O.C. group looks to win at State meet

Several of the county’s top track and field athletes will look to complete their seasons with victories this weekend at the CIF State Championships at Buchanan High in Clovis.

In the boys 1,600 meters, El Toro senior Toby Villalva will look to continue his impressive winning streak. Villalva has claimed the top spot in three consecutive CIF competitions, including the Masters meet last Friday.

At Masters, he posted a seasonal best effort of 4:10.05, sixth best in the state this season and the second best qualifying time among all of the state qualifiers.

“The state race will be anyone’s race and we’ll see how things go,” Villalva said.

The county contingent in the 1,600 is a talented one. Dana Hills seniors Tyler Valdes and Zak Phillips, along with Mission Viejo senior James Cameron, all qualified for the meet.

Tustin senior Ameer Webb (21.59) surprised many track followers by defeating state leader Randall Carroll (21.62) of Cathedral in the 200 at the Masters. Webb will look to duplicate the feat this weekend.

“I’m happy to be there and will try my best to make it to the finals,” said Webb.

Valencia junior Sean Krinik will look to cap his breakout season with a state championship. He staged a spectacular rally over the final 150 meters to win the 800 at the Masters meet.

“I’ll take this opportunity because I’ve wanted it so bad,” said Krinik, currently second in the state this season. “I love to run and the finals should be a good race.”

Mission Viejo junior Devalle Pedrogo has enjoyed an accomplished season in the 110 hurdles and will look to complete it with a victory.

“My training is going great right now and I’m just looking to run a clean race,” he said. 

Fountain Valley junior Kyle Middlebrooks finished second at the Masters in the 100 (10.68), finishing behind Carroll (10.50). He is looking forward to his chance to beat Carroll in the biggest meet of the year.

“I just need to power through and finish the race,” said Middlebrooks.

The girls 3,200 features two of the top runners in the country: San Clemente senior Alex Dunne and Mission College Prep standout senior Jordan Hasay, who will go for her fourth consecutive 3,200 title.

Dunne is the state leader in the event this year, but she has recently been battling a foot injury. She was forced to pull up in the final stretch of the Masters, and she finished fourth after leading most of the race.

Dunne did workouts this week to test the foot and she is scheduled to run this weekend.

She will face stiff county competition, though, as Aliso Niguel freshman Danica Wyson, Edison senior Hillary Hayes, Orange Lutheran senior Staci Foster, and Trabuco Hills senior Lori Hoffman all finished in the top 10 at the Masters.

Four of the county’s top vaulters will also look to bring home the state’s top prize. Huntington Beach senior Allison Koressel is tied for the state lead and the fourth-best clearance in the nation (13 feet, one inch), but she finished second to Santa Margarita junior Claire Hawkins at the Masters meet.

Hawkins cleared 12 feet, nine inches, a personal best and the fourth-best mark in the state.

Foothill freshman Victoria Rische cleared 12 feet, three inches to set a county record for a freshman and to tie the school record set by Jennae Bennett in 2005.

Preliminary qualifying begins Friday with the field events at 3 p.m., and the running events begin at 5 p.m.

The championship finals will be held Saturday, with field events starting at 4:30 p.m. and running events set to begin at 6 p.m.

Contact the writer: jeichelberger@ocregister.com