05.31.08
Posted in Profiles, Coaches, Athletes, Schools, Championships, State, Kern Track Results, Track Meets, Foothill, Results, Shafter, North, Stockdale, Ridgeview, Burroughs, Noise Flash!!! at 11:40 pm by Administrator
Local throwers take center stage at State Track qualifying
BY ZACH EWING, Californian staff writer, e-mail: zewing@bakersfield.com | Friday, May 30 2008 11:19 PM
Last Updated: Friday, May 30 2008 11:23 PM
NORWALK — It was Kern County’s own little game of “Can you top this?” right here at the wide world of the CIF State Track and Field Championships outside Falcon Stadium at Cerritos College.
Kayla Kovar of Burroughs High was one of three Kern County girls to qualify for today’s state finals at Cerritos College.
Burroughs junior Kayla Kovar started things off Friday with an impressive discus toss of 147 feet, 10 inches. Shafter’s Anna Jelmini, the state’s leader in the event, calmly took the lead with a 155-9 — mediocre by her lofty standards. Then Stockdale freshman Alex Collatz threw in a 150-10.
“It’s pretty cool,” Kovar said. “It’s amazing, because you hardly ever see three girls from the same county do so well.”
Things got really interesting when Kovar unleashed a personal record 157-8 with her final throw — and taking the lead on the second-to-last throw of the day.
The last belonged to Jelmini — and she wasn’t about to go into today’s state finals with anything but the top seed. So she arced out a beautiful 166-4 to reclaim her spot atop the leader board.
“I had in my mind what I needed to do before she went,” Jelmini said. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, she passed me, I need to pass her right now.’ … But I kind of keep in my mind what everybody else is doing. I like it when other people are coming close to me. It just pumps me up more.”
Or, as Kovar said with a laugh: “Anna’s very competitive. She didn’t (say anything), but I could just tell.”
When the dust settled, three of the top four throwers in the event were from Kern County, not to mention Taft’s Carey Tuuamalemalo, who finished 13th. The top nine in each event advance to the finals, which begin at 2 p.m. today for field events and at 4 p.m. for running events.
Jelmini also reached the shot put final on just one throw, a 47-1 that beat anyone else by more than four feet. She has the state’s best mark by a wide margin in both throwing events.
“The marks don’t even count (today); they just get erased,” Jelmini said. “So I just passed on those last two. I did what I needed to do.”
Also into the finals is Foothill’s Dayshan Ragans, who took it easy on qualifying day. He threw a 60-2 on his first throw in the shot, then passed on his final two to qualify in third.
In the discus, he forgot to change his shoes and missed nearly all of his warm-up time, but then tied his PR with a 203-7 on his first throw.
“I was standing in line (for warmups), I look down, and someone says, ‘You’re throwing in New Balances?’” Ragans said. “I was like, ‘Oh. My. God.’ That’s exactly what I said. So I ran all the way down to the fence and changed my shoes and … had like four minutes left to warm up.”
The forgetfulness didn’t cause Ragans any problems. After his big first throw and a foul on his second, Ragans passed on the third to rest up for today.
“Throwing takes so much out of you mentally and physically,” Foothill throwing coach Wayne Brewer said. “There’s no reason to wear yourself out when you’ve already qualified.”
Inside the stadium, in front of 8,542, Centennial’s Alana Alexander also reached the finals in two events. In one, the triple jump, she came with the fourth-best seed and reached the final in eighth place (38-1).
The other, the long jump, was a bit more of a surprise. Alexander had the 22nd seed and was nowhere to be found on the list of top-25 marks in the state this year. But Alexander, jumping in the first heat, put up an 18-1 that stood up in eighth place.
Also in the jumping pit, Ridgeview’s Johnny Carter and Chris Kelly qualified with the exact same mark — 47-10.5, tying them for fifth heading to the finals.
“It’s kind of strange that we would get the same mark,” said Carter, a freshman who entered with the top seed. “But I’m happy with what I did today. I was real nervous through the whole process. I should come out better (in the finals).”
The happenings on the track weren’t nearly so prosperous for the Bakersfield area, at least until North’s Anthony Mitchell took off his jacket. Not a single local runner qualified until Mitchell won his heat in the 800. That performance, a 1:53.77, will give him the No. 2 seed in the finals. He had the eighth-best time in the state coming in.
“I could see myself winning it,” Mitchell said. “We’re all right there. It could be anybody’s race.”
He will be in one of only two races that involve locals today. The other is the boys 3,200, where there is no qualifying and where Foothill’s Chris Schwartz carries the third-best time in the state.
But while Mitchell and Schwartz will have to carry the local torch on the track, the girls discus outside the stadium will have a distinct southern San Joaquin Valley flavor. And this time, “Anything you can do, I can do better” will be played with a state championship at stake.
“It’s kind of interesting,” said Collatz, who has the state’s second-best mark this season. “I’m number two to Anna, and she’s right close to me (in Shafter). It’s all I know.”
Permalink
Posted in Profiles, Coaches, Athletes, Schools, Championships, Valley, State, Kern Track Results, Track Meets, Foothill, Results, North, Liberty, Centennial, Ridgeview, Garces, Frontier, Burroughs, Noise Flash!!!, Bakersfield at 11:20 pm by Administrator
Ridgeview’s Carter, Stockdale’s Collatz ahead of the curve
BY ZACH EWING, Californian staff writer
zewing@bakersfield.com | Thursday, May 29 2008 9:01 PM
Last Updated: Thursday, May 29 2008 9:10 PM
Johnny Carter could see this coming.
No, not the entire explosion of freshman and sophomore talent headed to this weekend’s CIF State Track and Field Championships. But at least his part of it.
