San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
A look back at the Bay Area’s greatest high school track and field performances of the past 50 years.
The 102nd California Interscholastic Federation Track and Field Championships were supposed to finish Saturday as they’ve done the past 11 years at Buchanan High School in Clovis — with teens embracing, fans cheering and fireworks exploding.
Of course, there was none of it.
For the first time since World War II, the competition was called off, this time due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead of the annual recap — and with the help of some avid historians of the event, including former Chronicle sports editor Glenn Schwarz — here are the greatest state meet performances by Metro athletes in the past 50 years.
The Top 15
1. Wendy Brown (Woodside, 1984, Los Angeles Coliseum): The only athlete ever to win the team title by herself, the future Olympic heptathlete won all three jumps (high, long and triple) and was second in the 100meter low hurdles behind another future Olympian, Gail Devers. Her winning triple jump (42 feet, 101⁄2 inches) — her third title in the event in three years — stood as a national mark for seven years. Other marks that day: high jump (611⁄4), long jump (2093⁄4) and 100 hurdles (13.59 seconds).
2. Pete Richardson (Berkeley, 1981, Cerritos College, Norwalk): A meetrecord 14,000 fans were in the stands to watch Richardson set a thennational and still meet finals record in the 800 (1:47.31), leading the Yellowjackets to a second straight team title. Richardson also ran the second leg on the 4x400 relay team that set another national mark (3:08.94). Berkeley, coached by Willie White, scored a teamrecord 58 points.
3. Rick Brown (Los Altos, 1970, Edwards Stadium, Berkeley): Brown is the only other Metro athlete to win three events: he took the 440yard (47.8) and 880 (1:50.6), then ran the comeback anchor leg on the victorious mile relay team (3:15.6).
4. Rich Kimball (De La SalleConcord, 1974, Memorial Stadium, Bakersfield): Won the 2mile in 8:46.5 — still the third fastest time in meet history, a couple of hours after winning the mile in 4:06.6.
5. Nate Moore (Castro Valley, 2014, Buchanan, Clovis): The future Oregon Duck had huge marks while doubling for the second straight season in the long jump (2583⁄4) and triple jump (514). His long jump ranks second (wind legal) in meet history behind James Stallworth (Tulare Union, 2643⁄4, 1989), and he was one of six in meet history to break 51 feet (wind legal).
6. Ashton Purvis (St. ElizabethOakland, 2010, Buchanan, Clovis): Won the 100 in 11.17 seconds, just off Marion Jones’ national record of 11.14 in 1992. Purvis also won the 200 in 22.90.
7. Sasha Wallace (Castro Valley, 2013, Buchanan, Clovis): A future Duck, like Moore, doubled for the second straight year, winning the 100 hurdles (13.48) and triple jump (4191⁄2). She won the previous season for Holy NamesOakland with marks of 13.33 and 4153⁄4.
8. Kevin Craddock ( James LoganUnion City, 2004, Hughes Stadium, Sacramento): One of the region’s greatest hurdlers, he breezed to his second and third career titles, taking the 110s in a thenmeetrecord 13.39 and the 300s (35.93).
9. Julia Stamps (Santa Rosa, 1997, Hughes Stadium, Sacramento): Pulled out the grueling 1,600 (4:47.78) and 3,200 (10:15.17) double, less than two hours apart.
10/11. Jamesha Youngblood (Hercules) and KeNyia Richardson (Holy Names, 2007, Hughes Stadium, Sacramento): The duo combined for 51 points, with Oregonbound Youngblood recording the year’s nationalbest 300 hurdles time (41.08) while also winning the long jump (20113⁄4). Richardson, who attended UCLA, shattered the national allconditions triple jump mark with a windaided 454 and took second behind Youngblood in the 100 hurdles and long jump. 12. Tierra RobinsonJones (Bishop O’DowdOakland, 2018, Buchanan, Clovis): The first Metro girl to win the 200 (23.66) and 400 (52.37) in the same meet. She also ran a leg on the team’s fifthplace 4x100 relay team.
13. Tania Woods (SkylineOakland, 1999, Hughes Stadium, Sacramento): Doubled in the 100 and 200 in 11.41 and 22.88 seconds, respectively.
14. Kathy Costello (Pleasant Hill, 1975, Balboa Stadium, San Diego): One of the more rare doubles, she took the 880 (2:09.2), her second straight crown, and the mile (4:53.5).
15. Talia Stewart (James LoganUnion City, 2004, Hughes Stadium, Sacramento): Joined teammate Craddock to double in the hurdles, winning the 100 in 13.31 and the 300 in 41.31. She also won the 100 as a sophomore.
Biggest surprises
Pamela Amaechi (Lincoln, 2016): Became the first San Francisco Section girls champion by taking the discus (164 feet, 1 inch), edging national leader Elena Brucker (Valley Christian, 1609) in Clovis. The next season as a senior, Amaechi won the shot put on her final attempt (4751⁄4) and placed second in the discus (1770), both lifetime bests. Sarah Robinson (GunnPalo Alto, 2014): National 1,600 leader Anna Maxwell (San Lorenzo ValleyFelton) got tangled with another runner down the stretch in Clovis and both fell. Robinson took the title in 4:44.25, then returned to finish second in the 3,200. Samantha Wallenstrom (Marin CatholicKentfield, 2019): The CIF had planned to honor Wallenstrom, only a sophomore, for a sportsmanship gesture the week before but she came away from Clovis with a gold medal anyway (the only Metro champion last year), taking the 800 in 2:08.78.
Best race: Cooper Teare (St. Joseph Notre DameAlameda) won the closest 3,200 in meet history, outleaning Cole Spencer (Great OakTemecula) 8:51.845 to 8:51.847 to win the 2016 title.
Best meet: Besides the YoungbloodRichardson domination in 2007, SalesianRichmond’s Jahvid Best won the 100 in 10.31 and took second in the 200, and CastillejaPalo Alto’s Tori Anthony won the pole vault with a then national girls record of 141.
More notables: Shannon Rowbury (Sacred Heart Cathedral) won the 800 in 2001 and 1,600 in 2002; Alicia Follmar (Saratoga) won backtoback 1,600 titles (200304), and CaliforniaSan Ramon’s David Klech (300 hurdles in 200506) and Alyssa Brewer (800 in 201617) each won two titles.
MaxPreps senior writer Mitch Stephens covers high school sports for The San Francisco Chronicle.