Saturday, January 13, 2018

2018 CCS Distance State Meet Contenders

Here is what I have so far. Remember only top 3 qualify for the CA state Track and Field meet unless you make the 2018 At-Large Time Standards. I would like to point out that all the defending champions are back this year which is fairly unusual. Additions? Changes? Comments?

Girls 800m.
The favorites: Mari Friedman Santa Cruz (2-time defending section champion)
Threats: Anaya Ward Santa Cruz (2017 state meet qualifier), Kyra Pretre Menlo School
Wildcards: Gabrielle Joffe Mt. View (2016 state meet qualifier), Daniela Salazar Watsonville, Oriana Jalal Cupertino, Kendall Mansukhani Half Moon Bay, Isabelle Cairns St. Francis

Boys 800m.
The favorite: Alex Scales Bellarmine (Defending section champion)
Threats: Jason Gomez Westmont (4th place at 2017 State Meet), Ryan Wilson Carlmont (3rd at 2017 CCS Meet)
Wildcards: Reed Foster Palo Alto, Kyler Spindola Leigh, Garrett MacQuiddy Westmont

Girls 1600m.
The favorite:  Alex Stout Pacific Collegiate (Defending Section Champion)
Threats: Kaylah Grant Live Oak, Marea Zlatunich Aptos, Oriana Jalal Cupertino
Wildcards: Elana Kamas Homestead, Mari Friedman Santa Cruz, Anna Mokkapati The King's Academy, Emma Madgic Aragon, Naomi Donovan Los Altos, Luci Lambert Sacred Heart Prep

Boys 1600m. 
The favorite: Alex Scales Bellarmine (Defending section champion)
Threats: Jorge Estrella Andrew Hill (2nd at 2017 CCS Meet)
Wildcards: Robert Miranda Menlo, Colton Colonna St. Francis, Zach Walker Willow Glen, Ryan Ma Homestead

Girls 3200m.
The favorite: Alex Stout (Defending Section Champion)
Threats: Kaylah Grant Live Oak, Joyce Shea Gunn
Wildcards: Jenna Lange Nueva, Annika Paylor Los Gatos, Miranda Jimenez Palo Alto, Gabby Hughes Soquel

Boys 3200m.
The favorite: Robert Miranda Menlo (Defending Section Champion)
Threats: Meika Beaudoin-Rousseau Bellarmine, Shyam Kumar St. Francis,  Henry Saul Palo Alto
Wildcards: Jorge Estrella Andrew Hill, Colton Colonna St. Francis, Nicky Medearis Crystal Springs Uplands, Owen MacKenzie Los Altos, Sam Lavorato Palma

Next:  2018 SJS Distance State Meet Contenders

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

Most will not double at CCS (my recolection is only Alex 8-16; Jorge 16-32; and Colton 16-32 did it last year) so the likely representatives will look a lot different than these lists. Does anyone have a guess at who runs what races and who among those will represent the CCS at state? I know it takes some guesswork but it might be a good exercise for a preseason that is way too long for my liking.

Albert Caruana said...

I know there will be doublers and they are listed accordingly. If I didn't think they will double, I listed them as wild cards in their secondary events.

Who did I miss? Any freshman girls that will make an impact in any of the events?

Coach Tim said...

Not only are all the champions returning, but (almost) 75% of the finalists are returning - only 3 graduates in each race except the girls 3200 which had 4. Should be a very exciting season in the distances!

Also, a dark horse plug for Tessa Chen of Mills in the 800. Once you're in finals you never know what might happen.

Anonymous said...

800: Scales, Gomez, Wilson
1600: Scales (will drop), Estrella, Colonna, Walker (Miranda will not run)
3200: Miranda, MBR, Kumar (Estrella and Colonna won’t run)
Plus 2 at large in 1600, 1 in 3200

Anonymous said...

Estrella and Colonna will both be in 3200. And my bet is more than 8boys advance under CCS auto out of WCAL.

Menlo XC/Track Coach said...

As always, Coach Car does a great job here...he has the correct favorites and threats and WCs that come into play. Just FYI here are the State At-Larges:

800: 1:54.58/2:10.86
1600: 4:14.73/4:56.02
3200: 9:08.89/10:34.21

The potential At-larges will prob come in the Boys 800: Scales, Gomez, Wilson in as autos and I can 1 kid going in with at-large; and maybe 1600 too...The girls 3200M is pretty much up for grabs, esp if Stout doesn't race...the other races there are fairly clear top 3s.