“When I was around eight years old, I would get (an empty) TV box and jump into it,” said Carter, a freshman phenom in the triple jump for Ridgeview. “Then I would tell my mom that I was born to run and jump.”
To even Carter’s surprise, it didn’t take long for that prediction to come to fruition. He landed a 48-foot, 3-inch triple jump at the Central Section Championships on May 14 to win the event and head to the state meet with the best seeding mark in California. The meet begins with qualifying today at Cerritos College in Norwalk.
Carter’s 48-3 jump was an inch shy of the section’s freshman record, which was set in 1968 by David Tucker of Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial.
“Nobody really knew he was going to do that,” Ridgeview coach Adam Setser said. “He just didn’t look back. He continued to be real consistent all during the latter part of the season, and then, going into that Valley meet, I kind of thought he might have a really big jump.”
Carter already has passed his right-hand man, Wolf Pack senior Chris Kelly, who finished third at the section meet and has also qualfied.
Even more amazing: Carter has only been jumping since last summer.
“My coach (club coach Kim Jenkins) put me in the California state games, and he said, ‘Go out and try it and show me something big,’” Carter said. “I was like, all right, I’ll go out and try, but I never knew I’d get where I am right now.”
And Carter isn’t the only young phenom headed to Cerritos from Kern County.
Stockdale freshman Alex Collatz is qualified in both the girls discus and triple jump, showing off the versatility of her father, Cal State Bakersfield track coach Alan Collatz.
“Isn’t that amazing?” Stockdale coach Dave Losinger said. “You don’t see hardly anybody doing that. That’s an incredible double.”
Throw in Fresno-Central sprinter extraordinare Brendon Bigelow, and you’ve got a trio of fabulous Central Section frosh.
“For these young kids to be hitting the marks they’re hitting, I have no answer for that,” Garces coach Phillip McCullum said. “It’s just amazing.”
There are sophomores to watch too — Garces sprinter Matt Sumlin, Bakersfield high jumper Isiah Griggs and Frontier shot putter Matt Darr and girls hurdler Taylor Jackson.
“It’s the year of the young athlete,” McCullum said.
The old ones, of course, haven’t given up on their dreams. Kern County’s best chance for state championships comes from Foothill senior Dayshan Ragans and Shafter junior Anna Jelmini, both of whom have the top marks in the state in the shot put and discus. Last year, Ragans was second in the diuscus and fouled out in the shot put finals. Jelmini was fourth in the discus and seventh in the shot.
“We’re looking for big things,” Foothill coach Arron Rietz said of Ragans. “He was disappointed he didn’t win both events last year. … If he doesn’t get hurt and he wants to, he’ll be in the Olympics someday.”
Also of note:
* Foothill junior Chris Schwartz dropped out of the 1,600 to rest up for the 3,200, his stronger event. He’s already won the Division I cross-country state championship and has the state’s third-best time in the 3,200.
If Schwartz can post a top-three finish — German Fernandez of Riverbank is the event’s heavy favorite — and Ragans can win both throwing events, Rietz thinks Foothill will finish in the top three of the team race. Long Beach-Poly is the favorite.
* Alana Alexander, a junior at Centennial, and Tyler Thompson, a Shafter senior, both qualified for state in the long and triple jumps.
* Likewise, Bakersfield High pulled Emmanuel Turner out of the boys 100 so he could focus on the 400 and 1,600 relays, and Liberty’s Isiah Purvis is out of the 400 so he can rest for the 200 and 1,600 relay. All three of those relay teams are capable of reaching Saturday’s finals.
Permalink
05.21.08
Posted in Yada Yada, Driller of the Week, Coaches, Schools, Boys, Girls, Kern Track Results, Sports, Videos, Track, Drillers, BHS, Photos, Driller Noise, Noise Flash!!!, Bakersfield at 10:52 pm by Administrator
it is always fun watching coach anderson hand out awards. he is a lot better than those softball coaches thats for sure! it was nice to see miss williams and mr ellis get the most dedicated awards. mr. turner and miss wandick got mvps. mr. fingers and mr. gooden got the impact awards and mr. miller got frosh/soph mvp.
many drillers got all league honors and mr. van matre got the “bringing coach to tears” award.
this year’s team was great and i enjoyed watching they all train and compete. i look forward to next year because so many of our athletes are coming back.
our boys got fifth in valley and i expect we will do better in the future.
our state team is:
4 x 100 - walter hunt (9), emmanuel turner (12), jerek johnson (11), johnny norwood (12) and charles anderson (11)
4 x 400 - chris miller (10), emmanel turner (12), jerek johnson (11) and brandon gooden (12)
high jump - isiah griggs (10)
100m - emmanuel turner (12)
200m - brushay wandick (11)
2008 awards photos HERE
2008 videos HERE
2007 awards photos HERE
Permalink
Posted in Profiles, Driller of the Week, Athletes, Schools, Boys, Championships, Valley, State, Kern Track Results, Drillers, Track Meets, Upcoming, Results, BHS, CSUB, DyeStatCal, Noise Flash!!!, Bakersfield at 10:36 pm by Administrator
the driller’s isiah griggs is the #2 sophomore in the state as of 05/21/08. he came in second at the valley with a PR of 6′6 and has qualified for the state meet.
what makes his jump even more amazing is that bhs doesnt even have proper high jump facilities. our high jump gear is locked away in a storage bin and when we do bring it out, there isnt a proper place to set it out.
despite this, isiah (with the help of csub’s alex haver) contiunes to improve. one hopes he can make 6′8 at state.
Permalink
Posted in Championships, State, Noise Flash!!!, Worst Person in the World at 4:25 pm by Administrator
The State CIF is in receipt of the media credential application on behalf of
AndyNoise.com for the 2008 CIF State Track and Field Championships, May
30-31, 2008, at Cerritos College.
