Glendale, Crescenta Valley earn half-dozen Pacific League titles
ARCADIA — Six local championships and 20 CIF Southern Section preliminary qualifications highlighted a big evening for the Glendale High, Crescenta Valley and Hoover track and field programs at Thursday evening’s Pacific League finals at Arcadia High.
Glendale continued the program’s best year in quite some time with three championships, which tied the program with Crescenta Valley.
The Falcons boasted 12 qualifiers, while the Nitros added seven and Hoover finished with one.
“It’s really good to culminate the year with what we did today,” Glendale coach Bob Bailey said. “Even the people who didn’t win league championships did great. We had a lot of good performances and lot of [personal bests] today. The best thing is that we’re really young.”
No one better represented Glendale’s youth movement than Dylan Andrade, who won two titles and qualified to the CIF postseason in four events.
The freshman won his team’s first individual title in two years by capturing the boys’ 400-meter run in a personal-best time of 49.83 seconds.
“This feels good and I’m out here because I love my team,” said Andrade, who topped his previous best of 50.17. “It feels good to win and to represent the school. It’s not about my pride, but about doing what’s best for the school.”
Andrade helped start the day in fine fashion for the Nitros as he teamed with Thomas Khan, Ostap Mejia and Dane Tamme to win the 400-meter relay in 43.67, which bested the squad’s top time of 44.15.
The night wasn’t over yet for Andrade, who also finished third in the 200-meter dash in 22.75 and earned advancement to the CIF Southern Section Division I preliminaries at Trabuco Hills High on May 12.
Andrade’s fourth and final CIF qualification came as a member of the Nitros’ 1,600-meter relay squad with Khan, Tamme and Arvin Sales. The quartet finished second in 3:27.95.
Glendale’s last champion picked up her title in the shot put as junior Faviola Ramirez was victorious with a distance of 33 feet, 5 inches.
Sticking in the shot put, Crescenta Valley senior Riley Center captured one of two Pacific League field championships for the Falcons with a toss of 47-8 1/2.
Center was joined in the winner’s circle by fellow senior Aidan Foote, who claimed the pole vault with a height of 12 feet.
Falcons sophomore Dylan Wilbur secured Crescenta Valley’s last victory as the middle-distance runner took home a victory in the 800 in a personal-best time of 1:55.09.
“That 800 league championship is something that I’ve been looking at all season,” said Wilbur, who beat his previous best of 1:56.4. “Even after starting with the mile, it was a tough decision to do both, but I’m so glad I did both and won.”
A year after Hoover won the league’s shot put, the Tornadoes’ lone CIF qualifier came from that same event as senior Azad Markosian, a football player and wrestler, took second with a distance of 47-7 1/2.
Markosian will be going to the Division III prelims at Estancia High.
Crescenta Valley’s nine additional CIF qualifiers to Trabuco Hills consist of Colin FitzGerald (second in the 3,200 in 9:16.62 and second in the 1,600 in 4:22.31), Kristina Carrillo (third in the 100-meter hurdles in 16.69 and third in the 300 hurdles in 46.86), Wilbur (third in the 1,600 in 4:22.89), Artin Allahverdian (third in the 3,200 in 9:17.42), Caitlyn Couch (third in the 800 in 2:22.34), Trinidy Charles (third in the girls’ triple jump in 33-5) and Emily Perkins (third in the girls’ pole vault in 9-6).
Glendale senior Erain Merza finished second in the 110-meter hurdles (15.92) and Sales placed third in the 800 (1:57.24) to account for Glendale’s last two prelims qualifiers.
