LOWER LAKE — All five of Lake County’s high schools had something to celebrate Saturday during the Coastal Mountain Conference Track and Field Championships at Lower Lake High School.
The CMC Championships serves as the qualifier for the North Coast Section Class A Championships for Upper Lake, Clear Lake, Kelseyville and Middletown high schools, and the qualifier for the Redwood Empire Championships for Lower Lake. Top-eight CMC qualifiers in each event advance to Class A Championships next Saturday at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa, while top-four finishers from Lower Lake move on to the Redwood Empire Championships next Saturday at San Rafael High School.
Lake County had athletes finish anywhere from first to eight in both the varsity boys and girls divisions. Event winners in the varsity boys division were Leslie Johnson of Lower Lake in the 400 meters (53.63 seconds), Nadav Dicovski of Middletown in the triple jump (42 feet, 3 1/2 inches), and the Lower Lake 4×100 relay team of Johnson, Jevon Donnell, Charles Jones and Stephen Felder in 46.23.
Among the girls, Kelseyville’s Elizabeth Walker, the star of the meet from Lake County, took firsts in all three jumping events. She tied Cloverdale’s Anabelle Swartz and Fort Bragg’s Halle Garcia at 4-4 in the high jump and was the outright winner in the long jump (15-4 1/4) and triple jump (31-11 1/4). Walker also qualified for the Class A meet in a fourth event, taking second in the 200 meters (13.27).
Other event winners were Clear Lake’s Hannah Garrity in the 3,200 meter (12 minutes, 8.74 seconds) and the Middletown 4×400 relay team of Bailey Smith, Sophie Yebra, Cat Barriga and Nicole Pyzer (4:42.65).
Varsity boys
Lower Lake’s Johnson, in addition to winning the 400, came in fourth in the 200 while anchoring the Trojans’ winning 4×100 relay team. Middletown’s Dicovski qualified for the Class A meet in four events. Besides winning the triple jump, he finished second in the long jump (19-5), placed fourth in the 400 meters (54.37) and fifth in high jump (5-4).
Other high-placing athletes were Middletown’s Oscar Cruz, the runner-up in the shotput (37-0) and also eighth in the discus (99-7 3/4); Middletown’s Bryan Sanchez and Bryton Caviness, who tied for second in the pole vault (9-0); and Middletown’s Jackson Graham, who like teammate Cruz qualified for the Class A meet in both the discus (third in 108-0) and the shotput (sixth in 34-6 1/2).
Lower Lake’s Felder finished fourth in the triple jump (37-4) and fifth in the long jump (18-1/2) in addition to running a leg on the Trojans’ winning 4×100 relay team.
Other sectional qualifiers were Kelseyville’s Alex Fordham, fourth in the 300 hurdles (47.05); Lower Lake’s Jose Hernandez, fourth in the 3,200 (10:51.85); Middletown’s Baron Chang, tied for fourth in the pole vault (8-0); Middletown’s Evan Macklin, fifth in the 800 (2:12.20); Upper Lake’s Erick Espinoza, sixth in the 100 meters (11.96); Middletown’s Sanchez, sixth in the 110 hurdles (20.36); Middletown’s Javen Calvin, seventh in the 110 hurdles (20.99) and eighth in the 300 hurdles (49.59); and Clear Lake’s Pedro Post, eighth in the shotput (34-5 1/4).
Girls
While Walker stole the spotlight in the girls division among Lake County girls, several other county athletes placed high, some qualifying in multiple events for the sectional meets next weekend. Garrity added a second-place finsih in the 1,600 meters (5:32.49) to her win in the 3,200 while Middletown’s Amanda Hart finished second in both the shotput (31-8) and discus (90-6 1/4). Middletown’s Pyzer came in second in the pole vault (7-6).
Lower Lake’s 4×100 relay team of Yamilet Saucedo, Maya Holland, Gabby Pelcastre and Mary Watson came in second (55.05) followed by Middletown’s team of Sofie Rivera, Skylar Williams Issy Barriga and Makayla Mace in third (55.62). In the 4×800 relay, Middletown’s squad of Sara Sintubin, Crystal Montanez Rodriguez, Giada Lazo and Thira Hoage came in third (13:10.10) followed by Lower Lake’s team of Denise Franco, Valeria Salazar-Saenz, Katie Martinez and Daniela Barba in fourth (14:53.25).
Individual third-place finishes went to Cat Barriga in the 800 (2:40.08), Middletown’s Yebra in the 3,200 (13:34.38), Clear Lake’s Kaylah Billig in the shotput (29-11 1/4), Middletown’s Rivera in the triple jump (31-11 1/4), and Middletown’s Mace and Cat Barriga, who tied in the pole vault (7-0).
Placing fourth were Middletown’s Bailey Smith in the 400 (1:07.62), Lower Lake’s Hadia Rippe in the 800 (2:42.05), Middletown’s Pyzer in the 1,600 (5.57.87), Middletown’s Issy Barriga in the 3,200 (13:04.67), Upper Lake’s Maddy Young in both the 100 hurdles (19.78) and 300 hurdles (55.58), Upper Lake’s Tatum Salas in the discus (77-4 1/4), Lower Lake’s Kaylee Case in the triple jump (26-4 1/2), and Middletown’s Deisi Perez, who tied for fourth in the high jump (4-2).
Fifth-place finishers were Middletown’s Mace in the 100 (13.76), Middletown’s Rivera in the 400 (1:09.77), Middletown’s Yebra in the 800 (2:44.12), and Clear Lake’s Billig in the discus (76-9 1/4).
Finishing in sixth place were Upper Lake’s Young in the 400 (1:10.23), Middletown’s Mace in the 100 hurdles (20:07), Middletown’s Pyzer in the 300 hurdles (56.32), Middletown’s Williams in the high jump (4-0), and Upper Lake’s Salas in the shotput (23-10 1/2).
Mia Hoogendoorn of Middletown placed seventh in the high jump (3-10).
Eighth-place finishers were Middletown’s Williams in the 300 hurdles (59.82) and Clear Lake’s Kaelyn Jeffries in the discus (71-11 1/4).
Frosh-soph
Lake County athletes picked up three first-place finishes in the frosh-soph division. Middletown’s Richard Ramos won the 800 (2:29.92) while also placing fourth in the 1,600 (5:34.13) and the pole vault (6-6). Upper Lake’s Jerod Rosales won the discus (90-3/4) and ran a leg on the Cougars’ third-place 4×100 relay team, joining Mikel Compton, Connor Vogel and Delaney Allison. Kelseyville’s Otoniel Rivas Soto won the shotput (39-2 1/2).
For Lower Lake, Daniel Mora-Lopez placed second in the 3,200 (11:36.06) while Middletown’s Caden Gotz came in third (13:36.96).
Adam Moran of Upper Lake took fourth in the 1,600 (5:34.13) and sixth in the triple jump (29-5).
Meet of Champions
The top three finishers in each event next weekend at the Class A meet (Santa Rosa) and the top six at the Redwood Empire Meet (San Rafael) advance to the Meet of Champions (MOC) on May 19-20 at Dublin High School. From there, the top three finishers at the MOC in each event earn a trip to the CIF State and Field Championships on May 26-27 at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