Unfortunately, your request for credentials has been denied. After spending
some time on your web site, we see no original content, but rather a series
of links to information already existing on the internet.
Your representatives are certainly more than welcome to come and enjoy the
State Meet by purchasing a ticket and sitting in the stands.
————————————–
Emmy Zack
Director of Communications
California Interscholastic Federation
510.521.4447
510.521.4449 fax
www.cifstate.org
my reply:
“we see no original content”.
I have taken over 30,000 photos of Kern Athletes in action at meets and that is why I want to get a photo pass for the state meet.
Below is a link to my photos that are also linked from andynoise.com:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andynoise/sets/
When I started my site in the fall of 2006, almost no one covered the Kern area and the results of our meets weren’t even on Dyestatcal for the most part. I started sending them to Dyestat and Dyestat has used some of my photos too.
“but rather a series of links to information already existing on the internet”.
Yes much of my site is that, but i spend hours finding the information and linking it so others dont have too. Plus I doubt anyone will be covering my local athletes except for Ragans and Schwartz.
Also a lot of the Kern information (that is linked from my site) is only on the internet because I went and found it and sent it to others to upload. The folks at Dyestatcal know me well.
Many local athletes and coaches use my site to find out who,what,when, and where. I would hope you would reconsider my application so I can cover my local athletes.
their reply:
The fact that you take photos and post them on flickr does not make the web
site a media outlet.
While I’m sure many in the Kern County area appreciate that you’ve taken the
time to find links that may be of interest to them, that also does not make
the web site a media outlet. And providing the who, what and where for
various track events is, again, a nice service to provide, but not a media
outlet.
When we looked at the link for the 2008 CIF State Meet, we saw only direct
links to pre-existing information.
———————-
Emmy Zack
Director of Communications
State CIF
Permalink
05.18.08
Posted in Schools, Championships, State, Kern Track Results, College, Track Meets, Bakersfield College, Results, Track Results, Noise Flash!!! at 11:27 am by Administrator
‘Gades’ Jackson wins state heptathlon title
The Bakersfield Californian | Saturday, May 17 2008 9:25 PM
Last Updated: Saturday, May 17 2008 9:30 PM
NORWALK — Anikia Jackson became the first Bakersfield College athlete to win a state title in the hepthathlon on Saturday when she scored a BC-record 4,590 points at the California State Community College Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College.
Photo by Casey Christie / The Californian
Anikia Jackson, shown throwing the javelin at a recent meet at Memorial Stadium, became BC’s first heptathlon state champ Saturday at Cerritos College.
Jackson, who trailed first-day leader Aysha Moultrie by 14 points after Friday’s action, took the lead when she had the top javelin mark among the 12-person field, at 110 feet, 4 inches. The javelin is Jackson’s best event and is the next-to-last event in the heptathlon.
Also Saturday, Jackson had the fifth-best long jump (a 17-0, just off her personal best) and was seventh in the 800 meters (2:38.96).
Moultrie, of West Los Angeles College, finished with 4,401 points.
Jackson also placed seventh in the only event she entered in the regular portion of the meet, the 100 hurdles (14.83).
Jackson was second in last year’s state meet heptathlon.
BC had two other athletes competing Saturday. Freshman pole vaulter Holly Moseley tied for seventh (9-6). Sophomore Shalisa Harris was fourth in the long jump (18-13/4) and ninth in the triple jump (34-91/2)
BC placed 15th in the women’s team standings. Cerritos College won and West L.A. was second.
Riverside rolled to the men’s team title with 112 points. Sacramento was second with 67.
“We’re just happy everyone goes home with a medal,” BC coach Pam Kelley said, noting that medals go to top-eight finishers in each event.
– Californian staff report
Permalink
05.16.08
Posted in Yada Yada, Profiles, Athletes, Championships, Sports, Track Meets, Upcoming, WTF, Olympics, Noise Flash!!! at 3:26 pm by Administrator
Amputee runner Oscar Pistorius wins appeal
By COLLEEN BARRY, Associated Press Writer
MILAN, Italy (AP)—His Olympic dream suddenly revived, Oscar Pistorius can get back to what he loves most—running.
The double-amputee sprinter from South Africa was cleared Friday to compete in his bid to qualify for the Beijing Games.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a ruling by the International Association of Athletics Federations that barred the 21-year-old runner from the Olympics and any other able-bodied competition because of his prosthetic racing blades.
Pistorius broke into a broad smile to a roomful of applause when the decision was announced. He reached toward his manager, Peet van Zyl, for a victory handshake.
“I am ecstatic,” Pistorius said. “When I found out I was crying. It is a battle that has been going on for far too long. It’s a great day for sport. I think this day is going to go down in history for the equality of disabled people.”
He is the first to acknowledge it will be a challenge to make it to the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Games. He holds the 400-meter Paralympic world record of 46.56, but must reach the qualifying time of 45.55 to compete in the individual event in Beijing.
“My hopes are very big for the Olympics for 2008,” Pistorius said. “I think the time period at the moment is very short. Obviously, I have the opportunity, so I am not going to let it go … but it is going to be very difficult in order to run those times.”
However, Pistorius also could be invited to join the South African relay team, which would not require him to qualify.
“We are very much hopeful that he will be part and parcel of our team,” said Leonard Chuene, president of Athletics South Africa.
If Pistorius does go to the Olympics, he will be competing alongside another amputee South African athlete: Natalie du Toit, who qualified for Beijing in open-water swimming.
Pistorius was born without fibulas—the long, thin outer bone between the knee and ankle—and was 11 months old when his legs were amputated below the knee.
“Oscar Pistorius is a determined and gutsy athlete who will now no doubt put all his energy into reaching the qualification standards for the Olympic Games,” the International Olympic Committee said in a statement. “If he makes it we would be delighted to welcome him.”
