Robinson helps Grizzlies capture six events, with Budwig, Lowe, Moersdorf and Wilson also double girls winners; Medrano takes 800 and 1,600, with Woods sweeping boys hurdles

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

When it came to the fall cross country season, no one could keep pace with the Buchanan High girls team in the CIF Central Section.

But after winning three straight and five of the past six section girls track and field titles, the Bears have a legitimate challenger in their quest to maintain supremacy this season.

Fresno Central won six events Saturday at the 91st West Coast Relays at Buchanan High’s Veterans Memorial Stadium, including a program-record 47.37 seconds in the 4x100-meter relay, giving the Grizzlies optimism they can contend for their first girls section crown when they return to the same venue in five weeks.

Clovis North, which captured a girls section title in 2014, continued to strengthen its position as boys championship favorite Saturday by sweeping both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays in 41.77 and 3:20.85, along with Kurtis Kobzeff winning the 200 in a personal-best 21.64 and Caleb Foster prevailing in the long jump with a leap of 22-4.50 (6.82m).

INTERVIEWS

Several athletes secured multiple wins, including every member of Central’s 4x100 relay.

Junior Daveion Robinson, who used the momentum of anchoring the relay to victory to run a personal-best 55.52 in the 400 and secure a come-from-behind triumph in the 200 in 24.89.

Sophie Jimenez prevailed in the 800 in 2:18.27, Simone Johnson won the triple jump with a leap of 37-5.50 (11.42m), and Kaia Bonnette-Williams joined forces with Monea Jennings to take the top two spots in the 300 hurdles in 45.03 and 45.17.

Buchanan demonstrated the distance events will again be its biggest advantage May 19 at the section championship, with junior Meagen Lowe winning the 1,600 in 4:49.92 and 3,200 in 11:01.90. Lowe and sophomore Corie Smith took the top two spots in the 1,600 and teamed with senior Sydney Fox to sweep the top three in the 3,200.

Bakersfield Stockdale senior Aaliyah Wilson remained the favorite to win section titles in the 100-meter dash and 100 hurdles, clocking 11.71 and 14.04 to prevail in both events.

Fowler junior Jocelynn Budwig swept the discus and shot put, throwing 158-7 (48.35m) and 44-10.25 (13.67m). Bakersfield Liberty’s Faith Bender, the top freshman thrower in the country, was second in the discus at 157-3 (47.93m) and third in the shot put at 41-2.50 (12.56m).

San Luis Obispo junior Anneke Moersdorf prevailed in the long jump at 17-10.25 (5.44m) and edged Clovis senior Alexis Vincent-Walker in the high jump in a jumpoff after both athletes cleared 5-3 (1.60m).

Clovis West junior Elizabeth Funk needed only to clear 11-10 (3.60m) to secure victory in the pole vault.

Bakersfield Highland senior Moises Medrano was also a double winner in the boys competition, coming from behind in the final 300 meters to capture both in the 800 in 1:54.59 and 1,600 in 4:14.54.

Clovis senior Jacob Woods prevailed by one-hundredth to win the 110 hurdles in 14.50, then ran a personal-best 38.27 to secure the 300 hurdles.

Two of the state’s top junior throwers, Bakersfield Liberty’s Daniel Viveros and Buchanan’s Christian Johnson, traded victories in the shot put and discus. Viveros prevailed in the shot put at 60-6.75 (18.46m), with Johnson taking the discus at 176-2 (53.71m).

Liberty’s Seth Krauss needed only to clear 6-3 (1.90m) to win the high jump

Tulare Union senior Kazmier Allen won the 100 in 10.74 and Branham senior Adam Saleh secured victory in the 400 in 48.21. Monache junior Ivan Mendez captured the 3,200 in 9:27.43.

A pair of international talents, Luciano Mendez and Pablo Zaffaroni of of Argentina, continued their tour of California after competing the week before at the Arcadia Invitational.

Mendez won the triple jump with a leap of 48-2 (14.68m) and Zaffaroni cleared 16-1 (4.90m) in the pole vault.