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Nation’s Elite Arrive in Sacramento...
A Few Weeks Early

Forty-four foot triple jumper Brittany Daniels (left) of Merrill West HS and
dashers Jasmine Baldwin (Bishop Amat), Ebony Collins (LB Wilson) and
Shalonda Solomon (LB Poly) are national-class headliners in Sacramento!

By Richard Gonzalez, Editor, DyeStatCal.com
M ember, CIF-State Track & Field Committee

SACRAMENTO – The nation’s premier track and athletes will arrive in Sacramento in a matter of weeks, each chasing their own Olympic dreams. First, however, a dazzling cast of likely future Olympians takes enter stage. Year in and year out, no state in the nation churns out more national-class performers than California, and none are achieved with as much frequency and notoriety as that found during the annual CIF-State Track and Field Championships!
        The 2004 edition of the year-end blockbuster is downright loaded with talent, headlined by Pan Am Games Junior Championships triple gold medalist Shalonda Solomon of Long Beach Poly, the nation’s best-ever prep triple jump performer in Brittany Daniels of Merrill West, and the high-profile record-setting girls relay contingents from Long Beach Poly. California also boasts the nation-leading mark (through May 31st) in 9 of the 32 events being contested at Sacramento City College’s Hughes Stadium this weekend, in addition to hosting a pair of recent freshmen-class national record setters!
        Team-wise, Southern Section power Long Beach Poly appears to be the heavy favorite to capture the title on the girls’ side, with Merrill West, James Logan and J.W. North expected to vie for the runner-up position. On the boys’ side, North Coast Section juggernaut James Logan holds the inside position for the team crown, with Southland rivals Long Beach Poly and Los Angeles Dorsey each shaving away the margin to the top spot in recent weeks.
        Apply plenty of sun screen, have your bottled water handy, and get ready to cheer these fine young student/athletes, as the 86th Annual CIF-State Track and Field Championships are about to get underway!
        Here’s our breakdown of each of the event areas:
GIRLS EVENTS
        The attention of fervent speed fans from across the national landscape has drifted westward in recent days, with Shalonda Solomon (11.35, wind-aided 100m/23.17 for 200m) and Jasmine Baldwin (23.15 national leader and 11.43w) being the two reasons why. Solomon, the three-time gold medalist at the Pan Am Juniors in Barbados last summer, was the presumed queen of the prep sprint scene for 2004. But then Baldwin, a Bishop Amat HS senior existing in virtual anonymity after being home-schooled the last two years, changed all that. First a photo-finish victory over Solomon at the Trabuco Hills Invitational, then an ultra-narrow loss to her at the Arcadia Invitational, followed by a stunning pair of triumphs at last weekend’s Southern Section Masters Meet.
        Track fans are eager for this weekend’s rematches at 100 and 200 meters, with Merrill West’s Jennifer Nash (11.58/23.73), Logan’s Angelique Smith (11.72/23.87), El Camino’s Jolanda Diego (11.65/24.11), Long Beach Wilson super frosh Ebony Collins (11.57) and Rancho Cucamonga’s Sade Williams (24.15) also in the mix! Over the 400-meter distance, defending champion Jasmine Lee (53.63) has already drawn a very stiff challenge from Sheldon’s Deonna Lawrence (state-leading 53.55), with L.A. City Section champ Myra Hasson also fresh off a lifetime-best (53.90) performance in recent weeks. Also pulling relay duty and the shorter sprints, these girls will surely be taxed to the limit!

Lobg Beach Poly established the nation-leading mark
for 2004 at the Arcadia Invitational, then set the
national record in the 4x100 (44.50) at the Penn Relays!

Relays action appears ready to reach frenetic levels yet again, with Long Beach Poly achieving a yet-to-be-ratified (merely a time line formality) national record of 44.50 in the 4x100 relay at the Penn Relays in late April to headline here. Long Beach Wilson (44.93 at the Texas Relays in April) dropped the stick early on in CIF qualifying to end its title hopes there, with James Logan (45.99), Merrill West (46.26), J.W. North (46.44) and Rancho Cucamonga (46.89) now among the list of prime challengers. Poly also is favored in the 4x400 meter relay, with a nation-leading 3:36.43 effort to its credit, but Moore league rival Wilson dumped the Jackrabbits in a surprising head-on upset at the Southern Section Masters Meet last weekend. Wilson (3:40.94 seasonal best), Rancho Cucamonga (3:42.04), and James Logan (3:43.09) are the leading challengers here.