Pistorius will resume training in South Africa on Monday, before returning to Europe on May 28. Van Zyl said Pistorius will be running in able-bodied races July 2 in Milan and July 11 at the Golden Gala in Rome, and that many other offers have been coming in.
“A lot of the time we’ve had this year we’ve devoted to the court case,” Pistorius said. “Now when I get home my time can be dedicated to training. I am going to have to start thinking about getting my body in shape in order to run those (qualifying) times. I am hopeful there will be enough time but it is going to be very difficult.”
Regardless of whether he runs in the Olympics, Pistorius plans to compete in Beijing at the Sept. 6-17 Paralympics. He will prepare by running in disabled events in the Netherlands and Germany.
Pistorius appealed to CAS, the highest tribunal in international sports, to overturn a Jan. 14 ruling by the IAAF. Track and field’s ruling organization banned him from competing against able-bodied runners on grounds that his carbon fiber blades gave him a mechanical advantage.
A two-day hearing was held before three arbitrators at CAS headquarters last month. The panel said the IAAF decision is “revoked with immediate effect and the athlete is eligible to compete in IAAF events.”
“Oscar will be welcomed wherever he competes this summer,” IAAF president Lamine Diack said in a statement. “He is an inspirational man and we look forward to admiring his achievements in the future.”
Even if Pistorius fails to get the 400-meter qualifying time, South African selectors could add the University of Pretoria student to the Olympic 1,600-meter relay squad if it qualifies for the games among the top 16 in the world.
Pistorius would not require a qualifying time and could be taken to Beijing as an alternate. Six runners can be picked for the relay squad.
The IAAF based its January decision on studies by German professor Gert-Peter Brueggemann, who said the J-shaped “Cheetah” blades were energy efficient
Pistorius’ lawyers countered with independent tests conducted by a team led by MIT professor Hugh M. Herr that claimed to show he doesn’t gain any advantage over able-bodied runners.
CAS said the IAAF failed to prove Pistorius’ running blades gave him an advantage.
“If I had to look at the situation, how many amputee athletes use the exact same prosthetic leg as I do and don’t run nearly close to the same times?” Pistorius said. “I think running has become my purpose in life. It has become my calling in life.”
Associated Press Writers Graham Dunbar in Geneva and Celean Jacobson in Johannesburg, South Africa, contributed to this report.
Permalink
05.15.08
Posted in Schools, Championships, Valley, Grand Masters, Kern Track Results, Foothill, BHS, Shafter, Taft, North, Stockdale, Centennial, Ridgeview, Race Summary, Frontier, Noise Flash!!! at 9:39 am by Administrator
Locals claim 10 titles in Masters track meet
Foothill’s Ragans, Shafter’s Jelmini sweep weight events
BY ZACH EWING, Californian staff writer
zewing@bakersfield.com | Wednesday, May 14 2008 11:31 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 14 2008 11:41 PM
North High’s Anthony Mitchell shed the 400-meter race from his duties at last week’s Central Section South Area meet, preferring to concentrate on the 800.
The decision paid off Wednesday at the section Grand Masters meet, with Mitchell winning a championship in 1:54.19. But afterward, Mitchell was thinking back to his choice.
“I should have ran the 400, too,” he said, his mouth spreading into a grin. “Just from watching that race, I knew I could have done well.”
Mitchell’s 800 conquest was one of 10 section championships for Kern County, a run highlighted by double victories by Foothill thrower Dayshan Ragans, Foothill distance runner Chris Schwartz and Shafter thrower Anna Jelmini.
Team standings were unavailable at press time because of a scoring error, but it appeared Fresno-Central won the boys title and Clovis West easily took the girls. Foothill was in the boys’ top three, and Centennial’s girls were fourth.
Ragans, after launching a couple of discus throws around 210 feet in warm-ups, settled for a 199-2 and a second straight section title. He threw 60-7 in the shot put for an easy repeat victory there also.
“I felt good in both events,” Ragans said. “I feel I could be better, but I’m happy with my performance.”
As for Jelmini, she actually seemed slightly disappointed in her discus-shot put double victory. She threw 162-5 in the discus and 44-0.75 in the shot but felt she could have done better.
“There’s a couple things I need to work on, and I think I’ll have it,” Jelmini said.
As for Schwartz, he won two close races, the 1,600 in 4:15.80 and the 3,200 in 9:24.19. Schwartz, the state’s Division I cross country champion, said he had to slow himself down early in the two-mile race to keep a good pace. He was thrilled with the results.
“There’s state, the 9:01 (a PR in the 3,200), I tripled at league, and then here,” Schwartz said. “That’s four good things I’ve done this year.”
Schwartz, along with the two local throwers who own the best marks in California, have been turning in these kinds of performances all season long. Contrast that with Ridgeview triple jumper Johnny Carter, a freshman who came from near anonymity — his best mark of the season came in a frosh/soph meet — to be a section champion. He led the Wolf Pack’s 1-3 finish in the event with a personal-record 48-3.
“I’m just blessed to have the talent,” Carter said. “It’s only my second year jumping.”
Ridgeview’s Chris Kelly was third in 46-11.5. Shafter’s Tyler Thompson finished second in 47-3.
Bakersfield High’s 400 relay team opened the meet by edging Clovis East for the section championship in 42.28. The Drillers then closed running festivities with a surprise third-place finish in the 1,600, behind only section leaders Fresno-Edison and Liberty. Their time was a personal record by about three seconds (3:20.06).
“I knew it was going to be close coming in” Bakersfield High coach Steven Anderson said. “And just looking at our times, I had a guy I thought could be quicker.”
