Collison, Kostelnik en route to State

GLENDALE — They’ve reached the pantheon of their track and field careers in their first years as upperclassmen.

Claire Collison and James Kostelnik proved they are among the top distance runners in Southern California. The duo earned their stripes when they recently competed at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet.

Now, the talented athletes plan to show the entire state what they can offer.

Collison and Kostelnik are set to partake in the 89th annual CIF State Meet, which will be held today and Saturday at Sacramento City College’s Hughes Stadium. It will mark the first time that each athlete will take part in the State Meet.

Collison, a junior on the Crescenta Valley High girls’ squad, will participate in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter events.

She will run in the 1,600 qualifying race around 5:30 p.m. today, and will need to finish among the top three in her heat or pick up one of the next three fastest marks across both heats to move into the championship race at 5:21 p.m. Saturday.

Collison, who clocked a personal-best time of 4 minutes 54.84 seconds to take seventh in the 1,600 at the Masters Meet on Friday at Cerritos College’s Falcon Stadium, will also compete in the 3,200 at 7:41 p.m. Saturday.

Kostelnik, a Glendale resident who is a junior at Loyola, will participate in the boys’ 3,200 at 8 p.m. Saturday. Kostelnik automatically qualified for the State Meet after he clocked a personal-best time of 9:11.24 to take eighth at the Masters Meet.

Collison, who won Pacific League championships in both distance races on May 4 at Arcadia High, said she gained added momentum and experience after making her first appearance at the Masters Meet.

“I’m happy and all ready to go,” said Collison, who finished ninth in the 3,200 (10:44.14) at the Masters Meet. “I have a lot of energy left over, and I know that my knowledge and experience can carry over to state.

“The 1,600 will be real hard. It will be real dramatic fighting for a spot [for Saturday]. In the 3,200, I won’t be afraid to be up with the top girls. If you run with them, then you get a fast time.”

Some of the featured runners in the 1,600 will include Corona del Mar’s Shelby Buckley, who won the Masters Meet with a mark of 4:46.80. Serrano’s Kauren Tarver and Christine Babcock of Woodbridge will be expected to compete, as will Sadee Martinez of Burroughs.

Masters Meet champion Anna Sperry of Simi Valley, Jordan Hassay of Mission Prep and Christy Adamayk of Glendora will compete in the 3,200.

Crescenta Valley Coach Mark Evans said Collison will be up to the challenge of racing against many of the country’s top distance runners.

“She’s real excited about the chance to go up there and run,” Evans said. “She feels confident that she can run and run well.

“She’ll need to be a little more aggressive in the 1,600 heat because you need to get through Friday to get to Saturday.

“With the 3,200, you get out and see how the race develops. You want to stay in the pack for the first 1,600 and then that’s when the race really starts. The pack creates it’s own energy.”

Kostelnik, who won Mission League titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High on May 3, competed in the Cross-Country State Meet in 2005 at Fresno’s Woodward Park.

Kostelnik said he’d look to draw on that experience and apply it to Saturday’s race.

“The key for me will be to stay with the leaders until the last lap and then kick it in,” Kostelnik said. “It’s a great honor to go to state because that’s what you run for.

“It doesn’t get better than that.”

Among the top runners expected to participate in the 3,200 are Chad Hall of Big Bear, who won the Masters Meet in 9:03.50. Michael Cybulski of Royal, the defending state champion, Dylan Knight of La Sierra and Trabuco Hills’ Scott Blair will also be on hand to claim excellence.