PAL track finals Saturday

With hundreds of athletes competing in 16 events — 10 running and six field events — it’s very difficult to break down all the event finals. So here are some selected races and field events to keep an eye on Saturday.

Hillsdale’s Sineth Andrabadu will attempt to be the fastest runner in the PAL for the second year in a row as he captured both the 100 and 200 titles in 2024. He in the heavy favorite in the 100, but will be expected to be pushed in the 200 by Woodside’s Mattheo LaCasia.

Andrabadu has the Central Coast Section’s second-fastest time in the 100 this season with a 10.65 and ran a wind-aided 10.67 in qualifying. He also has the third-fastest time 200 time in CCS with a 21.51, but LaCasia, who is a heavy favorite to win the 400 having posted the fastest time in CCS this season, is right behind Andrabadu, having running a 21.65 at the Top 8 meet a month ago.

On the girls’ side, Sequoia’s Abigail Ma was the fastest qualifier in both the 100 and 200. She will have to fend off Carlmont’s Emerson Elyse Barajas in the 100, who qualified second and has the fastest time in the PAL this season. In the 200, Ma will have to contend with Hillsdale’s Sophia Flores.

Flores will going for a double of her as she was the top qualifier in the 400, as well.

Woodside’s Evan Usher will look to complete the field double as he is the heavy favorite to win the PAL discus title to go with his shot put championship. Usher’s personal record of 172-1 set April 16 in the best in CCS this season — nearly nine feet farther than San Mateo’s Emmanuel Fitzgerald. They are the only two throwers in the PAL to eclipse the 150-foot mark.

The girls’ hurdles races — the 100 and 300 — appear to be a grudge match between Carlmont’s Kiana Chen and Menlo-Atherton’s Sara Nordlund. Chen qualified first in both races, running a 15.85 to Nordlund’s 16.01 in the 100, and posting a 46.64 to a 48.55 for Nordlund in the 300.

But it’s Nordlund who has consistently run the fastest times in both races in the PAL this season. She’s run the third-fastest time in CCS this season when she posted a 14.81 at the Top 8, which is nearly two seconds faster than Chen’s best. Nordlund’s best of 44.38 in the 300 hurdles, also set at the Top 8, is second-fastest in CCS this season, with Chen’s best nearly three seconds behind.

The boys’ 1,600 may be the most competitive and wide open race on the schedule with eight runners posting times under 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Top qualfier Andrew Song ran a 4:21.95 and brought Menlo-Atherton’s Cason Mitchell with him as Mitchell, who finished second to Song in the second heat, was posted the second-fastest qualifying time of 4:25.53.

Sequoia’s David Raymond, who qualified seventh with a time of 4:28.48, has the fastest time in the PAL this season, posting a 4:24.30 in late March.

Carlmont’s Daniela Cuadros and Menlo-Atherton’s Caroline Pflaum are expected to battle for both the 1,600 and 3,200 championships. While Pflaum qualified second to Cuadros in the 1,600, Pflaum has run 5:10 or better three times this season, with a PR of 5:00.46 run at the Top 8 meet.

But Pflaum will likely be chasing Cuadros in the 3,200, who has the fastest time in the PAL this season with an 11:15.38. Pflaum checks in with a best of 11:28.30 — they are the only two runners in the field to have posted times under 11:30 this year.