The other local section champ is Centennial’s Alana Alexander, who used an early 38-3.75 triple jump to edge Clovis’s Jenna Prandini by three-quarters of an inch. Alexander had to wait until the end to know she was a champion for sure; Prandini ended the competition with a 38-0.
The top three finishers in each event move on to the state finals May 30-31 at Cerritos College in Norwalk. There are also two statewide wild cards who will qualify — the best marks from any athlete not in a qualifying position.
Among notable local qualifiers:
* Versatile Isiah Purvis of Liberty, who lost the 400 in the final 20 meters, finishing five-hundreths of a second (with a 49.13) behind Edison’s Maurice Lewis, but then ran an astounding anchor leg of the 1,600 relay. He was hand-timed at a 47.6 and nearly erased Edison’s big lead in the race. In between, Purvis placed second in the 200 (21.96).
* BHS sprinter Brushay Wandick, after seeing her 400 relay team finish fourth and finishing in fourth in the 100 by one-hundreth of a second (12.01 to a 12.00 from Fresno-Bullard’s Lynn Williams), rebounded to earn a state qualification in the 200. She finished third in 24.69.
* Frontier’s Taylor Jackson, a sophomore who qualified in both the 100 and 300 hurdles. She finished third in the 100 (15.04) and second in the 300 (44.86).
* Stockdale freshman Alex Collatz, who also finished fourth in the triple jump, was part of a 1-2-3 Kern County finish in the discus. Jelmini was first, Collatz second (148-6) and Taft’s Carey Tuuamalemalo third (130-9).
* Centennial’s high finish in the girls team race was buoyed by plenty of high finishes, but the Golden Hawks had just one state qualifier: Alana Alexander, who was third in the long jump (17-6.75) before holding off Prandini in the triple.
* Shafter’s Tyler Thompson also qualified in the long jump and triple jump, finishing second in both.
Ridgeview’s Chris Kelly soars during one of his triple jumps at the section meet at Liberty Wednesday. Ridgeview’s Johnny Carter gets air during one of his triple jumps during the section meet at Liberty High Wednesday afternoon. Just a freshman, Carter and teammate Chris Kelly had the two best jumps heading into the competition.
Centennial’s Alana Alexander lands after one of her long jumps at Wednesday’s section track and field championships at Liberty High.
Chris Schwartz of Foothill had the eighth best qualifying time in the 1,600, but pulled away from top qualifier Jonathan Sanchez to win the event at the Central Section track and field championships Wednesday.
BHS anchor Johnny Norwood takes off after receiving the baton from teammate Jerek Johnson during the 4×100 relay at Wednesday’s Central Section Grand Masters. At left is Stockdale anchor Brandon Henderson (with baton) and teammate Adam Lewis.
Isiah Purvis of Liberty was so close to victory in the boys 400 meters, but Edison’s Maurice Lewis closed in the final yards to win the race. Stockdale’s Daniel Lozano (not pictured) was third.
Permalink
Posted in Driller of the Week, Schools, Boys, Girls, Championships, Grand Masters, Kern Track Results, Track Meets, Upcoming, McFarland, Foothill, Results, BHS, Wasco, Shafter, Taft, North, East, Golden Valley, Liberty, Stockdale, Centennial, Delano, South, West, Ridgeview, Highland, Driller Noise, Garces, South Area, Frontier, Tehachapi, Burroughs, Noise Flash!!!, Bakersfield, Bakersfield Christian at 6:28 am by Administrator
Central Section Grand Masters
At Liberty
Team standings–unavailable.
400 relay–1. Bakersfield (Hunt, Turner, Johnson, Norwood), 42.28; 2. Clovis East (Bourbon, Scott, Smith, Woods), 42.58; 3. Redwood (Stewart, Ray, Root, Coles), 43.07; 4. Central (Newsome, Bigelow, Hammack, Phillips), 43.15. 1,600–1. Chris Schwartz, Foot, 4:15.80; 2. Jonathan Sanchez, Buch, 4:17.48; 3. Eric Battles, CW, 4:20.34; 4. Jesse Arellano, Mad, 4:21.56. 110H–1. Ethan DeJongh, MtW, 14.49; 2. Sean Johnson, Buch, 14.66; 3. Jon Funch, CW, 14.81; 4. Isiah Crunk, Wash, 15.17. 400–1. Maurice Lewis, Ed, 49.08; 2. Isiah Purvis, Lib, 49.13; 3. Daniel Lozano, Stock, 49.35; 4. Jelani Hendrix, Ed, 49.62. 100–1. Brendon Bigelow, Central, 10.62; 2. Emmanuel Turner, Bak, 10.81; 3. Matt Sumlin, Gar, 10.91; 4. Chris Lopez, GW, 10.98. 800–1. Anthony Mitchell, North, 1:54.19; 2. Aric Champagne, MtW, 1:54.97; 3. Andrew Campbell, CW, 1:55.69; 4. Arturo Ramirez, Centennial, 1:55.83. 300H–1. DeJongh, MtW, 37.93; 2. Cody Alves, Sel, 37.94; 3. James Smith, CE, 39.03; 4. Sean Johnson, Buch, 39.28. 200–1. Brendon Bigelow, Central, 21.29; 2. Isiah Purvis, Lib, 21.96; 3. Mario Navarette, Sanger, 22.04; 4. Chris Lopez, GW, 22.29. 3,200–1. Chris Schwartz, Foot, 9:24.19; 2. Jonathan Sanchez, Buch, 9:24.99; 3. Jon Ross, CE, 9:26.42; 4. Danny Vartanien, Buch, 9:26.42. 1,600 relay–1. Edison (Hendrix, Carter, Boughton, Lewis), 3:17.86; 2. Liberty (Hill, Garside, Affentranger, Purvis), 3:18.95; 3. Bakersfield (Miller, Turner, Johnson, Gooden), 3:20.06; 4. Clovis East (Ellis, Defonska, Woods, Smith), 3:22.40. PV–1. Andrew Lohse, Mad, 15-0; 2. Michael Peterson, CE, 15-0J; 3. Jeff Brenner, Cl, 14-6; 4. Frankie Puente, Sel, 14-0. SP–1. Dayshan Ragans, Foot, 60-7; 2. Matt Darr, Fron, 52-8.75; 3. Troy Rush, CW, 52-8.5; 4. Christian Millard, CE, 51-10.5. TJ–1. Johnny Carter, Ridge, 48-3; 2. Tyler Thompson, Shaf, 47-3; 3. Chris Kelly, Ridge, 46-11.5; 4. Jordan Smith, Central, 46-10.5. D–1. Dayshan Ragans, Foot, 199-2; 2. Jacob Budwig, Fowl, 168-8; 3. Niko Gomes, Cl, 164-10; 4. Matt Darr, Fron, 157-7. LJ–1. Kenny Phillips, Central, 23-4; 2. Tyler Thompson, Shaf, 21-11.5; 3. Dillon Root, Red, 21-11; 4. Kevin Norwood, GV, 21-8.75. HJ–1. Kenny Phillips, Central, 6-8; 2. Isiah Griggs, Bak, 6-6; 3. George Robbins, West, 6-4; 4. Jeff Brenner, Cl, 6-4J.
