Edison hurdlers victorious as 10 local athletes qualify for Masters at CIF track and field championships
Top athletes from across Southern California came together at the CIF Southern Section track and field championships on Saturday, battling it out for section glory and a spot in the upcoming Masters Meet. In the girls’ hurdle events, a pair of Edison competitors came out as champions.
Chargers seniors Sophia Menchine and Lindy Tarvin both earned CIF titles at Moorpark High on Saturday, highlighting a day where 10 local athletes qualified for 11 events at the Masters Meet on May 20.
“I’m honestly blown away,” said Tarvin, who won the 300-meter hurdles in 43.26 seconds, docking more than a second off her seasonal-best time set at the Arcadia Invitational on April 8. “I cannot believe I had that big of a jump in my time. I did feel like it was my best race [in a] technical aspect of hurdling. My mind was just in it from the get-go.”
Menchine kicked off the banner day when she separated herself from the pack halfway into the 100 hurdles to win the race in a lifetime-best 15.06 seconds.
“It felt good,” Menchine said. “I had a good start. It wasn’t my best race, technically, but, I ran well, so what could I ask for?”
Tarvin, who competed against Menchine in the 100 hurdles and finished seventh in 15.61 in the event, turned it around in the 300 hurdles and qualified for the Masters Meet.
“I don’t think it affected me at all because I was hoping, of course, for a better time,” said Tarvin of her 100 hurdles performance. “But I’m still satisfied with the progress I’ve made in the 100 hurdles in the past couple of weeks.”
Corona del Mar junior Ava Simos and Newport Harbor senior Leo Davis were also crowned CIF champions.
Simos, who was the sprints athlete of the meet at last month’s Orange County track and field championships, clocked in a personal-best 11.98 to claim the Division 3 girls’ 100 race.
“Coming in today, I was feeling pretty nervous,” said Simos, who will be the only area athlete to compete in two events in the Masters Meet, racing in the 100 and 200 sprints.
“Last year, when I was a sophomore, I made it to the finals, but I didn’t qualify for Masters. So this year, I obviously wanted to get a [personal record], but my goal was really to get to the Masters. I did both of those things today, and I’m feeling really good about it, really relieved.”
Davis cleared 15 feet, 3 inches in the Division 2 boys’ pole vault to win the event and qualify for Masters. The CIF-winning mark was tied for the second-best overall on the day, topped by Redondo Union senior Dylan Curtis’ clearance of 15-9.
A trio of local athletes finished runner-up at Saturday’s championships.
Corona del Mar junior Melisse Djomby Enyawe will join Simos at the Masters Meet with a second-place finish in the Division 3 girls’ 1,600 in 4:57.05, her first time breaking five minutes in the event.
Huntington Beach junior Makenzie McRae, the lone Oilers athlete to compete in Saturday’s CIF finals, came in second in the Division 1 girls’ 3,200 with a qualifying time of 10:26.47, good enough for third overall on the day.
Newport Harbor sophomore Marley McCullough was the runner-up in the Division 2 girls’ 3,200 race in 10:55.23 (14th overall in the CIF finals), but the performance left her on the outside looking in for a spot in next week’s competition. The top 12 from the CIF finals in the event advanced to the Masters Meet.
In an event where 16 competitors made the cut for Masters, Sailors freshman Natalie McCarty cleared 5-2 in the Division 2 girls’ high jump.
Additional Newport Harbor athletes advancing included sophomore Keaton Robar, who finished third in the Division 2 girls’ 800 in 2:09.66, and senior Kenny Wanlass, who placed fourth in the Division 2 boys’ 3,200 in 9:12.07.
Pacifica Christian Orange County will also be represented in the Masters, courtesy of senior Caeden Connell, who cleared a lifetime-best 6-4 to earn a third-place medal in the Division 4 boys’ high jump.
In the other field events, Edison junior Alexa Sheldon was the final Masters qualifier in the girls’ shot put. Her 40-1 mark in Division 2 competition saw her finish fourth. Sheldon, however, narrowly missed out on qualifying in the girls’ discus following a 125-9 toss in the Division 2 event, which was also good for fourth.
Marina senior Khang Nguyen, who committed to Cal earlier Saturday, was the first cut in Masters qualification after a fifth-place, 44-4½ performance in the Division 2 boys’ triple jump.
Three local girls teams finished top-10 in the overall team standings.
The Edison girls finished fifth in Division 2 with 34 points, ahead of Newport Harbor girls, who were tied for seventh with Mater Dei with 26 points. In Division 3, the Corona del Mar girls placed seventh with 31 points.
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