CCS track and field finals: North Salinas’ Adams wins 200 title, sets county record in the 400
GILROY — Nerves, excitement and anxiety were just some of the emotions running through the mind of Clara Adams before stepping into the blocks.
The scowl on her 15-year-old face, however, soon turned to pure joy — not once — but twice Saturday as the North Salinas freshman left her stamp on Saturday’s Central Coast Section track and field finals.
“Walking up to the starting blocks before the 400, I was locked in,” said Adams, fighting to catch her breath. “Running 24.62 in the 200 meters into a headwind. I’m not mad at all.”
Adams is headed to the state meet in two events after upsetting the favorite in the 200 at Gilroy High and finishing second in the 400 with a new Monterey County record.
North Salinas freshman Clara Adams is a CCS champion in the 200 pic.twitter.com/AMYYo2QjSQ
— John Devine (@JohnJDevine) May 19, 2024
“This gives me 10 times more confidence going into state,” said Adams, who is No. 8 in the state in the 400. “Lets get under 54 seconds.”
Adams, who became the first North Salinas female to qualify for the state meet in 27 years, was one of four county athletes to advance to the state championships, slated for next Friday at Buchanan High in Clovis.
Joining the sprinter will include Jack Nolan, who is going back to the state meet in the pole vault for Salinas, as well as Mack Aldi of Carmel in the 800 and Angela Ayozie of Alvarez in the shot put.
Blistering the first half of the 400, Adams held a slight lead before being caught by three-time champion Hannah Rutherford of Mountain View, who set a meet record in the process with a mark of 53.81.
Rutherford carried Adams to a county record time of 54.46, breaking the mark of 54.76, set by Monterey’s Sani Roseby in 2000.
“That was crazy,” Adams said. “I felt amazing. I went out so hard. But I made sure I had something left for a kick. Now I’m beat.”
Adams looked like a 400 meter runner in the 200 later in the meet, when she showed her strength over the final 60 meters, overtaking Rutherford in an upset in 24.62 — North Salinas’ first ever girls CCS track and field champion.
“It felt just as good as the 400,” Adams said. “I didn’t panic. That’s when your technique falls apart. I just ran my own race. Now I’m a CCS 200 champion.”
Adams will go into the state championships as the only freshman ranked in the top 8 in the 400, with a shot to advance to the finals in the 200 if she runs closer to her career best of 24.32.
“My pretty good at the 400,” Adams said. “But the 200 is so much fun. There is no strategy in the 200. You either have it or you don’t.”
Nolan, who came in with a season best of 15-feet in the pole vault, matched his state qualifying mark of 14-6 from last year to finish third. The top three in each event earn an automatic spot into the state meet.
“I didn’t have a very good day today,” Nolan said. “We were running into a headwind. I made some corrections at 14-6. I’m just glad I get another day.”
Nolan, who was 13th in the state last year in the pole vault as a junior, knows if he can get over the 15-foot mark, he will have a shot to podium.
“I need a good week of practice,” Nolan said. “I need to get on a bigger pole. Ideally, I just want a personal record.”
Aldi went out aggressively with an eye on breaking 1:54.00 and winning the 800, taking the lead at 100 meters and holding it for nearly 700 meters.
Mack Aldi of Carmel advances to the state meet in the 800 meters at Saturday's CCS track and finals at Gilroy pic.twitter.com/3s6sK8prgu
— John Devine (@JohnJDevine) May 19, 2024
“The goal was to go out at 55 in the first 400,” Aldi said. “I felt super strong until the last 150 meters. Then everything went heavy.”
The junior distance ace slipped to fourth with 80 meters remaining before gathering enough strength to move back into third to earn that qualifying spot.”
“I had a little surge with 80 meters or so left,” said Aldi, a state meet qualifier in cross country as well this past fall. “I wish I could have dug deeper. But I could feel the lactic acid in my legs.”
As exhausted as Aldi was, the belief in his camp is there is room to improve and meet that goal of dipping under 1:54.00 next week.
“I want to learn how to run at state,” Aldi said. “I want to put myself on the map.”
It wasn’t until a two-foot improvement in the shot put at the league finals that Ayozie put her name in the conversation with some of the top throwers in the section.
“The last two weeks I’ve been pretty consistent in the 37-foot range,” said Ayozie, who uncorked the shot 37-feet-1 to finish third. “Last year I was told just go throw the shot put. This year I got some coaching.”
Ayozie, who also finished fourth in the discus with a mark 118-6, credited her 13 plus foot improvement in the discus two weeks ago for elevating her confidence in both events.
“I think it’s sinking in,” said Ayozie, who is just a junior. “I know I’m not showing much emotion. But I’m pretty hyped up. I want that school record.”
It was a heartbreaking end to Emma Beck’s season for Salinas, after the triple jumper missed qualifying for the state meet by a half inch, soaring 36-9.
“It’s just adds a lot more fuel to the fire for next year,” said Beck, as she sat alone regathering her thoughts. “This will be my motivation. Even though it’s a disappointment, improvement is what you strive. I got better this year.”
Nile Glover equaled the third place clearance of 6-2 in high jump for Stevenson, but finished fourth based on more misses.
Jaslyne Coronado podiumed in the 400 for Salinas, finishing sixth in 57.57, as did Rancho San Juan’s Jenna Emerson in the 300 low hurdles (45.48) and Carmel Bella Ortega in the pole vault (10-9).