America’s finest freshman will be on display in the 300-meter low hurdles, as Long Beach Wilson’s Ebony Collins seeks to shove her own national 9th-grade record (40.81) further out of reach while trying to draw closer to famed former LB Wilson hurdler Lashinda Demus’ national record 39.98 clocking. Assuming the California heat doesn’t sap the athletes, a few low hurdlers could dip beneath the fathomed 41-second barrier, with Long Beach Poly’s tandem of DaShanta Harris and Shana Woods (Moore League entries, same as Collins) joined by Logan’s Talia Stewart and Muir frosh Kiani Profit. No program boasts a better hurdling pedigree than J.W. North of Riverside over the last several years, with senior Domenique Manning (state-leading 13.67) leading this year’s collection of high hurdlers and teammate Gayle Hunter (14.04) not too far behind. James Logan’s Talia Stewart (13.69), Long Beach Wilson’s Collins (14.02) and Gardena Serra sophomore Kimyon Broom (14.06) are other leading threats.
Girls’ distances should be red hot, so long as the Sacramento heat doesn’t wilt the runners first! The 3200-meter run on Saturday night should be an all-out dandy, with an assembled field that could materialize into the deepest collection of marks in California history! Folsom junior Natasha LaBeaud, whose flexible early-race tempos have served her well this season, courts a state-best 10:24.57 clocking from her league finals race, with San Diego section star Claire Rethmeier (San Pasqual HS) and Harvard/Westlake standout Lindsay Flacks also running sub-10:28 equivalents from the two-mile race distance this spring. Amazingly enough, the cast of All-American candidates continues with College Park’s and Stanford-signed Lindsay Allen (10:35.82), University of Colorado-committed Liza Pasciuto of Murrieta Valley, North Coast Section champion and Columbia University-bound Shelby Leland of Ukiah, cross-county nationals qualifier Rachel Bryan of Laguna Creek, and late bloomers Lauren Walker of Canyon and Monika Rothenburger of Dana Hills.

Montgomery's Kim Conley (left) and College Park's
Lindsay Allen are two of America's finest in 2004!

The 1600-meter clash is just as attractive, with defending state champion Alicia Follmar (4:51.42) of Saratoga being served notice by College Park’s Allen that a showdown is on tap. Allen burned the oval for a state-leading 4:48.82 win at last week’s sectionals, with Montgomery’s Kim Conley (4:52.48) in hot pursuit. Woodcreek senior standout Lauren Mulkey wheeled off an impressive distance double at the SJS Finals last week, regaining the form that caught her at a superb 4:53.62 Arcadia clocking in mid-April. Corona del Mar sophomore Annie St. Geme, hoarding excellent leg speed, will also be in the mix for medals positions. Another grueling trials/finals challenge is expected to play out in the 800, where state leader Alysia Johnson (2:10.82 last week) of Canyon leads a speed parade that includes Archbishop Mitty’s Christine Whalen, Menlo School’s Libby Jenke, Ezperanza frosh Emily Dunn and La Costa Canyon’s Kelly McCann. This event, more than other, is open to a slew of upsets by unnamed parties.
The girls’ weight events boast national-class talent as well, with Arroyo Grande’s Megan Howard (50-3.5) checking in as America’s #2 shot putter this spring while Bakersfield Centennial discus thrower Missy Faubus still carries the banner as the national leader due to her 170-1 effort in winning her specialty event at the mid-April Arcadia Invitational. Pittsburg’s Alexaraee Toeaina (151-2) leads the chase pack, which also includes Tehachapi’s Margaret Giuffre, Arroyo Grande’s Howard, Marin Catholic’s Sara Jocobsen, Rancho Buena Vista’s Whitney DeWeese and Avenal’s Sharon Ayala. Faubus uncorked a 47-11 heave in mid-April to post the state’s #2 mark there, with Orange County power thrower Melissa Yunghans (Orange Lutheran), beach-side talent April Phillips (Long Beach Poly) and and Sonoma Valley’s Melissa Van Paris also well beyond 43 feet this season.

J.W. North's Gayle Hunter and Long Beach Poly's Shana Woods each won
mythical national pentathlon titles on the same weekend in March.

Arguably the two finest female athletes in the nation look up in the horizontal jumps, but it appears neither might be equipped to derail America’s hottest jumps performer! Merrill West High’s Brittany Daniels dropped the psychological hammer on the Golden State competition in recent days after a breathtaking 44-8 (wind-aided) triple jump effort that was the longest in national prep history! Daniels also cleared a wind legal 44-0 that weekend, good for #3 on the all-time legal conditions list, and stamping her as the heavy favorite here. J.W. North’s Gayle Hunter and Long Beach Poly’s Shana Woods, who each claimed mythical national indoor pentathlon titles at competing East Coast meets in mid-March, should wage a back-and-forth battle on the long jump runway. Hunter owns a 20-7.75 legal best from Arcadia this spring while Woods posted a 20-6.25 effort at the divisional finals two weeks back. Daniels, at 20-2.25, is the only other 20 footer in the state. Tracey Stewart (40-1.50, wind-aided) of James Logan and super frosh Jamesha Youngblood (40-1.50) of Hercules are the state’s remaining 40 footers in search of catching Daniels.

2004 California state pole vault leader Whitney Johnson of Mission Viejo
is also the CIF-State Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year! Congratulations!

         Intrigue has enveloped the girls’ pole vault in recent weeks, with the sudden emergence of some red-hot underclass talent to challenge the veterans. State leader Whitney Johnson – also the 2004 State-CIF Female Scholar-Athlete award winner! – elevated to a 12-10 clearance in setting the Orange County record three weeks ago, with Temecula Valley’s Kristen Dormanen clearing 12-7 at sectionals to move into the upper rung nationally. The big recent new, however, centers on freshmen phenom Allison Stokke of Newport Harbor, who set a 9th-grade national record with her scintillating 12-7 clearance at Southern Section Masters last weekend! Atascadero’s Monica Pacas, an understudy of Hall of Fame vaulter Jan Johnson, cleared a seasonal-best 12-6 in April, with junior Kate Mattoon (12-1) of vault powerhouse Rancho Bernardo and Tori Pena (the #3 sophomore in America at 12-1) of Huntington Beach Edison on the upswing. Four of the top 8 vaulters hail from the Orange County area as the Golden State vies for national bragging rights in this event.
          Will it be a new “Day” on the girls’ high jump scene? Last year, it was Costa Mesa’s Sharon Day that shined at the year-end meet to claim top honors. This year, it might be Jasmin Day. State meet veterans Mindi Wiley (Sonoma) and Desirae Gonder (Stockdale, Bakersfield) have each cleared 5-10 this spring, but Costa Mesa’s Jasmin Day (Sharon’s little sister) has cleared 5-8 to move into the title picture. Multi-events standout Allie Miller of Los Altos and Napa freshmen find Susan Jackson are among five others to have negotiated clearances at 5-8 this campaign.

BOYS EVENT PREVIEWS
          Injuries to Lionel Larry (Dominguez HS, Compton) and Kenny O’Neal (Skyline HS, Oakland) sent the biggest shock waves up and down the coast this spring, but O’Neal is back in time for the championships while Larry is sidelined at least from individual action. Long Beach Poly’s Derrick Jones (10.50 and 20.97 legal seasonal bests last weekend) is the big-name favorite, but East Union’s Carl Crawford dazzled at the Sac-Joaquin Sectionals, including a wind-aided 10.34 clocking that is the best in the state this season under any conditions and a 21.04 wind legal effort for the deuce. O’Neal ran the fastest indoor 60-meter time in the naton this year (6.68 seconds) and ran 10.68 at his sectionals despite his blocks slipping and landing him in last place at race’s start. Pinole Valley’s Wopamo Osaisai – he of the hot pink racing spikes! – and North Salinas’ Ronnie Drummer (10.55) are other proven headliners assembled her, joined by Lancaster’s Kelvin Love (a surprise double winner at the Mt. SAC Relays), football star Terrail Lambert (10.54) of St. Bonaventure and late-race specialist Fred Worstein (10.63) of Yosemite are also in the mix! Keep an eye also on Nevada Union senior Steven Conrad (signed to UC Berkeley), arguably the nation’s premier decathlete, who will do the 100 (10.69w), 200 (21.35), 110HH (14.57) and the long jump (24-2) this weekend. He has also run the 400 in 48.5, the intermediate hurdles in 39.13!

Defending state 400m champion David Gettis
of Dorsey is the man to beat yet again!

Among the heavier event favorites on the male side this weekend occurs in the 400, where Dorsey phenom David Gettis (46.39 state leader) is the defending champion and a man amongst boys over the last 12 months on the Golden State scene. Gettis, a robust talent with a mustang-like stride, is the favorite over Corona’s Kenny Moon (committed to the University of Louisville), Fairfield’s Desmond Morris (47.43) and vastly improved junior Wesley Williams of Esperanza (47.89).

Long Beach Poly is the state leader in the 4x100
and ranks #2 in the state in the 4x400. Speed City!

