Chaparral senior Keelan Wright and Santiago senior Rylee Blade again reigned supreme at the CIF Southern Section’s annual Masters Meet track and field competition.
Wright won her first Masters Meet championship last season, and she successfully defended that title in the 200-meter dash Saturday afternoon at Moorpark High School. She captured her second title behind a personal-best-yet-winded-aided time of 23.21 seconds. That is the state’s fastest 200-meter time this season under all conditions.
Wright, who is headed to Georgia, also advanced to the upcoming CIF State Championships in the 100 meters (second place).
Blade qualified for the Masters Meet in the 1600 meters and 3200 meters but again decided to drop the former in order to focus on her specialty event. And that paid off, as the Florida State-bound Blade claimed her third consecutive Masters Meet title in 3200 meters with a time of 10 minutes and 11.38 seconds.
Santiago had a second Masters Meet champion, as Braelyn Combe brought home the title in the 1600 meters with a season-best time of 4 minutes and 44.36 seconds.
Jurupa Valley’s AB Hernandez swept the titles in the girls horizontal jumps. Hernandez started Saturday by winning the long jump championship with a wind-legal leap of 19 feet and 3 1/2 inches. Hernandez won the triple jump on a wind-legal mark of 40 feet and 4 3/4 inches. Hernandez also advanced in the high jump (tied, fourth place).
Claremont won the Masters Meet title in the girls 4 x 800 relay for the second time in three seasons, as the quartet of Isla Bulmer, Grace Smith, Zenani Guannu and Annika Graham-Scanlon combined for a time of 8 minutes and 59.39 seconds.
To qualify for the CIF State Championships, athletes and relays had to finish among the top six in their respective events or meet the state’s at-large qualifying standard. The lone exception was the 4 x 800 relay. The CIF Southern Section is allowed only four qualifiers in that event for the state finals.
In girls events, a total of 18 Inland athletes and four relays advanced to the state meet, which will take place Friday and Saturday at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
Three additional Inland athletes qualified for state in two individual events: Norco’s Kaylee Best (long jump, triple jump); Riverside Poly’s Kylani Gaines (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles); and Summit’s Amira Whitehead (200 meters, 400 meters).
INLAND QUALIFIERS FOR CIF STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
100 Meters
2. Keelan Wright, Chaparral, 11.41
6. Taylor Anynasi, Murrieta Valley, 11.63
200
1. Keelan Wright, Chaparral, 23.21
7. Amira Whitehead, Summit, 24.03
400
4. Amira Whitehead, Summit, 54.91
9. Bella Cablayan, Murrieta Mesa, 55.82
800
3. Grace Smith, Claremont, 2:10.58
1600
1. Braelyn Combe, Santiago, 4:44.36
4. Jordin Lieberman, Murrieta Valley, 4:48.17
8. Isla Bulmer, Claremont, 4:52.08
3200
1. Rylee Blade, Santiago, 10:11.38
6. Megan Crum, Temescal Canyon, 10:29.46
100 Hurdles
5. Kylani Gaines, Riverside Poly, 14.21
300 Hurdles
6. Kylani Gaines, Riverside Poly, 43.29
1600 Relay
8. Claremont (Zylah Araujo, Zenani Guannu, Annika Graham-Scanlon, Grace Smith) 3:50.10
9. King (Amaya Lochard, Sophia Llamas, Natalie Drewitz, Aliyah Rudolph) 3:51.80
3200 Relay
1. Claremont (Isla Bulmer, Grace Smith, Zenani Guannu, Annika Graham-Scanlon) 8:59.39
2. Santiago (Braelyn Combe, Taylor Davis, Emily Cuevas, Nicole Samson) 9:02.98
High Jump
T4. AB Hernandez, Jurupa Valley 5-4
6. Alyssa Jones, Roosevelt, 5-4
Pole Vault
T4. Katelynn Suemnick, Chaparral, 12-3
Shot Put
4. Arelle Middleton, Chino, 43-1
Discus
6. Su’Riah Williams, Redlands, 140-11
Long Jump
1. AB Hernandez, Jurupa Valley, 19-3 1/2
2. Kaylee Best, Norco, 19-0 3/4
4. Zenani Guannu, Claremont, 18-9 1/2
Triple Jump
1. AB Hernandez, Jurupa Valley, 40-4 3/4
2. Kaylee Best, Norco, 39-6
