High school track athletes aim to qualify for state meet

The CIF State Track & Field Championships is the mecca for high school track athletes. Every competitor would like to vie against the top athletes in the state at least once during their prep career.

For many seniors, the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Championship on Thursday and Friday at Elk Grove High is their last chance to punch their ticket to state.

“It’s on my mind a lot,” said Buhach Colony senior Stephon Eastman, who will compete in the high jump Friday. “It’s my last chance to make it to state. It would mean a lot to make it because it’s one of the main goals I set for myself, and this is quite possibly the last time I compete in track or sports in general.”

The top three finishers in each event qualify for next week’s state meet at Buchanan High in Clovis. Athletes can also advance by reaching automatic qualifying marks. The meet starts Thursday with the girls high jump at 2 p.m.

For the boys high jump, the automatic qualifying mark is 6 feet, 7 inches. That would be a personal best for Eastman, who cleared 6-6 at the Central California Conference championships and last week’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division I Championship.

Eastman feels he’s ready to go higher.

“Based off the corrections I’ve made, I think I can clear 6-7 or 6-8,” he said. “I’ve worked on not dragging my feet and some other little things that have kept me from going higher.”

Buhach Colony teammate Barbara Coward is looking to advance to state in the discus. Coward is seeded sixth after finishing third at last week’s Division I meet with a throw of 122-2.

Coward didn’t go all out because she was nursing a groin injury. She said the injury hasn’t bothered her as much this week. The qualifying mark she needs to hit is 132-8, and her personal best is 143-1.

“When I didn’t make state last year I was in bad shape, crying,” Coward said. “It was my third chance, and I took it hard. This is my last chance, and I’m hoping, praying I make it to state.”

Other seniors like Merced’s Jamar Turner (300 hurdles), Hilmar’s Dani Olson (100 hurdles and 300 hurdles), Livingston’s Diego Solis (shot put and discus) and Pacheco’s Mark Joseph (400) are in similar positions.

“I think if I didn’t make state my high school career would feel a little incomplete,” Joseph said. “I’ve got Oregon Tech ahead. I’ve got club and the Junior Olympics over the summer. There’s plenty of racing ahead of me, but I want the experience of going up against the big boys.

“If I can set a new (personal record), I think it should get me there.”

Meanwhile, there are juniors like Merced’s Daniel Ambriz and Denise Bates and Livingston’s Tina Lao, who are also trying to qualify for state.

Ambriz is seeded second in the 1,600 after crossing the finish line in 4 minutes, 17.66 seconds to finish second at the Division I Championship.

Lao is seeded fifth in the shot put (38-3) and 10th in the discus (120-1). Bates is seeded eighth in the discus (122-1).

This story was originally published May 27, 2015 at 6:38 PM with the headline "High school track athletes aim to qualify for state meet."