San Diegans set up to shine on final day of state track and field meet

The theme of the day for San Diego Section athletes at the 104 ^th State Track and Field Championships Friday at Buchanan High could be boiled down to a single word: qualify.

For runners like Mt. Miguel’s Brandon Arrington, Carlsbad’s Morgan Herbst, La Jolla’s Chiara Dailey, Helix’s Shon Martin, Madison’s Amirah Shaheed and San Diego’s Anisa Bowen-Fontenot, it was business as usual.

Arrington, a sophomore, is quickly establishing himself as the section’s next great sprinter by impressively sweeping his heats in the 100 and 200-meter dashes.

In the shorter race, he emerged from a group with 20 meters remaining and won going away in 10.27 seconds. If not for an aiding wind of 2.3 meters per second, that would have eclipsed the section record of 10.30 by Madison’s Kenan Christian (2019) and Southwest’s Riley Washington (1992).

A maximum of 2.0 mps is allowed for record purposes.

Entering the 200 with a state-leading 20.59, he scorched the field with a 20.55, this time with a scant 2.1 mps breeze.

“I don’t think time — I compete with all I’ve got,” said Arrington. “I just run my race, and if I break a record, OK.”

It was the most impressive performance by a section individual, but there were plenty of qualify showings heading into today’s championships.

Both the boys and girls 800-meter and 300-hurdle runners made their presence known late in the evening.

The Herbst sisters from Carlsbad advanced impressively with Morgan posting the fastest time in the long hurdles at 41.93 and Makenna’s 2:09.86 was No. 2 in the 800.

“The last 50 meters I tried not to stutter-step,” said Morgan, who has run 41.45 and is only in her second year doing the event. “My sister and I motivate each other.”

In the boys long hurdles, El Capitan’s Jonathan Tesko-Biffle was No. 1 at 37.48, just .03 behind his season best.

“My goal was to make it to the finals,” he said, “now I want to win it.”

In the boys’ 800, another Carlsbad runner, Cain Evans, posted the fastest time in the section this year, 1:51.88 to lead all qualifiers. Right behind in third place was Olympian’s Angel Cordero, at 1:52.64.

Dailey, who ran 4:42.26 last week, ran near the front of a 14-person pack for much of the 1,600-meter prelims, easing off the final of four laps to finish third in 4:53.66. The top four automatically advanced, meaning Dailey, who will also run the 3,200, wasn’t pressed.

“I wanted to qualify with the least amount of effort,” said the La Jolla junior. “I didn’t go all out today. I know who’s in the final, but I’m hoping to break 4:40.”

Clocking a sub-4:40 would erase the week-old section record of 4:40.29 set by Eastlake’s Jaelyn Williams.

Williams dropped the 1600, just as Dailey decided not to run the 800, to focus on the 3,200.

Shaheed, who won the section 100 last week and leads the state in the 200, captured her heat of the 100 in 11.50, but the wind was over the allowable for record purposes at 2.2. She cruised to a 23.61 in the 200.

Martin won his 110-meter hurdle heat in 14.20, the slowest winning time of the day and well off his section record 13.84.

“That was terrible,” said the Scotties senior. “I won and the winners all advanced but I hit eight of the hurdles with my thigh and I know that slowed me down.”

As for Bowen-Fontenot, she also won her heat in 13.74 seconds, the fastest time of the day.

“That’s almost a PR,” said the Caver, whose best is 13.67.

Brand is a freelance writer.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune .