Athletes gear up for run at CCS titles

Saturday’s CCS trials at Gilroy High School is just the first step on the way to the CCS championships and the State Meet and the obvious goal Saturday is to simply qualify for the finals next week. Looking at those San Mateo County athletes who qualified for the trials, there are a handful who are favorites to take home section championships.

All qualifying marks for CCS come directly from the performances athletes had at their league championships. The top eight from trials qualify for next week’s finals.

Menlo-Atherton’s Tatum Olesen, one of the most decorated county runners in the last decade, is an overwhelming favorite to win the girls’ 1,600 as the top three qualifiers are all from the PAL.

Olesen’s qualifying time is 4:51.39 is nearly 11 seconds faster than No. 2 qualifier, and Olesen teammate, Annie Pflaum.

Pflaum, in turn, is more than five seconds faster than the third-fastest qualifier as Mills’ Jackie Pan checks in with a 5:07.71.

Menlo School’s Landon Pretre also falls into the “heavy favorite” category as the top 3,200 qualifier. The 9:11.30 time he posted at the WBAL championships is not even close to his personal record of 8:48.11, which he set at the Arcadia Invitational in April.

But his time is still 13 seconds faster than Palo Alto’s Grant Morganfeld, the No. 2 qualifier.

In the field events, it would be a stunning upset if Serra’s Luke Lewis wasn’t standing on top of the podium next Saturday. The defending CCS champion, he enters Saturday’s trials having won the WCAL title with a throw of 58-4.5, which was just off his PR of 58-6. Lewis’ qualifying mark is still three feet better than King’s Academy’s Joshua Taylor, who comes in with a qualifying mark of 55-0.25.

They are the only two qualifiers who went over the 52-foot mark.

There are several others who are highly ranked and could pull out a title as long as they save their best for last. Aragon’s Pia Cho has the longest qualifying jump in the long jump and is the No. 1 seed with a 17-9.25. That is only the sixth-best distance in CCS this season, however. Because only the marks set at league championships are used in CCS qualifying, some athletes may not have had to give their all in their championships.

St. Ignatius’ Suraya Newman, for example, is seeded No. 2 at CCS with a jump of 17-7. But she has a season best of 18-7.25.

San Mateo’s Delaney Brown, who is the No. 4 qualifier in the 100, is seeded third in the long jump with a qualifying mark of 17-5.75.

Burlingame’s Avah Reichow should be a player in the 300 hurdles, as her qualifying time of 45.17 is the No. 2 seed behind Mitty’s Tiana Osuna, who set a new PR at the WCAL championships with a qualifying time of 45.07.

Reichow has run a 44.90 this season, however.

Serra sprinter Jaden Green will be in the mix for the 100 and 200 title. He ran a new PR of 10.58 at the WCAL championships to qualify second, finishing second behind Valley Christian’s Andrew Aburano, who posted a 10.48. Green also has the third-fastest qualifying time in the 200 with a 21.85, behind Mitty’s Prince Babalola-Buchango’s 21.70.

Another Padre sprinter, Jeovanni Henley, has the fastest qualifying time in the 400, running the only sub-50-second among all qualifiers with his 49.50. Bellarmine’s Austin Iburg comes in with a 50.17.

The PAL will have two of the best pole vaulters in the section looking to be in the mix for section titles. Aragon’s PAL champion, Jarod Nunnemaker, has the No. 2 qualifying height in the competition, with his 14-6 only behind the 15-0 mark set by St. Ignatius’ Lex Lenhert.

Both have gone over 15 feet this season, with Nunnemaker setting a new school record at 15-7, while Lenhert has the highest mark in CCS this season with a 15-9.

On the girls’ side, Sequoia’s Abby Goetz is one of just three vaulters to qualify with heights of 11 feet or better and enters CCS with the No. 3 vault of 11-6, four inches behind top qualifier Jonelle Scott of Soquel, who went 12-0 in her league championships.

But Goetz and Scott are the only two vaulters to clear 12 feet among all CCS vaulters this season. Goetz cleared 12-0 during a meet in February, while Scott has the best vault of the season at 12-6.

A couple of county high jumpers will also be looking for podium finishes and spots in the State Meet. San Mateo’s Luka Sebisanovic is seeded No. 2 at 6-2, one of four jumpers to clear that height. He has a best of 6-4 this season.

Menlo’s Summer Young was one of four jumpers to qualify with leaps of 5-0. She will be seeded fourth. But Young is tied for the best jump in CCS this season at 5-8.