2014: League Finals Produce State Contenders

It’s that time of year.

Fire-delayed league finals didn’t slow San Diego Section track and field athletes in their pursuit of May-June honors. Seven new state top 10 performances were recorded (see table below).

Poway’s Brandon Lucas turned a wind-assisted :10.64 100 meters and hustled to a :21.18 200 (County No. 13 all-time) in the Palomar League finals. Mission Hills Suzie Acolatse ran :11.83 in the Valley League 100.

Oceanside’s Kevin Dodds moved up in the triple jump at 48-1, with wind, while teammate Jordan Miller proffered a wind-aided 23-8 long jump.

Poway’s Charlie Bush cleared 15-9 in the pole vault  and Mt. Carmel’s Tobe Ezeokoli logged :48.16 in the Valley League 400.

Lucas and other members of  Poway’s  fine short and long relay teams sat out those events but will be action this week. Brian Thomas, the Section 400-meter leader from Scripps Ranch, scratched from the 200 after struggling to :53.87 and seventh place in the Eastern League 400.

Ill or injured, Thomas would have to get a favorable nod to be byed into the San Diego Section trials.

Although she did not break into the state’s top 10, Cathedral’s Dani White raced over the 100 hurdles in :14.28, Section No. 3 all-time, in Western finals.

White’s teammate, Hannah Labrie-Smith, No. 2 in the state 300 hurdles at :42.24,  was cut a break when Long Beach Poly’s Ebony Crear, the leader at :41.46, stumbled and fell in a Southern Section divisional meet.

Unless Crear is politicked into the Southern Section final this week, Labrie-Smith will have one less formidable  rival in the upcoming meets.

Section trials will be at Mt. Carmel Saturday.  Girls competition starts at 9 a.m., followed by the boys at 2 p.m.

State Finishers

OOPS

Overlooked in the table is Augusta Thomason of Rancho Bernardo, who is third in the state with a 12-foot, 7-inch pole vault.