High School track and field: Adams breaks two school records for North Salinas at Masters Meet
PACIFIC GROVE — Extending their seasons or closing the spring with a personal best was preached all week.
Forgive Clara Adams if she wanted both.
It wasn’t about sending a message or making a statement going into next weeks’ Central Coast Section track and field trials for the North Salinas freshman as much as it was meeting her own expectations.
“I wasn’t pressuring myself to set a personal record,” Adams said. “I didn’t change anything in my approach leading up to today. But it was something of a goal.”
Mission accomplished.
The Vikings school record holder in the 200 and 400-meter sprints went out and lowered her marks Friday at the Masters Meet, clocking 55.29 seconds in the 400 and 24.32 in the 200 in sweeping both races at Pacific Grove High.
Clara Adams blisters the first 100 meters of the 400 Friday at the Masters Meet for North Salinas, taking Salinas' Jaslyne Coronado and North County's Nadia Anastacio to personal bests in qualifying for the CCS Trials pic.twitter.com/f7vlZsm0el
— John Devine (@JohnJDevine) May 4, 2024
Adams will go into next Saturday’s CCS trials ranked No. 2 in the CCS in both events.
“I felt good out of the blocks in the 400,” said Adams, who caught the field out of Lane 6 in the first 100 meters. “At the 300 mark, I had to pull something out.”
The 15-year-old Adams took Salinas’ Jaslyne Coronado (56.77) and North County’s Nadia Anastacio (57.98) with her, as both had massive personal bests in extending their seasons and cracking the top eight in the CCS.
The 200 was a blur as Adams ran the second fastest time in Monterey County history — behind only Monterey’s Sani Roseby in 2000 — in winning the event, with Coronado placing second.
“Same strategy for the 200,” Adams explained.
Distance ace Mack Aldi came in with a different plan for Carmel, choosing to run the 1,600 to avoid sitting around, returning an hour later to capture the 800 in 2:00.15, winning both events.
Aldi, a state meet qualifier last fall in cross country, will drop the 1,600 at next week’s CCS trials to put is full attention on the 800, where his ranked No. 2 in the section at 1:54.16.
“I wanted to help my friends out in the 1,600,” Aldi said. “I came here just to advance. I wasn’t looking to run any crazy times. It’s good to get some work in. I like running.”
Aldi will have a similar mindset next week at the CCS trials, with an eye on a big personal best in two weeks at the CCS finals, both of which will be held at Gilroy.
Mack Aldi of Carmel runs off with the 1,600 at the Masters Meet pic.twitter.com/yUMfNA7opE
— John Devine (@JohnJDevine) May 4, 2024
“Realistically, I believe I can dip under 1:52.00,” Aldi said. “There have been races where I’ve run well and felt I had more in me. I have not peaked yet.”
Joining Aldi as a double-event winner was Osbaldo Godoy, who doubled down on his performance at the Gabilan Division finals last week for league champion Palma by winning both the 110 high hurdles and 300 intermediate hurdles.
Salinas multi-sport athlete Joshua Na extended his season with a five-foot personal best in the discus (145-6) to win the event, sweeping the weight events by capturing the shot put (45-10 1/2).
Gabilan Division pole vault champion Jack Nolan took his first step towards a return trip to the state meet for Salinas, clearing 13 feet on his first attempt to win the attempt.
Nolan, who was third at last year’s CCS finals, has a season best of 15-feet, which ranks him No. 2 in the section.
“My steps were inconsistent today,” Nolan said. “It didn’t allow me to vault far enough into the pit. I was hoping to make a bigger height.”
Salinas’ Emma Beck held off Notre Dame’s Elsie Sargenti to win the 100 hurdles, then returned to the triple jump and sailed 34-7 1/2 to advance in both events. Her season best of 37-4 has her ranked No. 4 in the CCS.
Joining her next week in the field events will be two-time CCS finalist Kate De Los Santos, who sailed 16-2 in the long jump and 34-1/2 in the triple jump for Monterey.
“My first jump felt good,” the senior said. “But I was behind the board in the long jump. I need to work on my steps. You always want a personal record. As long I’m qualifying, that’s what really matters.”
Kate De Los Santos of Monterey has moved on to the CCS trials in the long jump pic.twitter.com/5JLUEqf4Ef
— John Devine (@JohnJDevine) May 4, 2024
Two weeks ago De Los Santos — a Cypress Division champion in both events — sailed a career best 17-11 1/2 in the long jump, which ranks her fifth in the CCS.
Focusing solely on the 300 low hurdles, Jenna Emerson dropped a second off her mark to set a school record at Rancho San Juan, clocking 45.80, which moves her to No. 6 in the CCS.
Anna Kosmont, whose sister Juliette went to the state meet two straight years in the 100 meters and now runs for Yale, won the 100 in 12.40 for Stevenson.
