Past champions lead state preliminaries

If Friday’s preliminaries were merely dress rehearsals, expect sprinters Khalfani Muhammad of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Ariana Washington of Long Beach Poly to deliver Oscar-worthy performances in today’s CIF state track and field championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis.

Both Washington and Muhammad are trying to repeat as champions in the 100 and 200 meters and each qualified first in both events on Friday.

After running a personal-best 10.22 at last week’s Masters Meet, Muhammad clocked 10.40 to easily win his heat and established himself as the clear favorite Saturday.

He then clocked 20.94, just missing last week’s 20.73 in the 200, which was three-tenths off the state finals standard. Not to be overlooked was Muhammad’s blazing anchor leg that got the Knights the eighth of nine spots in the finals of the 4 x 100 relay.

“I said I was going to leave it all on the track and that’s what I’m doing,” Muhammad said. “I’m definitely excited about tomorrow, I’ll be going for it and trying to break the records, but it’s all about winning first.”

Washington had stressed the importance of the 4 x 100 relay heading into the state meet and indeed the Jackrabbits recorded the top qualifying time in 45.57.

She has the two fastest 100 times in the country this season, the fastest being 11.20, and she appeared to be on cruise control while clocking 11.48 on Friday. After running a personal-best 23.18 in the 200 last week, she ran 23.39 on Friday and has her sights set on back-to-back state titles.

“I said the finals would be something special and so far it’s been that,” Washington said. “Now, it’s all about tomorrow and I want to do even better.”

Washington did not run on Poly’s 4 x 400 but the jackrabbits still earned a place in the finals by qualifying fourth in 3:47.66. Long Beach Wilson was second in 3:46.72 and City Section winner Carson placed third in 3:46.88.

Reginald Bell of Los Angeles Dorsey, one of the state’s top 110-meter hurdlers, won an appeal to be included in the state finals field after finishing fourth at the City Section finals and showed he belonged by winning his heat and clocking the second fastest prelims time (14.05).

Serra’s Adoree’ Jackson, the reigning state long jump champion, leaped 24 feet, 7 inches and was the leading qualifier. He jumped a wind-aided 24-9 to win the Masters Meet. On Friday, he also anchored the Cavaliers’ 4 x 100 relay, which qualified first in 41.01. Teammate Lloyd Sicard was the fastest qualifier in the 300 hurdles, clocking 37.30, and finished second behind Bell in his 110 hurdles heat and tied for third overall.

In the girls 300 hurdles, Masters champion Jade Miller of Temecula Great Oak was the fastest qualifier in 41.60 and Kymber Payne of Poly won her heat and finished second overall in 41.96.

Courtney Corrin of Studio City Harvard-Westlake leaped 20-8 and had the best qualifying mark in the girls long jump. She set a national freshman long jump record at the Mt. SAC Invitational and leaped 20-5 1/4 to win the Masters Meet.

Palisades sophomore Marissa Williams, who set City Section finals records in the 1,600 and 3,200 on May 19, led for the first two and a half laps of her heat and finished third in 4:51.91 behind defending champion Nikki Hiltz (4:50.70) and Aptos teammate Clare Peabody (4:51.00). Williams was fifth and advanced to the finals.

Miles Parish of Etiwanda prove that his Masters win was no fluke by leading all qualifiers in the 400 with a time of 47.16. Defending state champion Alex Rohani of Beverly Hills was second in his heat and fourth in Friday’s overall standings at 47.43.

One of the day’s biggest surprises was junior Amir Ali Patterson of Encino Crespi, who achieved lifetime bests in the shot put (62-8 3/4) and the discus (182-6). He led all qualifiers in the shot put, his best throw being 1/4 of an inch better than Masters champion Nick Ponzio of Great Oak, and he is fifth in the discus.

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