The California State Championship – the best high school meet in the country, starts tonight at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
Everything about high school track is tougher in Southern California and our path the State meet is no different.
While Southern Section athletes have earned up 50-55% of the Finals spots at the State meet in recent years, we only get six of the twenty-seven automatic qualifying spots.  So if a SS athlete makes the state meet, he/she has a very strong chance to make the finals.
And… California, the biggest and strongest T&F state in the country, is almost unique in having only one division at the championship meet.
This has been an outstanding year for SGV athletes.  Last year, we sent two relays and six individuals, topped by second place finish in the 100 by Cravon Gillespe (Monrovia) and a third in the 4×100 by the Wildcats.  This year, the SGV has advanced three relays and seventeen athletes in 21 spots to the nation’s best meet!
Here are the SGV’s best…
- Girls 4×100: Walnut – (Malia Avila, Kayla & Kyla Richardson, & Victoria Sandoval).  Seeded 10th with the #5 time in the field  They are also  #5 All-Time SGV.
- Boys 4×100: Damien – (Thaddeus Smith, Zachary Shinnick, Barlen Carlen & Kaodilichi Nwuda)  #13 seed, #8 time in the field,
- Boys 1600: Dillon Beckum (So, Bonita) & Millan Trujillo (Sr, Walnut). Beckum is the #7 seed and has the State’s #7 time for the season,  Trujillo is #9 seed and #13 on the seasonal list.  Dillon and Millan rank #6 and #13 respectively, AT SGV
- Girls 100 Hurdles: Sydney Mosley (Sr, Monrovia) is #3 seed and #4 on the season.  She is also #3 AT SGV.
- Boys 110 Hurdles: Jasher Foster (Jr, St. Francis) & Alan Tantiwassadakran (Jr, Walnut).  Jasher is #5 seed and 4th for the season, Alan is seeded 12th and is #17 on the seasonal list.
- Boys 400: Zachary Shinnick (So, Damien) – is the #6 seed and #6 on the season.
- Girls 100: Kayla Richardson (Jr, Walnut) – is seeded 6th and ranked 7th for the season, and she is #10 AT SGV
- Boys 100: Thaddeus Smith (Sr, Damien) – is #3 seed and has the 5th best time this year. He #11 AT SGV. Daniel Stokes (Jr, Diamond Ranch) is seeded 7th, and has the 26th best time in 2015.
- Girls 200: Kayla Richardson (Jr, Walnut) – is 6th seed, ranked 7th and is #12 AT SGV.
- Boys 200: Thaddeus Smith (Sr, Damien), Zachary Shinnick (So, Damien) and Daniel Stokes (Jr, Diamond Ranch). Thaddeus is seed 4th and ranked 4th, while Zach is 5th & 6th.  Daniel is seeded 14th and ranked 15th.
- Girls 4×400: Arcadia (Rebecca Troesher, Rachel Wiggins, Lauren Buehner, Sarah Troescher) are seeded 5th and ranked 6th, and are #9 AT SGV.
- Girls High Jump: Hannah Nance (Jr, San Dimas) – seeded =4th, ranked =5th for the season, and is =9th AT SGV
- Girls Pole Vault: Karlly Feng (Jr, Temple City) – is seeded =13th and =31st on the year.  She is #6 AT SGV
- Boys High Jump: Vince Porter (Sr, Poly) & Stirling McCullough (Sr, Webb).  Both are seeded =9th, while Vince’s seasonal best ranks =5th and Stirling is =19th.
- Boys Pole Vault: Barrett & Gareth Weiss (Srs, Flintridge Prep) and Esteban Suarez (Jr, South Pasadena).  The Weiss’s qualified last year – Barrett comes in with the top seed and =6th mark in the State.  Gareth & Esteban are both seeded =6th, and their bests rank =12th and =20th respectively.  Barrett is #7 AT SGV
- Boys Triple Jump: B.J. McLauren (Jr, Bonita) is the 13th seed and has the state’s #16 mark.
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