Sandoval seconds away from qualifying

A season that included breaking a running record came to an end for Tokay’s Andres Sandoval on Friday.

One of three Lodi area prep track and field athletes taking part in the 99th annual CIF State Championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High of Clovis, Sandoval competed in the preliminaries of the boys’ 1600meter race. In the heat, Sandoval took seventh place at 4 minutes, 18.91 seconds.

But overall, Sandoval was 15th. The top 12 advance to today’s finals, also at the same stadium. The 12th place finished at 4:18.37.

“The race started out good,” said Tokay coach Zak Walcher. “We knew he needed to get fifth. He still had a strong kick. He was very competitive. He was just hundreds of a second.”

Sandoval’s time on Friday was off by four seconds from last week at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters finals. He was clocked at 4:14.54, which is also a new school record. Sandoval also broke the record in the same event by Jose, Andres’ father, at 4:16.

Although his prep season came to an end one day earlier than usual, Sandoval was treated to a big steak dinner in the Fresno area after the race.

“We’re still proud of him,” said Walcher of Sandoval.

Sandoval, who also competed at the CIF State Cross-Country Championships at Fresno’s Woodward Park last November and placed 146th at 16:02.8, will continue his running ways in the Bay Area this fall. He will be attending Holy Names University in Oakland, and will major in business management. He will also be running for the Hawks’ men’s cross-country and track and field teams.

St. Mary’s Joseph Fontes, a Lodi resident, was 21st overall in the boys’ 100-meter race at

10.88 seconds. The top nine qualified for today’s finals.

Myles Webb of Oaks Christian of Westlake Village was ninth at 10.64. At the Masters meet last week, Fontes took second place at 10.84.

Liberty Ranch’s Collin Ullrich will compete in the boys’ 3200-meter race today at the stadium.

At the Masters meet, Ullrich, a junior who is the first Hawk to compete at the state championships in track and field in the school’s history, took third place at 9:18.33.

He won the section’s Division IV title in the same event at California State University, Stanislaus in Turlock at 9:41.60.