Curtis Godin gets job done in sprint prelims at state track meet

Walking off the track after the 200-meter race at Friday night’s CIF state track and field preliminaries, Santa Ana Mater Dei’s Curtis Godin was satisfied, knowing he was halfway to his goal. After winning his 100-meter heat in 10.41 seconds with the fastest qualifying time, the UCLA-bound senior got an early lead and held it all the way to the finish to win his heat and record the fastest time in the 200 in 20.93.

“I wanted the top seed, but it wasn’t the top priority,” said Godin, whose 200 time was .21 faster than that of Vista Murrieta’s Michael Norman, who beat Godin by .03 seven days earlier at the Southern Section Masters Meet. “I just kind of rode it through. I’m pretty sure I could’ve got into the 20.7s if I’d given it that extra oomph.”

Godin was so far in front in the 100 that he had time to glance back at the competition. He will try to keep his perfect season intact in that event and take the 200 at today’s finals at Buchanan High in Clovis. “Winning both would be a great reward for all the hard work I’ve put in.”

All nine of the qualifiers in the 100 clocked 10.68 or faster.

Long Beach Poly senior Ariana Washington wore different colors for each of her races but was still easily identifiable in the front of the pack after anchoring the Jackrabbits’ 400-meter relay team, donning pink for her personal-best 11.37 in the 100 and purple for her season-best 23.26 in the 200, the fastest qualifying times in both events.

“Time right now is my second concern, winning and getting my name in the record books is the first concern,” said Washington, who will try to join Marion Jones as the only girls to win the state 100 and 200 three consecutive times. She promised new outfits and new colors for today’s finals. “I never wear the same thing twice,” she said. “You might see some green, white and blue tomorrow.”

Poly’s girls are in position to win their sixth team title in seven years, thanks in part to their winning relays, Kaelin Roberts’ top time in the 400 (53.72) and Kymber Payne’s top qualifying time in the 300 hurdles (41.62).

Carson’s Justin Collins shaved almost a full second off his personal-best in the 300 hurdles and qualified fourth in 37.44.

“I ran a slow time [39.4] at City finals, which got me Lane 9 today, but that just motivated me today.” said Collins, the starting quarterback on the Colts’ football team last fall before breaking his collarbone in the team’s second game against Mater Dei. “My goal is a 36.9 or 36.8 tomorrow.”

Goleta Dos Pueblos senior Stamatia Scarvelis, who has signed with UCLA, was the top qualifier in the girls shotput (52 feet 1 3/4 inches) and discus (158-11). She will try to win her third straight state shotput title today.

Courtney Corrin of Studio City Harvard-Westlake had the best qualifying mark in the long jump and Margaux Jones of Redlands was second.

Destiny Collins of Great Oak was the fastest qualifier in the girls 1,600 at 4:51.04 and City Section champion Marissa Williams was fourth overall in 4:52.32.

Mater Dei’s Malik Morris was the top qualifier in the boys discus (190 feet, 8 inches) and Matt Katnik of St. John Bosco had the top throw in the shot put (63-1).