Chino Hills' Duarte makes state history
Etiwanda’s Janelle Avilez thought her season was over after she finished seventh in the finals of the girls 1,600 and 3,200 meters at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet earlier this month.
The top six finishers in those events automatically qualified for the CIF State meet, as did any runners who met the state’s at-large qualifying standard. But Avilez’s times in both of the events came up a little short.
In that 1,600 final at the Masters Meet, Avilez was clipped from behind during the race and fell to the track. Avilez got up and completed the race but was 5.88 seconds behind the sixth-place finisher and 5.16 seconds shy of the at-large standard. She had another chance to make it to state in the 3,200 but finished 3.47 seconds behind the sixth-place runner and 7.32 seconds shy of the at-large standard.
It would have been a heartbreaking ending for one of the Inland area’s best distance runners. But the tears of disappointment quickly were replaced by tears of joy soon after the conclusion of the 3,200 race.
Santiago’s Rylee Blade, who is a friend of Avilez, chose to withdraw from the 1,600 at state and focus solely on the 3,200. That meant Avilez would be the runner to replace Blade in the 1,600 at the state meet.
“I said, ‘No way!’ I just started bawling my eyes out,” recalled Avilez, a senior who was still sporting a few bruises and scabs from the fall at the Masters Meet. “I couldn’t believe it. It was like a dream come true.”
Avilez certainly made the most of her second chance, as she finished fifth in the 1,600 final at the state meet Saturday in a time of 4:45.83. Her previous best before the state meet was 4:52.39.
“My coaches and the support system I have really have been tremendous,” Avilez said. “The plan always was for me to peak at this time, and I’m just so happy I had the chance to show what I can do.”
Blade, who won the state title in the 3,200, was ecstatic to see Avilez perform well.
“I’m so proud of her and the determination she showed,” Blade said. “She really was amazing today.”
Several hit personal bests
Avilez was not the only Inland athlete who achieved a personalbest time or mark during Saturday’s finals.
The area had four individual state champions, and all four turned in lifetime-best performances.
Blade won that girls 3,200 in 10:02.19, nearly 19 seconds faster then her previous best.
Upland’s Davis Davis-Lyric captured the title in the boys 110 hurdles in 13.83, .02 seconds faster than his previous best.
Elsinore’s Daj’Eauna Williams won the girls triple jump title with a leap of 40 feet, 71/4 inches, six inches better than her previous best.
Redlands East Valley’s Jeremiah Bolanos claimed the boys triple jump title with a wind-aided (+2.8 meters/per second) leap of 48-31/4, four inches longer than his previous best. Five other athletes achieved personal-best times or marks, as well, in Saturday’s finals.
Great Oak’s Westin Brown finished fifth in the boys 1,600 in a time of 4:10.12, while Roosevelt’s Cayden Roberson posted a PR of 37.44 to place third in a boys 300 hurdles race that was decided by thousandths of a second. Chaparral’s Leland Godfrey was ninth in the boys shot put with a personalbest mark of 56 43/4.
North’s Dominique Abbott finished eighth in the girls 800 with a PR of 2:10.25, and Murrieta Valley’s Sofia Lieberman ran a PR of 4:48.02 to finish eighth in the girls 1600.
The North and Chino Hills girls 4x400 relay teams also posted season-best times en route to finishing third (3:45.90) and fourth (3:46.92) in the state, respectively.
Isabella Duarte of Chino Hills and Xai Ricks of Long Beach Poly made history Saturday, as they became the first athletes in state history to run legs on three separate relays.
The 4x100 and 4x400 relay have long been staples of the state championship meet, but 2023 marked the first year the 4x800 relay was part of the program.
Duarte helped Chino Hills finish fourth in the 1.600 relay, sixth in the 3,200 relay and seventh in the 400 relay.
Schulz, Middleton win para-athlete titles
Benjamin Schulz of Claremont and Arelle Middleton of Los Osos were two of the athletes who claimed state titles in para-athlete events over the weekend.
Schulz won the boys ambulatory 400 meters title and set a meet record with a time of 1:00.36. Schulz also placed second in the ambulatory 200 meters and third in the ambulatory shot put.
Middleton claimed the title in the ambulatory girls shot put and set a meet record with a mark of 39-51/4.
JEREMIAH BOLANOS
School: Redlands East Valley
Sport: Track and field
Year: Senior
Noteworthy: Bolanos became the first CIF State track and field champion in school history when he captured the title in the triple jump. Bolanos was sitting second in the standings after four attempts, but he jumped a personalbest 48feet, 31/4 inches on his fifth try to take the lead and eventually claim the championship. Bolanos is the third Inland boys athlete to win a state title in the triple jump, joining Claremont’s Klyvens Delauney (2012) and Great Oak’s C.J. Stevenson (2017 and 2018).
Bolanos
RYLEE BLADE
School: Santiago
Sport: Track and field
Year: Sophomore
Noteworthy: Blade brought home the CIF State championship in the 3,200 meters, winning the race in a personal-best time of 10 minutes, 2.19 seconds. She knocked 18.89 seconds off of her previous best to become the first state track and field champion in school history. Blade is just the second Inland athlete to win the girls 3,200 state championship, joining Destiny Collins of Great Oak (2015). Blade was the IE Varsity Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year in the fall.
Blade