in throws after Hope Gordon had the top shot put mark Friday at 42-11.25 (13.08m).

Mission Viejo junior Jada Gatlin qualified with the top mark in the triple jump with a personal-best 40-9 (12.42m).

Golden Valley’s girls ran the fastest qualifying time in the 4x100 at 45.82. In the 4x400, Calabasas ran a rousing mark of 3:46.73, a team-best by almost three seconds.

“This one was very unexpected,” said Calabasas’ Zanae Woods, who added the team has a goal of getting down to 3:43 and would celebrate by going bowling if they got there. “We didn’t really come in with a 3:46 goal; it was more just, ‘Go 120 percent and do our best.’”