Notes: Top three in each event advance to state meet, May 30-31 in Norwalk. The two wild cards with the best times/marks from all sections also advance.
Girls track
Central Section Grand Masters
At Liberty
Team standings–unavailable.
400 relay–1. Edison (Eng, Scott, Thompson, Sears), 47.16; 2. Bullard (J. Williams, Riddlesprigger, Baisch, L. Williams), 48.17; 3. Tulare Western, 48.73; 4. Bakersfield (Torres, Belt, Brown, Wandick), 48.80. 1,600–1. Saleh Barsarian, Cl, 5:02.98; 2. Meghan Marvin, Cl, 5:03.02; 3. Chloe Allen, CW, 5:04.62; 4. Allison Gonzales, Ex, 5:11.52; 100H–1. Alyssa Monteverde, CW, 14.59; 2. Brianny Williams, Ed, 14.60; 3. Taylor Jackson, Fr, 15.04; 4. Jen Melton, CW, 15.37. 400–1. Breanna Thompson, Ed, 56.64; 2. Dedrea Wyrik, Sun, 57.49; 3. Lasasha Aldredge, Central, 58.12; 4. Taylor Donaldson, Reed, 58.13. 100–1. Megan Del Pino, CW, 11.66; 2. Jenna Prandini, Cl, 11.74; 3. Lynn Williams, Bul, 12.00; 4. Brushay Wandick, Bak, 12.01. 800–1. Allysa Mejia, Reed, 2:17.47; 2. Molly Pahkamaa, ElD, 2:17.73; 3. Katie Fry, Ex, 2:18.74; 4. Ashlee Thomas, Centennial, 2:19.77. 300H–1. Alyssa Monteverde, CW, 43.92; 2. Taylor Jackson, Fron, 44.86; 3. Brianny Williams, Ed, 45.69; 4. Alana Alexander, Centennial, 46.12. 200–1. Megan Del Pino, CW, 23.94; 2. Dominique Whittington, Lem, 24.65; 3. Brushay Wandick, Bak, 24.69; 4. Breanna Thompson, Ed, 24.90. 3,200–1. Jordan Hasay, MP, 10:24.78; 2. Meghan Marvin, Cl, 10:59.96; 3. Chloe Allen, CW, 11:06.19; 4. Corina Mendoza, Mad, 11:32.06. 1,600 relay–1. Edison (Burk, Thompson, Scott, Smith), 3:54.89; 2. Stockdale (Cady, Anderson, Mello, S. Anderson), 3:58.26; 3. Clovis West (Laidley, Capriotti, Del Pino, Monteverde), 3:59.02; 4. Reedley, 3:59.07. D–1. Anna Jelmini, Shaf, 162-5; 2. Alex Collatz, Stock, 148-6; 3. Carey Tuuamalemalo, Taft, 130-9; 4. Janae Coffee, CW, 121-6. LJ–1. Jenna Prandini, Cl, 18-7.25; 2. Lynn Williams, Bul, 18-0.75; 3. Alana Alexander, Centennial, 17-6.75; 4. Ja’Nia Sears, Ed, 17-6.5. HJ–1. Alyssa Monteverde, CW, 5-4; 2. Cristina Muro, GW, 5-2; 3. Katherine Mahr, Buch, 5-2; 4. Marish Riddlesprigger, Bul, 5-2J. SP–1. Anna Jelmini, Shaf, 44-0.75; 2. Destanie Yarbrough, CE, 37-10; 3. Heather Vermillion, Red, 37-9; 4. Tasha Firstone, CW, 36-6.5. TJ–1. Alana Alexander, Centennial, 38-3.75; 2. Jenna Prandini, Cl, 38-3; 3. Goziam Okolie, 36-10.5; 4. Alex Collatz, Stock, 36-2. PV–1. Allison Berryhill, CW, 11-6; 2. Amanda Klinchuch, Lib, 11-6J; 3. Cheree Jones, King, 10-6; 4. Emily Falkenstein, Buch, 10-6J.
Notes: Top three in each event advance to state meet, May 30-31 in Norwalk. The two wild cards with the best times/marks from all sections also advance.
