Area athletes advance to CIF-SS track and field finals with top efforts at prelims

The foundation for the gold-medal success of the Oaks Christian School girls track and field program lies within the numbers.

High-scoring individuals and relays and sure-fire points from a deep supporting cast.

The favorite to win the program's seventh section title in the last nine finals, Oaks Christian held true to form Saturday at the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 Preliminaries at Carpinteria High.

Oaks Christian will have 20 individual and two relay entries for the section finals this Saturday at Moorpark High.

Right at the top of Oaks Christian's list of qualifiers are defending section champions Danielle Irvin (long jump), Eleanor Borchard (300 hurdles), Payton Godsey (3,200) and Niya Clayton (100 hurdles).

Other Lions qualifiers were Grace Geyer (1,600, 3,200); Delaney Napierala (800, 1,600); Alexandra Reierson (800); Borchard (100 hurdles, 400), Rayah Rodriguez (200, 400); Imani Clayton (100, high jump); Niya Clayton (100, 200); Sophia Colebrooke (300 hurdles); Elizabeth Walker (3,200); Gianna Sanchez (3,200); and Anna Reed (pole vault).

The Lions won't be the only area program to have a say in team title chases.

Westlake, Ventura, Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley have notable qualifiers for Division 2 boys and girls meets.

Overall, area schools had 94 individual qualifiers.

In the Division 1 prelims at Trabuco Hills High, Aaron Cantu (9:14.12) and Arnav Shetty (9:15.95) of Newbury Park qualified in the boys 3,200.

Rio Mesa's Chance Harrison (long jump, 22-0.25) and Oxnard's Luis Aguilera (boys shot put, 53-8) advanced with Camarillo boys triple jumper Jelani Kawaichi (40-1.50).

Rio Mesa's Jaden Washington qualified in the boys discus with a personal-best of 160-2. Rio Mesa’s Jackson Knowles qualified in the boys high jump (6-3).

Camarillo’s Trinity Tipton qualified in the shot put (36-7.05) and discus (139-6), Ava Crouse qualified in the shot put (39-2) and discus (114-11), and Laynie Tuimaualuga qualified in the discus (124-03).

Ailish Hawkins of Newbury Park advanced in the girls 3,200 (10:44.69).

In the Division 2 meet at Ventura High, Simi Valley's Jaelon Barbarin finished among the top finishers in the boys 100 (10.51) and 200 (21.61). He was a member of Simi Valley's 4x100 relay that posted the fastest qualifying time of 41.92.

Ventura County will have four of the nine finalists in the boys 1,600: Anthony Fasthorse (4:14.59) and Micah Grossman (4:18.23) of Ventura, and Royal's Noah de la Rionda (4:17.91) and Jonah Bazerkanian (4:17.96).

Double individual event qualifiers include Thousand Oaks hurdlers Jeremy Frank and Pryce Edwards, Ventura's Ellie Toumeh (long jump and triple jump), and Westlake's Adam Laycock (discus and shot put).

Other Division 2 boys qualifiers were Sean Brown (Simi Valley, 110 hurdles); Ifeoluwaleyi Orekoya (Westlake, 400); Marcus Nortey (Westlake, 400); Luke Sawyer (Calabasas, 800); Luciano Siracusano (Agoura, 800); Grant Baysinger (Ventura, 800); KC Barber (Westlake, 3,200); Cade Sommers (Westlake, pole vault); Graham LaBass (Royal, pole vault); Antonio Di Silvestri (Ventura, pole vault); Andrew Simon-Lacombe (Thousand Oaks, long jump); Kaylon Miller (Calabasas, shot put); Ian Hughes (Ventura, shot put, discus); Wyatt Schrader (Ventura, shot put); and Erik MuroMurillo (Ventura, shot put, discus).

Three Division 2 girls finals will have four area individual qualifiers.

Advancing to the high jump final are Valentina Fakrogha (Ventura), Madison Thai (Thousand Oaks) and Agoura's Palima Kastenberg and Natalie Whittle.

Fakrogha (56.35), Zoey Ray of Calabasas (57.70), Ryan Mendez (57.91) of Ventura, and Thousand Oaks' Morgan Quinn (58.21) will compete in the 400 final. Quinn also qualified in the 200.

Nationally ranked distance runner Sadie Engelhardt (2:15.10) and Melanie True (2:17.16) of Ventura, Arielle McKenzie (2:17.34) of Calabasas, and Westlake's Keena Bradley (2:17.40) qualified for the 800 final.

Engelhardt also qualified in the 1,600 (5:00.48).

Alexandra Farfaras and Ariella Per of Westlake were among the qualifiers in the discus and shot put, respectively.

Quincie Richards of Royal advanced in the triple jump.

Other Division 2 qualifiers were: Paige Porter (Calabasas, 100, 200); Noosha Hosseiniyar (Calabasas, 100, 300 hurdles); Charlie Updegraff (Thousand Oaks, 300 hurdles); Maddy Easter (Buena, 200); Claudia Turner (Westlake, pole vault); and Taylor Dominguez (Thousand Oaks, pole vault).

At Yorba Linda High, Oak Park's Kymara Brodie qualified in the Division 3 girls 100 (12.13) and 200 (24.58).

Moorpark's Ella Heathcote qualified in the high jump. Moorpark will send a 4x400 relay (4:06.85).

Victor Ezike of Moorpark advanced in the long jump (20-8.75), high jump (6-0) and triple jump (42-11.25).

Moorpark's Cade Larson had marks of 53-2 in the shot put and 143-0 in the discus to qualify. Teammates Carson Zeedik (long jump, 21-2) and Alex Vincelette (300 hurdles, 41.66) advanced to the finals.

Division 4 boys team favorite Oaks Christian qualified 11 individuals and two relays for the finals.

But the Lions will be without area record-holder for the 100, Chase Farrell, who did not run.

Among Oaks Christian's top individual qualifiers are Chase Hansen, 400 (49.05); Lexington Leffall, 200 (21.62); Ethan Bergman, pole vault; Holden Lee, shot put; and Ethan Smith, 3,200.

Other Lions qualifiers were Leffall (100), Deshonne Redeaux (100, 200); Davon Benjamin (200); Christian Yoder (3,200); Cooper McNee (3,200); and Mateo Romero (pole vault).

Among the leading long jump qualifiers was Fillmore's Diego Amezcua (20-4.75), who also advanced in the triple jump. Jonah Billings of Foothill Tech was the top qualifier in the 3,200 (9:19.52).

Foothill Tech had several Division 4 qualifiers: Daniel Kovalski (boys 800); Lily Shadden (girls high jump); Bennett Rodman (girls high jump, pole vault); Jacob Lombardo (boys high jump); Maycie Duston (girls shot put); Cole Dinkler (boys pole vault); and Merric Bayless (boys long jump).

Anthony Tafoya of Fillmore qualified in the boys discus.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Area athletes reach CIF-SS track finals with top efforts at prelims