Melia Middleton capped off a sensational season in the CIF State Track and Field Championships May 26-27 at Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High in Clovis. The Christopher High senior competed in the 400-meter run and 300-meter hurdles, qualifying for the finals in the latter event.
Middleton went 56 seconds flat in the 400, slightly off her PR of 55.92 set the previous week in the Central Coast Section Championships but nonetheless a superb time. But she did set consecutive PR’s in the 300 hurdles, going 43.61 in the prelims to qualify for the finals the following day, where she finished in seventh place in a PR of 43.16.
Thus ended a season in which Middleton equaled or set a PR in her final eight competitions—one of the more amazing feats by a high school track athlete you’ll ever see. Gabriela Baxter tied for 15th in the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 5 inches, while fellow CHS senior Kingsley Okoronkwo went 22-¼ in the boys long jump in the prelims.
Isabella Browne placed fifth in the girls 100 ambulatory para race, fourth in the 200 and second in the 400. Blake Roberto and Gabriel Heredia ran identical 27.59 times in the boys 100 Unified race and the CHS boys 4×100 relay Unified team finished in 1 minute, 2.26 seconds.