Permalink
05.14.08
Posted in Profiles, Coaches, Athletes, Schools, Championships, Valley, Grand Masters, College, Signings, Track Meets, Upcoming, McFarland, Foothill, Results, CSUB, Wasco, Shafter, Taft, North, East, Golden Valley, Liberty, Stockdale, Centennial, South, West, Ridgeview, Highland, Garces, Frontier, Tehachapi, Burroughs, Noise Flash!!!, Bakersfield at 6:47 am by Administrator
Today’s (May 14) Central Section Grand Masters Track and Field Meet glance
The Bakersfield Californian | Tuesday, May 13 2008 11:07 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 13 2008 11:12 PM
CIF Central Section Grand Masters
Where: Liberty High School
Directions: From Rosedale Highway, take Calloway Drive south. Turn right on Brimhall Road, left on Jewetta Avenue and immediately right on Patrick Henry Drive.
Advancement: Top three boys and girls in each event qualify for CIF State Championships, May 30-31 at Cerritos College in Norwalk.
Non-weight events glance
Sprints
Boys favorites: Fresno-Central’s Brendon Bigelow in both the 100 and 200 meters. Hanford West’s Vontrail Love could challenge in the 100, as could Liberty’s Isiah Purvis in the 200. Bakersfield High and Clovis East are the teams to beat in the 400 relay.
Locals to watch: Purvis is a real threat in the 200, and Bakersfield’s Emmanuel Turner (boys) and Brushay Wandick (girls) are coming on strong in the 100.
Middle distance
Boys favorites: North’s Anthony Mitchell has the section’s best times in the 400 and 800, but he didn’t run at the 400 in last week’s South Area meet, choosing to focus on the longer race. Expect him to win it. Liberty’s Purvis, Stockdale’s Daniel Lozano and Clovis-Buchanan’s James Smith could fill the void in the 400.
Locals to watch: Mitchell, Lozano and Purvis, plus the Liberty 1,600 relay team, which was fourth in state last year and leads the section by nearly two seconds. On the girls side, Ashlee Thomas of Centennial has a chance in the 800 and Stockdale’s relay team will be close.
Distance events
Boys favorites: Foothill’s Chris Schwartz wasn’t the Division I state cross country champion for no reason. He has the best 3,200 time in the section by 22 seconds. He’ll take on Eric Battles of Clovis West and Jonathan Sanchez of Clovis-Buchanan in the 1,600.
Girls favorites: Can you say Hasay? It would be the shock of the meet if San Luis Obispo-Mission Prep phenom Joran Hasay didn’t win both events. The junior leads the nation with a 1,600 time of 4:42.50 and a 3,200 time of 10:03.07.
Locals to watch: Besides Schwartz, keep an eye on North’s Cody Gragg and Candace Carlson.
Hurdles
Locals to watch: With a good day, Taylor Jackson could give Frontier its first section title. On the boys side, East’s Eddie Morrow is a threat in the 300 hurdles.
Jumps
Locals to watch: The Ridgeview boys duo of Chris Kelly and Johnny Carter hold the section’s best two triple jump marks. Collatz also is a freshman phenom in the triple.
– Zach Ewing
High school track and field: FLYIN’ HIGH
Foothill’s Ragans, Shafter’s Jelmini are two of the top high school throwers in nation
BY ZACH EWING * CALIFORNIAN STAFF WRITER
zewing@bakersfield.com | Tuesday, May 13 2008 11:13 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 13 2008 11:22 PM
On the surface, Anna Jelmini of Shafter and Dayshan Ragans of Foothill High are easy to lump together. After all, each of them represents the next harvest of Kern County’s incredible throwing crop, the next local able to throw a shot put or a discus farther than almost anyone in the country. Each is a heavy favorite at today’s Central Section championships at Liberty. Presuming they advance, Jelmini and Ragans likely will enter the state championships May 30-31 at Cerritos College in Norwalk with the best marks in California in both throwing events.
Foothill High’s Dayshan Ragans is a favorite to win the discus and shot put and today’s Central Section championships at Liberty.
They also have a presence on national top-10 lists — Jelmini has the nation’s best high school girls discus throw and the fifth-best shot put mark, and Ragans is fifth on the boys discus list.
“To be able to do something like that is pretty amazing,” said Alan Collatz, head track and field coach at Cal State Bakersfield and one of the forefathers of Kern County’s throwing success. “I mean, you know, all across the nation, they train just hard. So for someone out of this area, out of Kern County, to be so high on the list, it’s something special. It doesn’t happen all the time, that’s for sure.”
But you don’t have to dig very deep to learn that though Jelmini and Ragans have ended up in the same place, their backgrounds are about as dissimilar as can be.
It’s like a reverse fork in the road.
Just really blessed
Anna Jelmini’s entry into Kern County throwing lore started in the fourth grade at an after-school program. The earliest kids are allowed to throw the discus is fifth grade, so she started that a year later.
Her coaching has also been some of the best Kern County has to offer — and that’s pretty darn good coaching.
Dawn Dumble-Godbehere, a former state champion at Bakersfield High and NCAA champion at UCLA, started working with Jelmini in the sixth grade. John Rexroth spelled Dumble while she was pregnant during Jelmini’s seventh-grade year.
Dumble was impressed, and Jelmini was on her way.
“Anna’s always been real athletic,” said her dad, Rick Jelmini. “She’s a basketball player, been a swimmer for a long time, could have even played volleyball. (Dumble) will just tell you Anna picks things up really fast. She kind of converted Anna to a spin style, and she has good balance and things like that.”
Now coached at Shafter by Dumble’s husband, Matt Godbehere, Anna Jelmini has blossomed into a technically sound, self-analyzing thrower.
“(The success) hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Jelmini said. “Bakersfield has had some really great throwers. I’m just really blessed. I’m just trying to work hard.”
