Three locals advance to finals
CLOVIS » Three athletes from Santa Cruz County advanced from the prelims at the 102nd CIF State Track and Field Championships on Friday at Buchanan High’s Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Qualifying for Saturday’s finals were Scotts Valley senior Jeremy Kain in the boys’ 1,600-meter race, Falcons sophomore Ashlyn Boothby in the girls’ 1,600, and Aptos senior Elizabeth Churchill in the girls’ high jump.
All three were scheduled to compete in the finals Saturday evening, after the Sentinel went to press.
Kain, a two-event Central Coast Section champion who is committed to Duke, scratched the 800 to focus on the 1,600. He posted a 4:11.65 finish to move on.
Kain was one of three runners to break 4:12 in the prelims. All three competed in the second heat. College Park junior Alex Lamoureux (4:11.62) won the heat, Kain took second, and Santiago senior Tyler Kaan Santiago (4:11.93) was third.
Boothby, the CCS’s 1,600 champ, took 12th in prelims in 4:56.00 to secure the final berth for the final.
Churchill, who is committed to UC Davis, qualified for the prelims in two events. She posted the top mark in the high jump (5-6) to advance to the final, and placed
21st in the 100 hurdles in 15.52.
Churchill, the two-time CCS high jump champion, was one of four jumpers to clear 5-6 in the prelims. Others include Los Gatos junior Hannah Slover, Golden Valley sophomore Meagan Humphries and Calabasas sophomore Amia Witt.
Three other athletes from Santa Cruz County qualified for state, but were unable to advance from the prelims. In boys’ action, Santa Cruz senior Caleb Womack placed 18th in the 400 in 49.88. Monte Vista Christian senior was a no-show in the discus after taking second at the CCS Championships. In girls’ action, Soquel sophomore Jonelle Scott, the CCS champ in pole vault, tied for 18th with a mark of 11-9.