Perfect finish for Ariana Washington, CIF State Track and Field Championships

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CLOVIS, Calif. — One last time Ariana Washington crossed the finish line at a California State Championship high school meet Saturday night and for the first time the heralded and vivacious Long Beach Poly sprinter threw her hands straight into the sky.

With each hand, she made a Jackrabbit sign, much like the "Hook ‘em Horns" sign Texas fans make.

This was special. This was completion of four very hard and successful seasons. This was perfect.

"I don't know why I finally did it," she said. "It was a spur of the moment thing. I knew it was my last race and once you're a Jackrabbit, you're always a Jackrabbit, so I had to do it."

Before a sweltering and thoroughly entertained crowd at Veterans Memorial Stadium on the campus of Buchanan (Clovis), Washington highlighted one of the most successful California State Track and Field Championship meets in history.

Considering this was the 96th annual event, that's saying something.

She crossed the 200-meter finish line in 22.96 seconds, about an hour after winning the 100 in 11.22, which came 90 minutes after anchoring a 400 relay team that included Maya Perkins, Autumn Wright and Jade Lewis and won in 45.19.

All three were new — and final regular season — national season leading marks. The individual titles for Washington were personal records and school records for a team that won its 14 state title and piled up 70 points, the second most in state history. It was a perfect sendoff for retiring coach Don Norford.

The Oregon-bound senior's three crowns gave her eight for her career, tying Olympic champion Allyson Felix. Her three straight state doubles in the 100 and 200 has only been done once before, by Marion Jones, who did it four times.

All of it left the confident and composed Washington, a little misty-eyed and very reflective. She said Friday after trials that Saturday, if conditions were right, would be very special.

She was right.

"My day couldn't have gone any better," she said. "For my name to go down as one of the greatest in California is amazing. I'm so grateful. … I thank all my coaches and teammates for believing in me. They took the weight off my shoulders. … To know all that all my hard work has paid off and to show people all around the country that I can do this. ... it's just been amazing."

As was the meet, which as of Friday didn't display a lot of promise. That definitely changed on Saturday, when temperatures soared above 100 degrees.

Ten to the top

In the nation's last state meet, the Golden State flourished, racking up 10 national leading marks.

Besides the three from Poly, other girls who vaulted or sprinted to the top of the leader board were a pair of freshmen, Poly 400 runner Kaelin Roberts (52.52) and Piedmont Hills (San Jose) 300-hurdler Reonna Collier (40.90).

On the boys side, Millikan (Long Beach) 110 hurdler Misana Viltz (13.47), Long Beach Poly's 4x400 relay team of Malik Dennis, Jordan Pitts, Chris Polk and Mary'ea Harris (3:11.86) and repeat long jump (24-8¾) and triple jump (51-4) champion Nate Moore, of Castro Valley, also claimed national-best marks.

Moore's triple jump was wind-aided and the top all-condition mark, and runner-up Karsten Wethington, of James Logan (Union City), with a mark of 50-7 claimed the nation's wind-legal mark.

Moore also ran a leg on Castro Valley's second-place 400 relay team, almost leading the Trojans to a team title virtually by himself with 28 points. Another Oregon-bound athlete, Moore transferred to Castro Valley his junior season. It was then, thanks largely to the coaching and mentoring of coach Dooney Jones, did Moore take off.

"He instilled that confidence in me," Moore said. "In every big moment, every time to shine, I would shine. That mind-set was everything."

As far as his Saturday, Moore said: "It was just about perfect. I really can't imagine a better way to finish."

Instead, it was Mater Dei (Santa Ana), led by the meet's other headliner Curtis Godin, which claimed the team title with 30 points.

Godin swept the 100 and 200 in scintillating times of 10.31 and 20.87, respectively, avenging his only defeat of the season in the 200 to Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) senior Michael Norman who finished in 20.92.

His 100 time was wind-aided – barely at 2.1 meters-per-second (2.0 is allowable) — and his 10.31 time was just off the state-meet record of 10.30.

A baseball player turned track star after his sophomore season, Godin will run track at UCLA next season.

"I was confident after yesterday I could win both," Godin said. "All the hard work really paid off."

Though Godin's speed and titles keyed the victories, it was a fourth-place finish in the shot put by Malik McMorris, who unleashed a personal record of 60-9½ which pushed Mater Dei over Castro Valley.

Between the lanes

Besides the national-leading marks, there were loads of other great stories. Among them:

* Woodcreek (Roseville) boys opened the meet with a crazy victory in the 4x100 relay, winning in 41.20 seconds, claiming the second victory in the event in Sac-Joaquin Section history. The top qualifying team of Alex Rotteveel, Tyrus Williamson, Aspyn Walton and Colton George, actually crossed in second and was crushed. But after a few minutes, first finisher Edison-Fresno was disqualified for a baton exchange and lane violations.

Woodcreek, a team with no elite sprinters, rejoiced after the announcement came. A season full of perfect handoffs and ultimate unity was rewarded with the ultimate – a stance on the top of the victory stand in Clovis.

"All the emotions, it was insane," George told Joe Davidson of the Sacramento Bee. "We wanted first, got second, got a break with the DQ. But we've never done anything in these meets to kill our races. We've been very consistent. … We're a misnomer. But we turn our game faces on and just go."

* Sarah Robinson, a Stanford-bound soccer player from Gunn (Palo Alto), won the 1,600 in a time of 4:44.25, but not exactly the way she wanted. National leader, defending champion and Central Coast Section rival Anna Maxwell, of San Lorenzo Valley-Felton got tripped up by Great Oak-Temecula sophomore Destiny Collins with 200 meters to go.

Maxwell was in the lead, followed closely by Collins, then Robinson. Maxwell and Collins fell to the ground, and Robinson sidestepped them to win easily in 4:44.25. Collins got up and somehow finished second (4:51.47), but Maxwell couldn't recover, taking 11th out of 12.

"I definitely wanted to win but not that way," Robinson said. "I wish the race was clean, but I couldn't control that. I think I had enough in the tank to win, but we'll never know."

Robinson didn't rest on her 1,600 title. She came back with a remarkably gritty 3,200, taking second in 10:12.40, her personal best, but well back of Northwood (Irvine) senior Bethan Knights (10:00.19), who earlier this year went a national best 9:54.89.

* Redlands junior Margaux Jones long jumper went 20-4¾ on her final attempt to defeat Harvard-Westlake sophomore Courtney Corrin (20-0¼), the defending champion who recorded a national freshman record of 21-0 last season.
"We've been competed against each other since I was 10," Jones said. "She's a great competitor. I just had to take a deep breath, relax and just execute on my last jump. Luckily I did and it feels great."

* Blake Haney's attempt at history fell a little short, after winning a sterling 1,600 meters in 4:08.52, his second straight crown. Then going after an elusive double for a second straight year, the Stockdale (Bakersfield) senior ran out of juice and finished in third at 8:58.48. No shame there, but the national leader in the event (8:46.80) fell short of being only the second male to win both distance races two consecutive years. Redwood (Larkspur) senior Frex Huxham won in 8:54.24.

* Dos Pueblos (Goleta) senior Stamatia Scarvelis became the second girl in state history to win three shot put titles by winning in 52-2. She also won her first discus title at 163-7, finished unbeaten this season in both events and ranks second nationally in each.

"I couldn't think of a better way to complete a great season," said the UCLA-bound Scarvelis. "I can't wait for college."