The always-exciting relay events could evolve into a clash of Southland powerhouses, with Gettis-led Dorsey boasting a nation-leading 3:11.45 effort in bolting to the L.A. City Section event and overall team titles, although Long Beach Poly checks in with a 3:13.96 Southern Section leading mark from a week ago. Southern California also claims the next five qualifying spots on time in the long relay (it would be six, but one squad will be at partial strength due to prom night) while nearby Fairfield HS (3:18.19) leads the charge from the Northern end of the state. In the short relay, Poly (41.12) has been sharp of late, but the Kenny O’Neal-powered Skyline team dropped a super 41.24 effort to win the Oakland Section Finals. L.A. City Section foes Taft (41.40) and Dorsey (41.68), while Central Coast Section dash power Lynbrook of San Jose (41.79) and Lionel Larry-anchored Dominguez (41.85) are also heating up as of late.
Moving over to the boys’ distance action, Woodbridge senior Michael Haddan seeks to reclaim the 800-meter title he previously captured at the 2002 state meet, with the UCLA-signed star fresh off a state-leading 1:51.50 triumph at last weekend’s Southern Section Masters Meet. Two other hot standouts of late include Albany’s Sean Carey and Drake’s Eric Lee, with the former prevailing over the latter (1:52.15 to 1:52.23) in a thrilling North Coast Section clash last weekend that netted two of the top three times in the state. Royal senior Bryan Rodie (penned to attend Boise State), Woodcreek’s Calvin Glass (set to attend the Air Force Academy), junior Joshua Castaneda of Bonita, a virtual factory for producing two-lap specialists, and Upland’s Ryan Gamboa, the nation’s fastest freshman (1:53.07) over the two-lap distance this spring, are among the most dangerous remaining contenders.

Stanford-signed speedster Jacob Evans
has sparkled at the 1600m distance this year!

The 1600-meter run should be a classic test of leg speed along the final 400 meters, unless El Toro junior Brandon Bethke unleashes one of his lethal “long kicks” that might send the elite field scampering. Bethke is unbeaten over the four-lap distance this spring, including a state-leading 4:09.53 effort at the Southern Section Divisional Finals. Even so, Bethke has never faced a crew as potent as this, with Stanford-bound ace Jacob Evans of Aptos (4:10.41, with 1:52 speed and a 49.3 relay split), Cardinal Newman’s J.K. Withers (4:10.7, and 49.8 for the open 400), Woodcreek’s Calvin Glass (4:13.39/1:52.84) and national sophomore-class leader A.J. Acosta (4:12.85) of El Camino in Oceanside (SDS) also in the field. Foot Locker Cross-Country Nationals qualifier Mark Matusak (4:13.70/9:10.86) of Loyola and fellow junior Joe Gatel (1:53.42/4:13.31/9:13.85) of Huntington Beach Edison are two superb talents featured after having recovered from injury in recent weeks.

Redwood's Jake Schmitt and title favorite Yosef Ghebray of Logan (left photo)
join UCLA-bound Kyle Shackleton of Carlmont as among the top 3200m entries!

The 3200-meter run, a test of mental as well as physical stamina, should prove to be a high-focus event for sprint power James Logan, as multi-lap talent Yosef Ghebray aims to possibly clinch the team title with a strong showing here. Ghebray placed third (8:55:52) for a full two miles at the Arcadia Invitational, giving him about a 10-second cushion over leading threat Jeremy Mineau of Menlo-Atherton (9:01.54 to head a super-deep cast at the Central Coast Section Finals). National cross-country finalist Alex Dunn (9:04.66) of San Lorenzo Valley, El Toro’s Bethke (already competing in the 1600), UCLA-committed Kyle Shackleton of Carlmont and Southern Section Masters winner Andrew Tachias of Covina are other prime entries of particular note.

James Logan High hurdler Kevin Craddock (center) has had a dizzying effect
on the competition this year. Craddock has over 15 national age-group hurdling
records to his credit, with his sights set on state titles this coming weekend!

