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Hilmar girls short of track title, finish with divisional qualifiers
TVL track pic1
Isamar Millian was one of many Hilmar High girls track and field athletes who qualified for next week’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV-V Championships at Modesto Junior College. Here, Millian competes in the long jump during the Trans-Valley League Championships on Wednesday afternoon at Patterson High. - photo by CHHUN SUN / The Journal
Trans-Valley League Track and Field Championship Results

(Top 3 advances to Division IV-V Championships)

Boys

Hilmar

Pole Vault

2. Tyler Junker 10-6.

Girls

Hilmar

200 Meters

3. Isamar Millian 28.29.

400 Meters

2. Morgan McFaddin 1:01.14.

100 Hurdles

2. McKenzie Souza 17.34.

300 Hurdles

3. Mackenzie Souza 51.43

4x400 Relay

3. Hilmar 56.21.

Shot Put

3. Cristal Oseguera 30-5.

High Jump

1. Oliviah Gemperle 4-10.

Pole Vault

2. Bailee Roche 8-6.

Triple Jump

1. Morgan McFaddin 34-4; 2. Isamar Millian 33-1.5.

PATTERSON — The Hilmar High girls track and field team entered the Trans-Valley League Championships on Wednesday with a mental advantage. The Yellowjackets went 6-0 in dual meets in the regular season to boast six league points, as they knew every team they finished ahead of at the league meet meant a point each.

But Hughson High — which had five league points after falling to Hilmar in a regular-season dual meet — got in the way. More specifically, Becky Hobby got in everyone’s way, as she raced to four individual titles to help her Huskies place just ahead of the runner-ups Yellowjackets to win the league title by one point.

Final point total: Hughson 13, Hilmar 12.

“It’s disappointing,” Hilmar coach Clement Labrouche said, “but part of it is that Hughson is amazing. “Hughson did everything they could to beat us, and they did.”

But the Yellowjackets’ season is far from over. After finishing in the top three in their respective events, a half dozen individual athletes and Hilmar’s 4x400-meter relay team qualified for next week’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV-V Championships at Modesto Junior College on Tuesday and Thursday.

Hilmar had two individual winners: Oliviah Gemperle took the high jump after clearing a height of 4 feet, 10 inches, and Morgan McFaddin won the triple jump with a leap of 34 feet, 4 inches. McFaddin also advanced in the 400-meter run, where she finished second in 1 minute, 1.14 seconds.

Hilmar’s other multi-event divisional qualifier was Isamar Millian, who placed third in the 200-meter run in 28.29 seconds and second in the triple after achieving a mark of 33 feet, 1 1/2 inches; and McKenzie Souza, who took second in the 100-meter hurdles after clocking 17.34 seconds and placed third in the 300-meter hurdles in 51.43 seconds.

In the shot put, Cristal Oseguera threw 30 feet, 5 inches to take third, but she will be unable to compete at the divisional meet due to prior obligations, Labrouche said. Bailee Roche finished second in the pole vault with a height of 8 feet, 6 inches, while the 4x400 relay team of Oliviah, Savannah Gemperle, Melissa Armendariz and Susanna Pacheco finished third with a time of 4 minutes, 22.46 seconds.

The lone divisional qualifier for the Hilmar boys was Tyler Junker, who took second in the pole vault after clearing 10 feet, 6 inches.

For the Hilmar girls, it was still an impressive effort.

“I’m very proud that they came so far,” Labrouche said. “They just came a little short, but this is one of the best girls teams we’ve ever had in the last 25 years.”

To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.