San Benito and Gilroy track teams head to CCS semis at San Jose
City College
The stakes are getting higher and higher.
First, the league finals. Now, the Central Coast Section Championships. And then, in just a few weeks, the CIF State Championships.
“The team aspect is kind of out the door,” San Benito girls track and field coach Julio Trinidad said. “Now, it’s all about the individual. It’s just how bad an individual wants it. Now, it’s kind of take it to the next level or pack your bags – it’s time to head home.”
After competing in the Tri-County Athletic League Finals a week ago, the top track and field athletes in the South Valley head north to San Jose City College today. The CCS Trials begin with the field events at 9:30am, and the running events start at 11:00am.
While San Benito standouts Amanda Boyd and Todd Merrigan – both returning State qualifiers – are old hands at big-time meets, the ‘Balers also have a decidedly fresh look at CCS this season.
Freshmen Thomas Parcell and Ryan Shorey look to build on their impressive debut seasons, while sophomores Carly Brigantino, Lauren Villasenor and Sara Yoldi hope to continue their coming out parties in front of the entire section.
Parcell, fresh off an outstanding race at the TCAL Finals last Saturday, gives the ‘Balers a double threat in the 3200-meter race, alongside junior Rigo Vasquez. Shorey runs a leg in each of the San Benito boys’ relay teams, the events San Benito boys coach Iran White identified as ones he sees the most potential for improvement in.
Sophomore Chris Koroluk will join Shorey in the 4×100-meter relay and also compete in the long jump.
For the Lady ‘Balers, Trinidad noted Brigantino and Villasenor’s performance at the league finals as an indicator that they are ready to burst onto the scene.
“The sprinter girls are exactly where we want ’em,” the San Benito girls coach said. “Those girls are moving. They’re hungry and they’re motivated.”
Yoldi joins teammate Jackie Perrien in the shot put. Perrien, who won both the shot put and the discus competitions at the league Finals, looks to advance to the CCS Finals in her senior season.
As has been the case all season, San Benito hopes its stars will churn out the top marks they have been known for. After mid-season tests at the Stanford and Arcadia Invitationals, Vasquez looks to advance to the second weekend in the 1600 and 3200-meter races.
Merrigan, who qualified for the section trials in both the pole vault and high jump, opted out of the latter to focus on his signature event. The school record-holder in the vault at 15-5, Merrigan will face the tough St. Francis trio in hopes of returning to State. Fellow ‘Baler Josh Schroder will push Merrigan and the Lancers as well.
Boyd, who broke TCAL Finals’ records in the 800, 1600 and 3200-meter races this season, takes the track at San Jose City College looking to advance to the Finals in the 1600 and 3200, in addition to running a leg of the girls’ 4×400-meter relay team.
Jeff Weltz has a full day of running ahead. The senior will run in the 100 and 200-meter dashes, in addition to competing in both relays for the ‘Baler boys. After experiencing a slow start to the season while recuperating from injury, Weltz looks to be peaking at the perfect moment.
“He’s coming along just in time,” White said. “I’ve been talking with him and we both feel it’s just the beginning.”
Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo-bound thrower Bobby Best is the front-runner to get into the finals for Gilroy. His best throws this season in the discus and shot put rank the senior in the top five in CCS. The top-nine finishers in each event advance to the finals.
Because of a sub-par performance at the TCAL championships, Best enters today’s meet seeded lower than what was expected. But that doesn’t worry Gilroy head coach Jeff Myers.
“We’re not really worried about what happened last weekend,” Myers said. “Everyone gets four attempts in field events so it doesn’t matter where you’re seeded. As long as you get in the ring, anything can happen.”
The other Mustangs who will be competing – Miles Amodeo (110 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Arnulfo Velasquez (3200), Chris Funk (triple jump), Kathleen Miller (1600) and Megan McAvoy (long jump) – will have to put up some of their best marks of the season to make it through to the finals.
“I told them, this has to be your finals. You have to give your best performances and if you make it through, you have another week to get ready,” Myers said. “This has got to be it.”
Velasquez, a senior who also competed in this past fall’s CCS cross country championships, is seeded in the top 15 of the 3200-meter run. Myers said Velasquez will have to have a great race in order to punch his ticket to the finals of a competitive event.
“He’s going to have to bump it up, but he can do that,” said Myers, who noted that Velasquez took second on the San Jose City College track at the Hampton-Phillips meet. “He’s been there so he’s ready to go.”
Regardless of how many Mustangs qualify for the finals, Myers is satisfied that six of his athletes made the semis.
“We’ve made huge progress (since last year). … We made the right strides,” Myers said. “We won the frosh/soph boys (TCAL team championship), which is something to build off of.”
Depending on the event, eight to 12 athletes advance to the CCS Finals, which will be held at the same venue on Friday. And, as White, the San Benito boys’ coach noted, “once you make the final, anything can happen. They’ve been training hard and this is the time of year for great PRs.”
Added Trinidad: “As far as you want to make it, it’s all determined by yourself.”
Sports editor Ana Patejdl contributed to this report.
