High School track: North Salinas’ Adams shines at CCS trials
GILROY — Nearly three decades have passed since North Salinas High sent a female track and field athlete to the state track championships.
Freshman Clara Adams is one step closer to ending that drought after the freshman breezed into the finals of the 400 and 200 meter sprints at Saturday’s Central Coast Section trials at Gilroy High.
Adams won her heat in the 400 in 55.44 seconds — just off her career best of 55.29 — then came back two hours later on a warm afternoon to advance in the 200 with the second fastest time overall at 24.56.
“The only goal today was to qualify for the finals,” Adams said. “That’s all I was trying to do. Lanes for the finals matter. So I had to run well enough to put myself in a good position for next week.”
Owner of the third fastest time in county history in the 400, Adams will go into this Saturday’s CCS finals ranked No. 2 in both the 400 and 200.
Adams will chase Mountain View’s Hannah Rutherford in both races in the finals. The top three in each event advance to the State championships.
“I’m aware of my opponents,” Adams said. “But I can’t run her race. It never ends well when you try and run someone else’s race. You start to panic. I can’t afford that.”
Blistering the first 170 meters of the 400, Adams was locked in over the next 130 meters before kicking at the end. She ran through the finish in the 200 to win her heat.
The last Viking to advance to the state championships in the girls’ division was Sani Roseby, who qualified in 1997 in the 100 and 200, ironically as a freshman as well.
Joining Adams in the 400 finals will include Jaslyne Coronado of Salinas, who ran the sixth fastest time at 56.49, and Nadia Anastacio of North County, who clocked the seventh fastest mark in the trials at 57.80.
Also extending her season was Anna Kosmont, who blistered the track in 12.67 to win her heat in the 100 for Stevenson. She will go into the finals seeded No. 4.
Kosmont’s older sister Juliette, was a two-time state meet qualifier in the 100 and holds the Santa Catalina and Yale school records in the 100.
Stevenson’s Siobhan Ong was among five vaulters that cleared 10-6 to advance to the CCS finals in the pole vault. Joining her will be Gabilan Division champion Bella Ortega of Carmel, who sailed 10-feet.
Representing Alvarez in the discus finals will be Angela Ayozie, who unleased the fourth longest throw at 118-feet-3. She will be joined by Monterey’s Serenity Branchs, who finished with the eighth best mark at 109-5.
Ayozie also qualified in the shot put after uncorking the third longest throw at 36-10 1/2. Syracuse University bound softball slugger Kaimi Tulua advanced to the finals as well with a mark 35-9.
Jenna Emerson of Rancho San Juan won her heat in the 300 low hurdles at 45.35 and will ride into the finals with the fifth fastest time.
Emma Beck of Salinas sailed 35-4 in the triple jump, while Katrina Bauer of Stevenson jumped 33-11 1/2 to both qualify for the finals in the triple jump. Hollister’s Hannah Vincent had the top mark at 38-feet-4.
Personal records weren’t all that were being established Saturday as Palma’s 400 relay team of Brandon Chrisman, Weldon Chisum, Gavin Martinez and Gianni Ponce broke the school record with a mark of 42.31.
The fab four, who have run together as a team twice, will go into the finals seeded No. 4 with that mark. Chisum also extended his season in the 100 after earning the last qualifying spot (11.15) and advanced in the 200 (22.29).
Mack Aldi went out and ran a conversative 800 meters, finishing with the second fastest time among the three heats, clocking 1:57.14. The Carmel junior distance ace has a best of 1:54.10.
“I was hoping to win to show everyone what’s happening,” Aldi said. “I wasn’t worried about not getting through. We knew the heat would be brutal. I didn’t even arrive until about an hour before my race.”
Temperatures on the track at Gilroy High during the 800 reached into the upper 80’s. That won’t be the case next Saturday as the running events won’t start until 5 p.m.
“I was talking to a couple of the runners after the race,” Aldi said. “We are all super committed to reaching the state mark and getting into the 1:53.0’s next week.”
Salinas multi-sport athlete Joshua Na is going to the finals in the shot put after a personal best of 49-feet-8 put him in the Top 10. Teammate Jack Nolan is back in the finals for the second straight year in the pole vault after clearing 13-6.
Continued improvement all spring extended Isiah Bivins’ season in the 300 intermediate hurdles, after the Monterey transfer ran 40.79 to earn the final qualifying spot, while Ashton Rees of Carmel extended his season in the triple jump.
Soaring two inches higher than his career best, Oliver Ottmar was among eight high jumpers to clear 6-2 and advance for Pacific Grove. Stevenson’s Kekoa Williams and Nile Glover both cleared 6-feet to extend their seasons.