Just like XC, it should be a fun Track season esp. with the surge of St Francis boys esp. the top 3 with Kumar, Colonna, and Eng challenging the 1600 & 800. And a healthy MBR will be a force just like he was before his injury before State...

Best Wishes & again, excited to see CCS kids representing everywhere on the Track this Spring!

Menlo XC/Track Coach said...

my b, long week...I meant to say St Francis boys challenging the 1600 & 3200... lol...

Anonymous said...

@9:36 I am guessing that Estrella and Colonna will pick the 1600 over the 3200 because of the depth of the distance field, both returning and new guys. It seems to me that both have a better chance at being in the top 3 (and of running the AL time) in the 1600 than in the 3200, where Miranda and MBR return. While both would likely podium, doubling in the 3200 could work against them when they are both set to move on in the 1600. Tough choice but that is how I see them playing it at CCS. I assume you agree that Miranda will not run the 1600 just like last year.

Anonymous said...

@2:31
They will both run because their is nothing to lose, the 3200 is after the 1600. They will both run like they did last year.

Anonymous said...

I think doubling, especially out of the WCAL, is harder than some people think. Anyone know if the CCS is going to take it easy on the kids this year and move the event away from the blast furnace in Gilroy? There are at least 5 or 6 other tracks that could host, especially along the coast where it is likely to be 10-15 degrees cooler in May.

Albert Caruana said...

I think looking at the events from last season will give you a pretty good idea of what runners will do this year. Some move to other events but I think, for the most part, most will stay with the same plan.

As for Gilroy, I am checking to see if the venue has been decided already. I would say that for CCS, Gilroy is the least amount of hassle for them and you can't beat the rental price of that facility. I will confirm the location when I find it.

Anonymous said...

If the CCS can't use City College in SJ, they should go after Stanford and College of San Mateo. Gilroy should be off the list forever after what happened last year. It was at least 10 degrees hotter in Gilroy than anywhere else in the greater CCS area. Remember, the CCS has a lot of coastline and many areas that are ALWAYS cooler than Gilroy, including SF, Monterey, Santa Cruz...... SO MANY!

Albert Caruana said...

San Jose City College is a definite possibility considering that CCS has been there before and the track is FAST!

I believe Stanford has been mentioned before but the price of renting the facility has been a factor. Also, I am not sure if it is indeed an option.

I believe College of San Mateo is not an option because there are no lights there plus parking could be an issue. I have heard De Anza mentioned before and is Foothill an option?

Anonymous said...

Stanford would be an option if someone can talk to John Arriaga. I think he has a grandkid that runs. If he gets behind it then Stanford will open the door and waive the fees. Regardless, the CCS needs to work on this now and not wait till the end of the season when all but the worst option (Gilroy) is still available.

Anonymous said...

1. Gilroy is the selected sites for 2018.
2. Stanford has no desire to host a HS meet.
3. Gilroy for CCS Trials is the best thing ever and should be there every year. Slower times=easier auto times. This is a closer representation to league tracks. Hosting trials on a mondo Track while everyone runs league on slower tracks is a huge disadvantage. I hope they keep the trials at Gilroy forever.
4. State auto marks for CCS is rarely in play.
5. The calendar moves up a week earlier. Cold will be more of an issue than heat. I know this is a distance board but every event prefers warmer temps except one, maybe two. So keep it in perspective.

Anonymous said...

@7:33
You forgot to mention that it is only about an hour away from most of the CCS schools.

Your #3 argument is basically saying that we should slow down the fast athletes to help pile in some of the slower ones on auto times? You then disregard the auto times for getting to state?

How do you know Stanford doesn't want to host a HS meet? I'm not saying they do, but don't assume they don't.

#5?? Are you kidding me? I am 100% certain the 800, 1600, and 3200 all prefer cooler temps. Sprint events may favor some warmer temps, but I'm sure nobody liked racing in the Gilroy furnace at trials. San Jose isn't even cold so I don't think it would be an issue.

Once again, why would we want our CCS athletes to run slower... many of them peak for the meet and would like to set PR's. It doesn't make sense to purposely run at a slower site just so borderline runners could maybe hit the slightly easier auto times the next year.

Anonymous said...

