For Track and Field fans in Ventura County, the last Friday in April means one thing - the best meet of the year: The Ventura County Championships is the premier track and field event in the county, with state and national stars from the area taking part. The top competitors in each event are split into three heats (or flights for field events) called "Rated", "Seeded", and "Invitational". Distance races (800, 1600, and 3200) get 36 entrants, while sprints, hurdles, and field events are generally limited to 27 (nine per section). I will take you through the hight points to look for in the Invitational sections of each event.

 

     The boys 100 meters looks to be a fast, tight race, with 6 of 9 entrants already going under 11 seconds this year. Camarillo's Ahmed Obed, with a best of 10.70, leads the field, followed closely by Lavan Alston of Saint Bonaventure and Gabriel Wirtz of Simi Valley. In the 200, the story is much the same, with Obed holding the CA state #5 time of 21.55, and Alston leading the chase. The boys 400 features Jeff Oechsli of Agoura and Rolandon Marigny of Channel Islands, both of whom have dipped under 50 seconds this season.

 

     The girls sprints are headlined by Oaks Christian's Schuyler Moore, who has state top-20 times in both the 100 and 200 meters. In the 100 meters, Moore will be challenged by Simi Valley's Madisen Richards and Westlake's Abigail Smith. Smith, who had a slow start to her season due to an injury, has been returning to form in recent weeks.  If she can approach the fitness she had in 2012, Moore will have her hands full. The 200 meters again features Moore and Richards, along with Oaks Christian sophomore Sarah Johnson. The girls 400 features defending county champion Danni Alakija of Oaks Christian, who again can look for a challenge by teammate Johnson.

 

     The girls 100 meter hurdles features a tight pack in the 15 second range, led by Newbury Parks' Savanna Sipes, who can expect a challenge from Oaks Christian's Jontelle Cabral. In the 300 meter event, Alex Cerise of La Reina is the top seed with a best of 45.09, followed by a pack of girls who have all broken the 49 second barrier. 

 

     The boys 110 meter hurdles is packed with four boys ranked in the top 30 in the state. Anthony Burnham-Teart of Rio Mesa is the top seed at 14.72, followed closely by Jelani Legohn of Oxnard, Jordan Pitcher of Oaks Christian, and Ian Markham of Oak Park. This  is a race you don't want to miss!  

 

     In the boys 300 meter hurdles, the field is as close as I can remember. Jelani Legohn of Oxnard holds the #6 time in the state at 38.11, but can expect a challenge from Burnham-Teart, Markham, and Sean O'Bryan of Westlake, all of whom have run under 40 seconds this season.  

 

     In the boys 3200, Westlake's Mikey Giguere would have been the top seed at 9:12, but he has elected to run the 1600 instead. That leaves Patrick Thedinga of Oak Park to lead a strong field of competitors, including four who have cracked 9:40 this season. 

 

     In the boys 1600, Westlake's Rocky Peterson is the number one seed at 4:16.39, followed by teammate Mikey Giguere at 4:18.24.  Sophomore standout Jimmy Fitzgerald of Rio Mesa looks to battle the two warriors, followed by 9 others with PRs under 4:29. This is gonna be good!

 

     Sahm Barzargan of Oak Park is the clear favorite in the boys 800 with a seed time of 1:53 - over three seconds faster than his closest challenger. That said, the 800 is always full of surprises! And with seven challengers with PRs under two minutes this season, one or more of them is likely to close that gap.  

 

     On the girls side, the 800 is anyone's race, with all twelve competitors barely more than three seconds apart. Racing skill is likely to play a big part in this one.

 

     In the girls 1600, senior Hannah Kirkegaard of Ventura is the clear favorite with a CA#13 4:57.75 PR coming into the race. Behind her are no less than four sophomores ready to challenge.  

 

     Last but not least, junior Sarah Baxter of Simi Valley headlines the girls 3200, coming in with a US#2/CA#1 time of 10:08 from her victory at Arcadia. With superstar Baxter up front, it would be easy to overlook the rest of the race, but that would be a mistake. The battle for second includes several elite girls, including Caroline Pietrzyk of Malibu, Monika Gyalay of Moorpark, and Charlotte Utash of Simi Valley, all of whom have dipped under 11:00 minutes this season.  

 

     The girls High Jump will be a treat, with Senior Raegan Nizdil of Rio Mesa (CA#9) and Sophomore Erinn Beattie of Buena (CA#11) set to square off. Both girls have cleared over 5'7" this season. Behind them, Maya Hutchinson of Oaks Christian and Julia Pedati of Calabasas look to challenge.  

 

     The girls Long Jump features Madisen Richards of Simi Valley, who currently holds the #5 mark in the state at 19' 5". Other competitors who have gone over 17 feet this season include Kylie Herman of Ventura, Danielle Colvin of Ventura, and Maya Aviezer of Agoura.  

 

     The top seeds in the girls Triple Jump are Asha Culhane of Oaks Christian and Emily Stephenson of Santa Paula, both of whom have clear 35 feet this year.

 

     In the boys jumps we don't see many state-wide stars, but we do see the depth across all events that make the VC Champs so fun. Clark Nelson of Westlake has the top PR in the High Jump (6'4"), while Dylan Roberts of Buena leads the field in the Triple Jump. The boys Long Jump figures to be one of the closest contests, with all competitors in the invitational section holding season bests within a mere 12 inches of one another.

 

     It is important to note that the throws have six different athletes who have a season best in the state top-10 this year. That is more than any other "event family" at the Ventura County Championships, 

 

     Girls Shot Put entries are lead by CA#7 Geraldynn Leupepe of Camarillo and CA#11 Kendall Mader of Newbury Park, both of whom have season bests over 43 feet. If that's not enough, the other seven entries in the event have cleared 35 feet this season. In the girls Discus Throw, It's Katelynn Homb of Ventura as the top seed (CA#5), followed again by Mader of Newbury Park (CA#9).

 

     The favorite in the boys Discus Throw is Eric Beilke of Ventura who has a throw of 181'10" to his name this season, good for CA#4. Right on his tail is Sullivan Wall of Grace Bretheran who has gone 178'7", and Jonathan Hart of Simi Valley, who has a 175'5" throw to his credit. Beilke also leads the county in the Shot Put with a 56' 6.25 mark.

 

     The meet organizers always feature the pole vault in the middle of the infield for full spectator participation. This is appropriate given the quality of vaulters in Ventura County.  The girls Pole Vault will be a good one

with Holly Tokar of Ventura leading the show with a season best of 12'6".  Tokar holds the #5 mark in the state.  

 

     In the boys Pole Vault, Luigi Collela of Thousand Oaks leads the entrants with a best of 16'0", good for CA#2.. Not far behind, however, are Paris Pijuan of Westlake and Jake David of Ventura, who are tied for CA#13 with season bests of 15'6".  This is one you don't want to miss.

 

     Last year we saw Oaks Christian, Simi Valley, and Westlake have a great battle in the Girls 4x100, going 1-2-3. Look for a repeat performance as the same three teams return with best times under 49 seconds.  

 

     The boys event is led by Oaks Christian, whose 42.20 season best is good for #15 in the state. Look for Simi Valley and Camarillo to challenge.  

 

     In the girls 4x400 relay, Agoura leads contenders with a season best of 4:01.15 which they ran at Arcadia Invitational. They will be challenged by Simi Valley and Oaks Christian, both of whom have run under 4:05. The boys 4x400 looks to be a battle among Oaks Christian, Rio Mesa, and Ventura.