Track and Field: Masters meet should provide a change of pace

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What a difference six days makes. The Southern Section-Toyota division finals last Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College felt like an oven, and I spent most of the time sitting in the shade up in the press box. The only runners who seemed to have a chance of improving on their personal bests were the sprinters. The distance runners were just lucky to make it through their races.

Fast forward to tonight’s Masters meet at Cerritos College and the distance runners should find ideal conditions. Cloudy and cool, with temperatures expected in the low 60s when field events are scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m., followed by running events at 6. It’ll likely be a few degrees cooler when the event wraps up around 9 p.m.

The top five finishers in each event qualify for the state meet preliminaries May 30 at Cerritos College. Some runners will go all out to get in the top five, while the elite athletes tend to run a little more conservatively and save their best for next weekend. Certain field events should also see some top marks but don’t expect any big efforts in the high jump, as most of those competitors tend to go just high enough to qualify and then call it a day.

If if rains, that could affect everything from the discus to the horizontal jumps.

For more information on the meet, check here.

For up-to-date weather conditions for the Cerritos area, check here.

--Dan Arritt