Last year, as a sophomore, Jelmini was fourth in the state in the discus (throwing a 153-5) and seventh in the shot put (41-11.5). Either of those places would be considered a disappointment this year, considering Jelmini has the best discus mark (183-11) in the state by more than 24 feet and the best shot mark (49-2.5) by about 41/2 feet.
Her 183-11 discus throw at the Bill Kearney Invitational in Salinas on April 19 set a Central Section record and equaled the fourth-best throw ever by an American high schooler.
“She’s been working really hard in the last three years, and she’s really seeing the dividends this year,” Godbehere said. “She loves to throw, she’s aware of what it’s going to take for her to get better and she’s willing to put in the work to do that.”
Jelmini isn’t yet sure where she’ll attend college, but throwing has been a huge part of her life thus far, and that will almost certainly continue.
“Sometimes you see kids sign (with a college) their senior year, and then you just don’t see their names anymore,” said Rick Jelmini, who said the family has returned more than 30 questionnaires to Division I colleges. “But Anna’s never satisfied. She’s not going to get burned out.”
The four-leaf clover
Dayshan Ragans probably won’t get burned out either, at least not any time soon. He’s only been throwing for three years.
Nope, that’s not a typo. Ragans was plucked out of his freshman P.E. class at Foothill because he was the first student ever to out-throw track coach Joe Cooper.
It didn’t take long for Ragans to figure out that throwing is what he wanted to do. Wayne Brewer — like Godbehere, a former CSUB thrower — came to Foothill before Ragans’ sophomore year and has groomed him into the state’s premier high school thrower.
“We were lucky to get him,” Brewer said. “It was like finding a four-leaf clover. Seriously, he’s so raw. He hasn’t even been throwing four years.”
But he is strong, especially in his lower body. Ragans can squat 500 pounds and hang-clean more than 300. And to boot, Brewer said Ragans soaks up information better than anyone he’s coached.
“Genetics has a lot to do with it,” Brewer said. “But he’s like a sponge. I can tell him something, and he goes out and does it. No questions asked.”
Ragans took second in the state in the discus last season but fouled out in the shot put finals. This year, he has a 20-foot cushion in the discus with a 203-7 over the next-best throw and a better-than-two-foot margin in the shot put with a 63-4.75.
Ragans has had to come on quickly to the sport, but he also has extra motivation for excelling.
He’s signed to continue the county’s throwing pipeline at CSUB next year, and he’s counting the days till the state meet — not only because those dates represent his goal in throwing, but because it’s the day he can move away from home.
Ragans said his family life can be difficult and that throwing offers an escape. He declined to speak specifically, other than to say, “I don’t want to be another statistic.
“I wake up, and it’s just like a countdown,” he said. “It’s going to be like a new beginning, coming into a new world.”
Meanwhile, a double state championship, obviously, isn’t out of the question.
“My goal is breaking that state record,” Ragans said. “… I have a lot of fun throwing. I went out, and I didn’t realize I what I was capable of.”
The paths converge
Shafter is a smaller school than Foothill, so the schools have different travel plans and often compete in separate divisions. But today, at the section finals at Liberty, Jelmini’s and Ragan’s roads come together again.
They’ll be joined by yet another Kern County thrower of the future in Stockdale’s Alex Collatz, who owns a Central Section record with a 159-4 discus throw as a freshman — that’s behind only Jelmini in the state and is third in the nation.
In the Southern Section, Burroughs junior Kayla Kovar has top-five marks in the state in both throwing events.
“This area is amazing for throws,” said Scott Semar, who coached Collatz at CSUB in the mid-1980s and then oversaw the golden era of Kern County throwing at Bakersfield High from 1987-91.
Young Alex Collatz is a prime example of the area’s recurring success. Collatz’s father is the same Alan Collatz who coaches at CSUB.
Alan Collatz and Semar have helped produce dozens of state-, national- and even world-class throwers from the county, not to mention half of the throwing coaches at Bakersfield high schools.
“It has been very successful here for many, many years, and a lot of it started with Scott Semar when he was out here,” Alan Collatz said. “Then I came out here. Throwers tend to come here. We’ve been lucky, and they’ve worked hard and gone out in the community.”
And groomed prodigious athletes like Ragans and Jelmini. And there we go lumping them together again. It’s not hard. Heck, they even use the same, spinning, style.
But Collatz is wary of pronouncing Ragans and Jelmini so similar.
“You can look at the 10 best throwers in the United States, and they all do something different,” Collatz said. “None of them are the same. This guys starts a little lower, or this guy is more upright, this guy sweeps a little wider. There is no one way.
“… But one is (Jelmini and Ragans) are hard workers. Two is they’re strong athletes. And three is they’re well-coached. You put hard work with physical abilities with good technical coaching, and you’re going to be successful.”
Different methods, different paths, very similar results. And Kern County has two more extraordinary throwers.
“There has been a lot of great throwing over the years,” Godbehere said. “… A lot of people have taken interest in throws. Is it the athletes or the coaching? Probably a combination of all of it.”
Permalink
05.13.08
Posted in Coaches, SEYL, SWYL, Rankings, Track, Noise Flash!!! at 6:53 am by Administrator
last night i went to my first track coaches meeting. we voted on the athletes of the year and all-league athletes. i wont reveal who won but several are no brainers.
other topics covered were the two new schools entering our leagues and the need for volunteers to work at the meets.
we discussed using episports or athletic.net for meet management too. marks fudging was another issue and as usual there are no real solutions.
lastly, we voted to make the frosh/soph league meet a junior varsity meet with unlimited entries. this meet will be held the week before the varsity one.
all class levels will be able to compete but juniors and senoirs who compete in the jv meet wont be allowed to compete in the varsity meet the next week.
of course all of the above has to be approved by the athletic directors.
Permalink
« Previous entries ·
