I'm down here in Norwalk covering the state track meet. Read all the results of your favorite SLO County athletes in the Tribune or at SanLuisObispo.com.
Blog readers will get all the extra stuff.
I'm armed and dangerous with my camera and hope to be posting videos of the action within the weekend.
Until those get up, here's an update.
I saw two stud high school basketball players at the meet. UCLA-bound senior Drew Gordon qualified fourth in the discus for tomorrow's final with a 180-foot, 2-inch throw. He's one spot behind Nipomo's Korben Boaz, who popped a personal-best 181-10.
I also ran by Compton basketball star Demar DeRozan, who was not competing but was watching in the stands, on my way out to interview SLO star Tonie Williams. I didn't have the time to ask if he was really going to renege on his commitment to USC.
Nipomo coach Matt Soenksen let me in on a superstition. His Titans caravan of throwers Boaz and Jeanette DeWitt stayed at the same Hilton and ate at the same meals at the same Mimi's Cafe as they did for last week's CIF-Southern Section Masters Meet, which was also at Cerritos College. He didn't say if they were bummed not to get the same parking spot at the stadium.
Now would be a good time to mention that the starting pistol scares the crap out of me every time it goes off. Come to a meet. I challenge you. Come to a meet, whip out a computer, type some stuff and just try to keep the solids in when the deafening POW! rattles your innards.
It'll be a surprise if the Central Coast athletes don't do well on Saturday. The weather conditions were vintage SLO County. The temperature was in the low 70s. It was sunny. And the wind was just strong enough to notice you didn't like it.
That's all for now. Stay tuned for more.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Sights From the CIF State Track and Field Meet
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FYI from SACBEE.com, Please give thid girl her due.
Golden West features distance phenom Hasay
The Mission Prep junior will run in two events at the invitational in Folsom.
By Quwan Spears - qspears@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, June 6, 2008
Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C7
Print | E-Mail | Comments (0)|
At least one close observer offered a simple reason for Jordan Hasay's girls track dominance.
"She is just untouchable," said Laurynne Chetelat, the Davis High School senior and 3,200-meter state runner-up. "She is a legend. She is well-known on the high school scene because she is hard to beat."
Hasay, a junior at Mission Prep in San Luis Obispo, hopes to add to her legacy at the 2008 adidas Golden West Invitational on Saturday at Folsom High School.
Hasay is one of about 500 top-notch national track and field athletes participating. The event's legacy includes featuring athletes such as Marion Jones, Stacy Dragila and Steve Prefontaine.
In the California Interscholastic Federation State Championships last Saturday, Hasay ran the 3,200 in 9 minutes, 52.13 seconds, and wrapped an unbeaten season in girls prep competition, winning her third consecutive state title at that distance. She beat Chetelat (9:52.51) in a thriller.
Hasay set a new state meet record, breaking the previous mark of 9:52.80 set by Kim Mortensen of Thousand Oaks in 1996.
Saturday, Hasay will try her hand in the 800 meters. She is using the event to prepare for the U.S. Olympic Trials, June 27-July 6 in Eugene, Ore., and also will run the 1,500.
"Regardless of the race, Jordan is just a consistent runner," said Chetelat, who isn't competing in the invitational. "It seems like she never runs a bad race."
In most races, she generally rushes to the lead and uses her great stamina to run and win from the front.
Only pros and collegians in open competition at Stanford have managed to take down the 5-foot-2 runner with trademark long blond hair.
Hasay, however, is just one of several top athletes participating.
Others include junior Christian Taylor of Sandy Creek (Ga.). He is the national leader in the boys triple jump at 52 feet, 6 1/2 inches. He is also expected to compete in the long jump and 400 meters.
Also competing is two-time California state meet boys pole vault champion Nico Weiler of Los Gatos. The senior also holds the nation's top high school mark at 17 feet, 4 inches.
The meet will feature Anna Jelmini of Shafter, who won the state title in the girls discus and has the country's best prep mark of 183 feet, 11 inches.
Local athletes to watch include Laguna Creek's Sanmi George, who finished seventh at the state meet in the girls 100 (12.22 seconds).
Also competing is freshman Jazmin Harper of Oakmont, who was a major surprise this season, claiming fifth at the state meet (55.36) and first (57.15) in the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters meet in the 400.
Football player-turned-sprinter Tom Blocker of Jesuit starred on the Marauders' 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams and finished fourth in the Masters meet in the 400 (49.11).
Maria Malone, a junior from Folsom, earned sixth place in the girls 3,200 (10.29.92) at the state meet. She is expected to run the mile Saturday.
Great job at the Olympic trials. It was fun watching you run on National TV.
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