MODESTO — Turlock High’s boys and girls track and field teams wrapped up an undefeated march through the Central California Athletic League season with victories Wednesday at the conference championships at Downey High’s Chuck Hughes Stadium.
The boys amassed 225 points, well ahead of second-place Pitman, which totaled 139. Enochs (117) was third, followed by Modesto (65), Gregori (63) and the host Knights (42).
On the girls side, the Bulldogs finished with 269, more than double Pitman’s total of 133. Enochs (97.5) was third, followed by Modesto (60.5), Downey (43) and Gregori (39).
Individually, Turlock’s Max McFarlane and Olivia Walker, and Pitman’s Blayne Siebert and Avery Carlson were victorious in two individual events.
McFarlane, who finished second in the state last year in the boys pole vault, won the CCAL title with a leap of 14 feet, 10 inches, well off his season best, but more than enough to get the job done against league foes. He also won the long jump with a leap of 21-3 1/2.
Walker, the Sac-Joaquin Section’s reigning Division 2 champ in the girls 400 and high jump, won both those events Wednesday. She took the 400 with a time of 58.93 and the high jump with a leap of 5-2.
Walker also was part of the victorious 4x100 and 4x400 teams. She teamed with Angel Trefry Bet George, Shaylan Roy-Williams and Evelyn Ladine to run a 48.23, then ran with Roy-Williams, Ava Torres and Zoe Lamur to deliver a 4:04.30.
Carlson won the girls 800 (2:35.90) and 1,600 (5:29), and also was part of the winning 4x800 squad (11:08.58) with Emerson Newton, Adelyn Persons and Aubrey Lascano.
It was Siebert, however, who delivered the top individual performance of the day.
Champaign Blayne (a native of Champaign, Ill.) took firsts in the meet’s glamour events: the 100- and 200-meter dashes. His time in the 100 (10.46) established a new school record, breaking the old mark (10.72) he set last season. The mark also set new CCAL meet standard, breaking a record he also established last season.
More importantly, the 10.46 was not only the seventh fastest time in the state at the time Siebert exited Chuck Hughes Stadium, it was the fastest in the entire section.
That puts a huge target on Siebert’s back.
“It definitely boosts my confidence,” said Siebert, a senior. But I know now that I’m the guy to beat. I just have to keep working hard and not let them beat me.”
Siebert won the 200 in 21.81, but ran a 21.57 at the Gateway to Track and Field Invitational in Clovis back in March. That performance also puts him No. 1 in the section.
And here’s the scary part: Siebert has spent much of the season battling a sports hernia, which has hampered his training. Now that’s he back to 100 percent, is there time for him to work his way to posting even lower times?
“One hundred percent,” said Siebert. “For sure.”
The Sac-Joaquin Section divisional trials will be held Wednesday at Bella Vista High School (Fair Oaks), with the finals set for Friday.
More records shattered by speedy Lady ‘Jackets
Another event, another set of school records set by the athletes of the Hilmar High track and field program. At Thursday’s Trans-Valley League Finals at Ripon High, the Yellowjackets’ girls team won five events on their way to claiming the league’s team title.
Jayme Soares once again penciled herself into the school history books by breaking her own record in the 100-meter dash by the thinnest of margins. After setting the mark with a time of 12.79 seconds in 2023, Soares flew to the finish line in 12.72 on Thursday. She also contributed to the 4x100 relay team’s first place finish that day. Alongside Alyssa Colston, Itzel Loza and Lilly Brewer, they claimed first with a time of 49.77 seconds. The time was also a school best, meaning they have eclipsed their own record for the third straight week.
As for Brewer, while she is most known for her sprinting as she currently holds the record for fastest 400-meter time (59.03 seconds), she showed off her hops by breaking the long jump record at 17’ 8.5.
In the 3200-meter run, Sidney Logsdon earned points for the Yellowjackets by winning with a time of 11:51.73.
Putting points on the board for third-place Hughson was the 4x800 relay team of Sophie Benham, Noeli Gomez-Orozco, Alejandra Gonzalez and Maggie Scarioni, who completed the race with a time of 10:51.38.
Over in men’s competitions, the Huskies fared much better with a second-place finish, while the Yellowjackets finished in third.
The Huskies had a record breaker of their own in Malaki Sumter, who sped to a 22.46 second finish in the 200-meter dash — good enough for first place. Teammate Larkin Meyer also had a career day by winning 110-meter and 300-meter hurdle contests with times of 15.01 and 42.40, respectively. Meyer joined in on the 4x100 relay team of Ben Lighthall, Sumter and David Delgado, winning in 43.55 seconds.
Case West was another first-place winner for the Huskies by clearing a 12’ 3 in the pole vault.
Hilmar’s lone win in boys events was Alex Cardenas in the shot put with his distance of 43’ 4.
— Journal reporter Christopher Correa contributed to this report.
