The Carson High boys and girls track teams warmed up for a big weekend with a showdown against what figures to be one of their top competitors at the Northern 4A Championships.
Carson, Reno High and Spanish Springs competed in a three-way meet on Wednesday at Reno High. Reno figures to be one of the teams that will be competing with Carson's girls for the zone title.
But Wednesday wasn't totally a true indication of what could happen at zone as not all of the Senators ran in their best events, saving themselves for Saturday. Seven of Carson's top athletes will compete in the elite Meet of Champions in Sacramento while other members of the team will compete at Manogue.
Still, Carson had its share of highlights on Wednesday with Kayla Sanchez posting the state's best time in the 200 meters and Alex McAlman posting the state's best mark in the girls shot put.
"We didn't want to run them all in everything," Carson coach Todd Ackerman said. "I thought we did a great job. We had some good times. We did very well."
Sanchez won the 200 in a heat time of 24.8 seconds, which converted was a state best 25.04. Christy Works took second in 26.3 and Yvette Hollett ran a personal best 27.3.
Sanchez also won the 100 in a heat time of 12.1, which converted was a season best 12.34. Andrea Keirstead took second in a heat time of 12.6, which converted was a season best 12.84.
Keirstead also won the 100 hurdles in a heat time of 15.3, which converted was 15.54, which was close to her season best. Sanchez took third despite hitting a hurdle in 17.8.
McAlman won the shot put in a state best 41 feet, 6 1/2 inches and also won the discus at 122-2. Lisa Midboe won the long jump at 14-3 and Gloria Sosa won the 400 in 1:01.1. Julisa Gonzalez was second in 1:04.3. Megan Myer won the 800 as well in 2:36.
Midboe took second in the triple jump at 29.7. Annie Brinson (third, 5:50.01), Allie Collier (fourth, 5:55.2) and Kristen Dockery (sixth, 6:01.7) all ran a season best in the 1,600.
Carson took second in the 4x800 at 10:22, off its season best 10:01 with Collier, Myer, Brinson and Sosa. Works, who normally runs in the event, didn't run in the relay.
Carson also took second in the 4x400 at 4:22, which was off its season best of 4:10. Gonzalez, Sinead McSweeney, Kristen Dockery and Works ran the relay.
Krista Dixon, Kelli Brothers, Hollett and Gonzalez ran 54.5 in the 4x100 and Dixon, Brothes, Hollett and McSweeney took second in the 4x200 in 1:51.4
For the boys, Eric Walther was a double winner, winning the discus in a season best 146-7 and the shot put in 49-10 1/2. Caleb Kondor took second at 43-0 and Alex Craig was fourth at 42-0 1/2. Donald Foster was second in the discus.
Chad Shroy won the 1,600 in 4:45, Adam Houghton won the high jump at 5-10 and Jeremy Gray won the 200 in 22.5. Floyd Hernandez was second in 233.4. Shephard Bequarda took second in the pole vault with an excellent mark of 12-6 while Blake Easby was fourth at 11-0.
Caleb Carter finished the 400 in 55.1 and had a mark of 17-1 1/2 in the long jump. Jeff Allred was second in the triple jump at 37-10 and Matt Mattoon was fourth in the 100 at 11.7.
The boys 4x200 team of Hernandez, Cash Doty, Allred and Houghton finished in 1:38.6 and Hernandez, Allred, Shroy and Houghton finished the 4x400 in 3:38.
Sanchez, Keirstead, McAlman, Works, Sosa, Walther and Gray will compete in the Meet of Champions. "There's going to be some great people there," Ackerman said.