Carson's Athena Favero runs the girl's 300-meter event Saturday during the Northern Division I Regional Track Championships at the Jim Frank Track and Field Complex.
Abby Pradere, Ian Schulz and Asa Carter enjoyed banner days, earning state-meet berths in two individual events apiece Saturday afternoon at the Jim Frank Track & Field Complex.
Schulz won both the shot and discus, Pradere tallied victories in the 800 and 1600, and Carter won the triple jump and placed second in the long jump at the Northern Division I Track Championships.
Also moving onto next week’s state event at Carson are the 1600-meter relay team of Carter, Brandon Basa, Ian Van Rensselaer and Hector Gomez-Barios, and Athena Favero, who placed third in the 300 hurdles.
In the 1600, Pradere and Reno’s Mikayla Shults led the pack to a 2:37 over the first 800 meters, and Pradere took off at the start of the third lap, distancing herself from Shults and the rest of the field. Pradere led the rest of the way by no less than 15 meters and finished with a PR of 5:06.55, the second-best time in the state this year behind Centennial’s Karina Haymore. She was limping after the race, but after a quick ice bath in the training room, she said she felt better.
“I went out (to the lead) about when I wanted to,” Pradere said.
In the 800, Pradere took the lead in the first 100 meters and beat Shults by nearly two seconds.
“I felt pretty good,” she said. “Last week I just wanted to move on. Today, I wanted to win regional championships, but I also wanted to make sure I ran well enough to get to state.”
Schulz had an interesting day, one filled with some drama at the end.
He started his day in the shot put by throwing out of bounds. After that, he reeled off throws of 56-9, 54-2 and 57-11 3/4 before fouling again. On a couple of throws, he barely was inbonds along the right side. On his sixth and final throw, he uncorked a season-best throw of 58-6.
“That first throw, I went after it a little bit,” Schulz said. “After that, I relaxed a little bit. I wasn’t turning my hip and shoulder which is why I was leaving it out to the right. I was too quick out of the back.”
“He wasn’t finishing; not coming over the top,” said throws coach Mike Louisiana. “He got just ahead a little. We did some drills at the front of the ring, and we’ll do more of that this week.”
There was much more drama in the discus, which has been his best event. After five throws, he was in danger of not qualifying. He finally put it together, throwing 168-6, his second-best toss of the year.
“All my throws were low,” Schulz said. “I had no drive out of the back. I was having flashbacks of two years ago when I didn’t make it to state.”
“I told him to slow down,” Louisiana said. “He was going after the big throw and having problems. He came through on his last throw, and champions win (sometimes) on the last throw.”
Carter started his day with a PR in the long jump (22-2 3/4), though he finished second to Hug’s Gerald Roscom (22-3 1/4). Carter avenged the loss in the triple jump, soaring 47-9 to win by nearly three feet. It was his second-best jump of the season. He had to deal with a wind, which meant adjusting his mark in both events
“I talked to coach Maw about moving my mark back a little,” Carter said. “I had a good mark on five of my six (triple) jumps. I’ll work on the third part (of the triple jump) this week; loading up and exploding into the pit, and hopefully I can get a 48-foot jump next week at state. I had a PR today in the long jump and I was happy with the mark (22-2 3/4).
“Today was a little more about placing (than a mark). You want to make sure you advance. You always try to improve every time.”
Favero, the defending regional champion was fortunate to qualify. She was in fourth place going into the final hurdle. McQuen’s Ashlyn Hedrick hit the last hurdle and fell face first to the track, a scant 5 meters before the finish line.
Favero passed her and fell to the track after grabbing the third spot. She had to be helped off the track to the infield. Trainer Adam Hunsaker iced her ankle and wrapped it in an ace bandage. Her status for next week is unknown.
Favero had been bothered by an ankle injury all week, and she admitted she was in pain the whole race.
The Senators posted the best qualifying time with a 3:26.55 mark last week, but they knew both McQueen and Damonte would load up their teams this week.
Gomez-Barios ran a 50-second 400 leg to get CHS off to a good start, turning the baton over to Basa. The diminutive Basa battled Damonte’s Anthony Iveson the entire lap. Iveson did pass Basa on the back stretch, but the Senators were still in good shape with Carter and Van Rensselaer left to run.
Neither Carter or Van Rensselaer lost ground on their laps, and Carson beat out Reed for the final qualifying spot by nearly three seconds. The 3:25.33 was a team PR.
Basa’s lap was the key.
“I ran pretty well,” said Basa, who had a 50-second split last weekend in the trials. “He (Iveson) passed me at the 200-meter mark. I tried hard to stay with him. I’m just happy we made it to state.”
“We didn’t drop the two seconds I’d hoped for, but we dropped time,” Maw said. “I’ll be looking for another PR next week. Hector won’t be running the open 400 and Ian won’t be running the 800. Both will have fresh legs.”
It was a tough day for high jumper Greg Wallace, who managed to clear only 6-feet and placed fourth, one spot out of the money. Sophomore triple jumper Abby Paulson PR’d by a big margin in the triple jump at 34-2, but placed fifth. Barios ran a PR of 51.11 in the 400, but placed sixth. The girls 400 relay squad of Abigail Cowan, Katelyn Morse, Paulson and Erica Basa ran a 53.23 but that was only good enough for fourth.
Van Rensselaer ran a great 800 race, but placed fourth in 2:00.60.
He was third after the first lap, and lost some ground down the stretch.
“I felt good,” Van Rensselaer said. “I just didn’t have that last burst.”