Track and Field Season Preview: Teams eye league titles, CIF success with abundance of talent
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There looks to be an abundance of talent this season with the city’s boys’ and girls’ track and field teams.
All three schools, Burbank High, Burroughs and Providence, have their share of outstanding athletes who could enjoy individual success, as well as helping their respective squads to league success.
At Burbank, the Bulldogs girls’ team looks to be led by Jayla Flowers, who had a wildly successful season last year in tasting success in state competition in the triple jump.
The Burroughs boys’ team has a high-flying pole vaulter in Eli Gault-Crabb, who has put himself among an impressive Indians all-time list in the event.
Providence will have a group of returning league champions, including Bryce Whitaker on the boys’ side. Whitaker will be getting a late start after helping the Pioneers boys’ basketball to a deep run in the CIF playoffs.
Here is a closer look at the teams.
BURBANK
Flowers, a junior, captured a pair of girls’ crowns at the Pacific League finals in 2019. She had a mark of 16 feet, 9 1/4 inches in the long jump and turned in a 36-2 effort in the triple jump.
Flowers continued her success in a series of meets, advancing to the 101th annual CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High in Clovis. Flowers became the first athlete in area history to make the state podium in the girls’ triple jump since the event was added to the championship schedule in 1982, improving her own school record of 39-6 on her final attempt to place fifth.
Flowers, who was named the Burbank Leader Girls’ Athlete of the Year, decided not to compete in basketball for the 2019-20 season to concentrate on track in field.
“The team is well balanced between seasoned veterans and talented under-classmen,” Burbank coach David Card said.
Returning to defend their league titles are sophomore Emma Cusumano in the 300-meter hurdles (47.51 seconds) and teammate Sara Tominaga in the pole vault (9-0).
The sprint events are led by junior Stephana Powell and senior Amira Ottosson. Also contributing in the sprints are juniors Hannah Camacho, Gabi Fontanez, Tamryn Betts and Flowers.
Flowers is supported in the field events by sophomore Paige Cizek and senior Khyla Lipscomb. Along with Cusumano in the hurdles, she is joined by Carmina Lopez and Cizek.
Expected to contribute in the throwing events are seniors Tiffany Safar, Nikita Ghadimian and Kim Ramirez, as well as sophomore Katherine Bui. The distance team should be strong, led by senior Sol Fernandez and juniors Megan La Camera, Mckynzee Kelley and Elin Markarian.
On the boys’ side, the Bulldogs will be bolstered by a group of distance runners who led Burbank to a fifth place finish in Division I in the the CIF State Championships in cross-country last fall. Members of that team, seniors Victor Goli and Dayne Ellis, along with juniors Andres Leon and Mher Matevosyan, are expected to contribute.
In the sprints will be senior Bryan David and sophomore Jack Sapyta, while Senior Cole Le’au and juniors Kaze Gibbs and Dylan Brandon will also contribute.
Competing in the hurdles events will be senior Nicholas Slaughter and juniors Alex and Adrian Diaz-Infante. Senior James Smyth should lead the throwers, senior Robbie Cranston, junior Ethan Lucsik will compete in the pole vault and junior Layne Buck will take part in the jumps.
“The boys are preparing to regain their status as Pacific League champions,” Card said.
BURROUGHS
Gault-Crabb won the the pole vault with a 13-6 effort at last season’s Pacific League finals.
The junior will look to break the Burroughs record in the event as he stands currently at No. 2 after clearing 16-0 in early competition. Gault-Crabb is behind record-holder just Essa Sallinen, who set an all-time mark with a 16-4 3/4 effort in 1994.
Another key returner this season is senior Caleb Black in the 200 and 400. He was second in the Pacific League in the 400 last season.
Also looked upon to contribute are senior Ryan Thomas in the long jump and triple jump and sophomore Chase Eldridge in the 100- and 300 hurdles.
“The distance talent in the Pacific League is so strong on both the boys’ and girls’ sides, so it will be exciting to see how our kids will rise up in those races,” said Burroughs’ John Peebles, who returns as head coach.
On the girls’ side, the team will rely on junior Elizabeth Surratt in the hurdles, senior Goar Saroyan in the pole vault, junior Jordan Guzman in the middle and long distance races and junior Jag Reivers in the throwing events.
“We will not be in the hunt for the league title, but it will be fun seeing how our team improves throughout the year and to see how we perform come Pacific League finals and beyond,” Peebles said.
PROVIDENCE
When Whitaker gets in track and field shape, he should be one of the Pioneers’ standouts on the boys’ side.
Last season, Whitaker — the Leader Boys’ Athlete of the Year — stepped up and helped Providence secure a Prep League title with a slim win over Pasadena Poly, 99-98.
At the league finals, Whitaker won the triple jump (42-6 1/2) and qualified in the long jump (third; 19-4). He also teamed up with Lucas Weaver, Jaden Baker and Ryan Clemens to take the 4x100 relay in 45.13 seconds and worked with Nick Montijo, Clemens and Diego Pieragostino for a victory in the 4x400 relay in 3:42.18.
Whitaker, a senior, advanced to the CIF Division IV finals, recording a fifth-place finish in triple jump with a 41-5 1/2 mark.
Clemens, a senior, returns to defend his league in the 110 hurdles (16.54). In the CIF Divison IV finals, Clemens finished eighth in the 110 hurdles (16.34).
Two other key contributors could be sophomore Weaver in the hurdles and freshman Aidan Urbina in the middle-distance events.
“We definitely have some talent this season,” Providence first-year coach Chad Johnson said. “They have been working out and looking to improve as the season goes along.”
The girls’ squad also made an impact at the league finals, finishing with 98 points behind Mayfield (179).
A substantial returner is senior Nadia Singleton, who was named the league’s girls’ most valuable track athlete with a first-place finish in the 200 (26.39) and a second-place time in the 100 (13.08).
Singleton also teamed with Jasmine Monegalan, Gabriella Florian and Kristen Ayap to win the 4x100 relay (51.41).
Florian, a junior, also returns and will take part in the sprints and hurdles. Another key returner is
junior Nicole Rochart, who placed ninth in the shot put (32-4 1/4) at last year’s CIF finals. Sophia Malki is also expected to step up in the relays and sprint events.
“We know the league is going to be tough, but we expect to be competitive and I think we can be right up there,” Johnson said.