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Two Bulldogs move on to state track finals
Max McFarlane 2023
Turlock High junior Max McFarlane (pictured here in 2023) will once again try for a state pole vaulting win at the finals today in Clovis (Journal file photo).

CLOVIS — Turlock High’s Max McFarlane and Shaylan Roy-Williams advanced to today’s finals in their respective events during Friday’s trials for the CIF State Track and Field Meet at Buchanan High School.

McFarlane and Roy-Williams both defended their Sac-Joaquin Section Masters championships last week at Davis High School, punching their ticket to this weekend’s state meet.

McFarlane was one of 11 pole vaulters that cleared 15 feet, 6 inches on Friday — the 12th and final qualifier got through with an effort of 15-0 — and has a legitimate shot at the boys title today. McFarlane owns a season-best leap of 16-3 and career best of 16-5, which came at the 2023 state meet. Only Jaden McKeen (16-6) of Martin Luther King High School in Riverside owns a better leap this year, but he failed to qualify Friday.

Roy-Williams, who owns a career-best leap of 19-3 in the girls long jump, won her second consecutive Masters title last week with an effort of 18-4 1/2. She won the 2023 title with a mark of 18-7. On Friday, she was the No. 8 qualifier with an 18-1 3/4. A state championship might be out of reach for Roy-Williams with Loren Webster of Wilson (Long Beach) leaping 20-9 1/4 on Friday. But Roy-Williams will have a good shot at making the podium (top five).

Meanwhile, Pitman’s Blayne Siebert did not qualify for the final in either the 100- or 200-meter dashes. He was the Sac-Joaquin Masters champion in each event.

The Pride senior was clocked in 10.573 seconds in the 100, missing the ninth and final qualifying spot by 11 thousandths of a second.

In the 200, Siebert was 18th with a time of 21.87 seconds.

Turlock 400-meter runner Olivia Walker also did not qualify for the final, finishing 21st in 57.22.

Neither of the Bulldogs’ two girls relay teams did not move on.

Turlock’s 4x100 team, comprised of Walker, Roy-Williams, senior Evelyn Ladine and junior Angel Trefry Bet George, was 15th with a time of 48.07. The foursome’s season-best of 47.66 was turned in at last week’s Masters meet.

The 4x400 squad — Roy-Williams, Walker, Ava Torres and Zoe Lamur — was poised to advance, but was knocked from seventh to 10th after the final heat, despite a season-best clocking of 3:52.54.

The girls long jump gets under way today at 4:45 p.m., while the boys pole vault begins at 7:15.