            The hurdle races on the boys’ side could very well result in 20 key team points for NCS power Logan High. Junior Kevin Craddock, who already holds more than a dozen national age-group records to his credit, is the heavy favorite in both barrier challenges, with the sleek wonder busting a big 13.69 high hurdles triumph into the wind at the North Coast Section Meet of Champions last weekend, the only sub-14.00 performer within state lines this year. Craddock came back an hour later to drop a stunning 36.53 effort to claim the intermediate hurdles victory in the nation’s #2 time this spring. Craddock has been on a tear ever since claiming the Penn Relays 400-meter intermediates crown in late April. Muir’s Marquis Profit is the leading challenger to Craddock in each race, although an apparent case of plantar fasciitis in recent days might hinder following up on superb seasonal-best 14.02 and 37.11 seasonal-best efforts last weekend. Trabuco Hills’ Bryan Payne (14.16/37.27), who held a slight lead over Profit at final high hurdle last weekend , and Helix’s Byron Barmer (14.16) are leading Southland challengers. From the North, Oakland Section champion Yahya Abdul-Mateen of McClymonds heads the leading combatants after a fine 14.26 effort last weekend. One dangerous wild-card is Dorsey’s Kai Kelly (14.28/37.22), a senior seeking to snare valuable team points in their bid for the overall title.
             Sheldon senior Rashaad Nunnally belted out a huge nation-leading 24-11.50 leap at the Sac Joaquin Section Finals, adding more than a foot to his previous lifetime best! Nunnally, however, will have plenty of high-rent district company along the runway as a surprising slew of 24-foot performances descended into the sand pits last weekend. Gahr’s Demetri Mosby needed nearly every bit of his 24-6.25 effort to upend Gardena Serra’s Marcel Keeling (24-5) at the Southern Section Masters, while Grant’s Devon Jones (24-5), Nevada Union’s Steven Conrad (24-2) and Granite Bay’s Sam Stroughter (24-0.25) have helped turns one of the state’s leanest events into one of its meanest competitions at the eleventh hour.
            Over on the triple jump pit, James Logan High aims to sweep the top two spots and the 18 points that go with it, thanks to junior Nkosinza Balumbu and senior Angelo Jeffery. Balumbu spanned a state-leading 49-8.5 to win the Arcadia Invitational in mid-April, while Jeffery bounded 49-7 to win the competitive Logan Top 8 affair later in the month. Red-hot senior Michael Johnson of rancho Cucamonga (SS) stretched out to a seasonal-best 49-2 measurement in winning his section’s divisional crown, while Greenfield’s Joel Tuosto (48-9.50) claimed the Central Coast Section honors. Sophomore Charles Amadi of Edison high in Fresno is among the nation’s rising talents here, with a 48-4 title triumph at the Central Section Finals three weeks ago.

Defending state vault champion Ryan Shuler (right) of Granite Bay
and teammate Scott Roth (center) are elite U.S. sophomores.

Action in the boys pole vault competition is always tense, with aerialists aiming to master all conditions as they attempt to steel their nerves and rise to new heights. Granite Bay’s Ryan Shuler enjoyed a Cinderella-type story in capturing the state title as a freshman a year ago, but the clock almost struck midnight during a SJS Finals scare a week ago, where he was one miss away from seeing his season end at a height more than two feet below his personal best. Instead, Shuler came through and must now face teammate Scott Roth – another sophomore ! – as possibly his leading challenger. Shuler (a state-best 16-6), Roth (16-0), Rancho Bernardo’s Matt Steverson (16-0) and Los Alamitos’ Dustin Deleo (16-0) are the state’s only 16 footers, with Steverson being “byed through” his league meet due to injury. What a story it would be if he prevailed this weekend!
Reaching rarified air will be sought on the high jump apron as well, where Los Amgeles Fremont’s Danny Williams still tops the state leader list after a 7-0.25 clearance on the final day of March. The competition is closing in, however, with Mesa Verde’s Aiona Key and Berkeley St. Mary’s star Ed Wright clearing 7 feet even last month. Azusa’s Jonathon Golden, who cleared 6-11 two weeks ago, and four others at 6-10 also grace the entry lists.

Burroughs senior Eddie Cornell claims
a state-leading 203-5 discus toss mark in 2004!

The spinners and sliders will descend on the shot put ring with impressive force and eye-popping credentials, led by the talented tandem from throws juggernaut Arroyo Grande. State leaders Mark Lewis (65-11, #3 in the U.S.) and Steven Field (64-3.5) keep the tradition going for the Southland power, with San Diego Section champion Boldizsar Kocsor (62-11.50) leading a quintet of other 60-footers! With the power lifting and speed movements now honed, expect a great showdown in the discus ring, where state leader Eddie Cornell (203-5) of Ridgecrest (SS) has had to travel for hours each weekend just to locate competitions, including a mid-season loss to Daniel Schaerer (200-6) of The Bishop’s School in La Jolla. Seasoned veterans Kyle Davis-Hammerquist (196-5) of the Webb School and Matt Gray (195-4) of Esperanza in Orange County are other national-class talents featured.