Carson's Athena Favero runs the 300 hurdles during a recent meet.
Weather is the big concern at today’s Northern Division I trials at Carson High’s Jim Frank Track & Field Complex.
Field events get under way at 9:30 a.m. and running events start at 10.
Carson coach Robert Maw said the meet will go on rain or shine. He said some events like the pole vault, discus, shot put and high jump could be affected by bad weather. The top nine in each event move on to the regional finals slated for May 14, also at CHS.
“We are going to get in as many events as we can safely get in,” Maw said Thursday afternoon. “I’m concerned more about the lightning than I am about the rain. The lightning protocol is that we have 30 minutes to clear the stadium. We have our small gym available for the athletes and coaches if we have a delay. We are in the process of setting up a sound system in there so announcements can be heard. If we have two or three lightning delays, we’ll just run the rest of the meet next Saturday (May 14).”
Maw said it’s possible trials and finals for some of the shorter events (100 and 200) would have to be run on the same day depending on the weather.
Maw said the NIAA decided not to move the trials to next Thursday or Friday because most of the meet volunteers might have too much trouble getting off work with such short notice. Maw said there are more than 100 volunteers working the two-weekend event.
In 2017, the regionals are going to be conducted in a Friday-Saturday format in all divisions, and that meet has been awarded to Carson High.
Maw has high hopes for his boys team which is led by Asa Carter (long jump, triple jump, 300 hurdles and 1600 relay), Ian Schulz (shot put, discus), Ian VanRensselaer (800, 1600), Greg Wallace (high jump, long jump), Hector Gomez-Barrios (400) and Dylan Mayo (long jump, triple jump). Mayo’s status is uncertain because he suffered an unknown injury in the weightroom and missed Thursday’s practice.
“In Ian Schulz, Greg and Asa, I have guys that could win three or more events combined,” Maw said. “The biggest thing about this weekend is getting through and staying healthy. I expect our boys to do pretty well.”
Carter is ranked first in the triple jump (48-3), third in the long jump (21-3) and 14th in the 300-meter hurdles.
“Asa hates the 300,” Maw said, a smile on his face. “He probably won’t run it. I put him there in case something (bad) happens in the long jump or triple jump.”
Schulz set a personal and school record with a 170-1 discus throw at the Meet of Champions in Sacramento last weekend. He has a best of 55-2 3/4 in the shot, more than three feet better than Galena’s Chris Kiley. Both Chris Miranda (151-9) and Logan Menzel (136-8) have an outside chance at getting into the top nine in the discus.
Gomez-Barrios is ranked sixth in the 400 (51.38) while Van Rensselaer, coming off a 1:58.62 in Sacramento, is third in the 800 and ninth in the 1600 (4:36.59). Wallace, with a best of 6-4 this year, is ranked second to Galena’s Quintin Mills (6-8). Mayo could move on in three events if he’s able to compete. He’s 16th in the long jump (19-11), fourth in the triple jump (43-0), 10th in the 300 hurdles (43.32) and 11th in the 110 high hurdles (17.24).
The girls squad has been led by senior Athena Favero (200, 100 hurdles, relay and 300 hurdles) and freshman Abby Pradere (800, 1600, 3200 and relay).
Pradere is ranked first in both the 800 (2:13.68) and 1600 (5:07.70). She’s ranked 17th in the 3200, but Maw isn’t sure if she’s even going to run that event.
Favero is ranked No. 8 in the 200, and Maw said that’s going to be her toughest qualifying event. She’s nearly three seconds off Jessice Ozoude’s 23.77.
“The open 2 is going to be tough,” Maw said.
Favero is No. 6 in the 100 hurdles at 17.16. The next three ranked runner are between 0.13 and 0.38 behind her. She’s ranked No. 1 in the 300 hurdles at 46.24. That’s 0.33 ahead of Galena’s Michelle Newblom. The Senators lost a potential state qualifier when freshman hurdler Ashley Britt suffered an injury last week and is out for the season. She was ranked 11th in the 100 hurdles and ninth in the 300 hurdles.
Abby Paulson is fourth (33-10) and Erica Basa is sixth (33-5 1/2) in the triple jump. Both could move on. Basa has a best of 14-6 in the long jump, but she’ll have to PR by at least six inches to move on.
Carson’s other hopes are in the 400 and 800 relays. Carson is ranked ninth in both events with the quartet of Abigail Cowan, Basa, Paulson and Katelyn Morse. In the 1600 relay, Carson is seventh at 4:25.05 with the quartet of Pradere, Blanca Sosa, Favero and Cowan.
Sosa has an outside shot in the 800. She’s seeded 12th at 2:30.36 in the 800, 17th in the 1600 and 12th in the 3200 (12:24.0).