1. You’re right. An hour is a great compromise. It’s not fair for some schools to have to drive 2 hours.
2. Heat was only a factor st trials, not finals. The times run in the distance events at finals were fast and most ran PRs.
3. If it is hot, so what? We select the athletes that can deal with the 100+ Temps they’ll get at State.
4. Auto times are more relevant at the section level than state level. More athletes make CCs through the auto to trials than state. What’s hard to understand?.
5. Run trials at Gilroy. Run finals on mondo. Happy?
6. I have a friend who is a big timer at Stanford. They do not want to host a Hs Meet.

Albert Caruana said...

For those of you that might complain about the two-hour drive, some teams in NCS that are near the Oregon border have to drive over 6 hours. Same goes for some of the Southern Section schools.

Anonymous said...

Good luck getting to Gilroy in an hour the Friday afternoon of Memorial Day weekend.

Anonymous said...

This is the last year CCS will be in the Friday oh Memorial Day weekend. The schedule moves up a week next year.

Hank said...

I wonder if Arcadia and MSAC will also move up a week or keep their standard weekends. What about the later invites?

Hank

Albert Caruana said...

Here are the dates for 2019.

CCS Meets:
Semifinals: Saturday, May 11, 2019
Finals: Friday, May 17, 2019

CIF State Meet:
Trials: Friday, May 24, 2019
Finals: Saturday, May 25, 2019

I am not sure if certain invitationals will move from their traditional dates.

Anonymous said...

@7:12
We were lucky to have cool temps at CCS finals. Usually it would have been much hotter. It is reasonable to assume it should be hot this year, as it usually is May in Gilroy.

Albert Caruana said...

Keep in mind that the CCS Finals is a night might so high temperatures are usually not a factor. I would say my preference would be to have the meet at SJCC because the track is faster and that could be a factor for a few athletes.

Anonymous said...

Who says the CCS semi and final has to be held in the CCS boundary? Can’t we go to where the other sections have their meets? I am sure those sections care more about the health of their kids and the qualifying times not to subject their kids to a blast furnace.

Hank said...

Since I was wondering about Arcadia & MSAC, I decided to ask someone who would know. Arcadia is staying with the 1st weekend in April (their normal spot) and it is believed (not 100% certain) that MSAC will go with the 3rd weekend in April.

hank

Anonymous said...

Gilroy has been perfect for finals. I don’t understand these blast furnace comments. Even on a hot day it doesn’t come close to the state meet or what these kids race in down south. And I remember some Top 8 Invitationals at SJCC just as hot.

SJCC is an old, run down stadium and Track and a terrible place to run. Gilroy is a far superior location.

Anonymous said...

Gilroy is a wonderful city. I enjoy their garlic and onions. Most people don’t understand that the strong smell in the area is mostly onions and not garlic. As for a running venue it is terrible. Hot, parking sucks, Friday traffic to final is unbearable...... It’s looking like the CCS leaders are just going to go along to get along and return to a venue that most of us rightfully detest. Par for the course for a section that can’t even find time in their schedule to address the inequities in the league qualifying process. See you in Gilroy, bring your ice buckets and sun screen!

Albert Caruana said...

Gilroy is a fine venue but SJCC is a faster track (I don't think anybody can debate that). It's also more of a central location.

As for Arcadia, I am not surprised that the date will stay the same. It's very much become a national meet and what California does for its state meet will not affect a mid-season meet.

Coach Tim said...

@7:47 - It's really disrespectful to assume that the multitude of coaches, officials, and volunteers involved in hosting the championships don't care about the health and well-being of the athletes. It's our number one priority, and if the athletes were in danger there would be adjustments made - like when the state meet started really late at night a couple years ago because of the temperature.

@6:19 - If "most of us rightfully detest" the site, that hasn't been communicated to the league reps and section leadership. And you're more than welcome to propose an alternative site that offers the benefits that Gilroy HS does: It's central (really, it is), easy to get to, quality facilities, low cost, and the administration is really easy to work with. Plus they have demonstrated they can host the meet successfully.

The heat is a challenge, sure. But it's historically no worse than the CS, NS, SJS, and SoCal sections have to deal with.

Coach Tim said...

Albert, SJCC might be closer to more schools than Gilroy, but Gilroy is geographically the center of the section. CCS stretches a lot further south than most people think.

Albert Caruana said...

Tim, you make very valid points. I agree that meet management and everybody associated with the meet have the student's best interest when it comes to making decisions about postseason meets (in any sport).

Also, SJCC's central location may be more perception than reality as you pointed out. I think the quality of the track is the main reason why it should be used for the section final. I don't think anybody can debate that it is a faster track.

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