California track athletes advance to Class 3 Sectionals

California junior Dylan Norton, above, placed in the top four of three events at the Class 3 District 5 Track Meet Saturday, May 17, to earn All-District honors and qualify to advance to Class 3 Sectionals May 24 at Eldon. Other California athletes who advanced to sectionals and are All-District include: Nathan Squires in the Shot Put, and the 4x400 Meter Relay team of Norton, Dylan Albertson, Benigno Corona and Conner George.
California junior Dylan Norton, above, placed in the top four of three events at the Class 3 District 5 Track Meet Saturday, May 17, to earn All-District honors and qualify to advance to Class 3 Sectionals May 24 at Eldon. Other California athletes who advanced to sectionals and are All-District include: Nathan Squires in the Shot Put, and the 4x400 Meter Relay team of Norton, Dylan Albertson, Benigno Corona and Conner George.

Members of the California High School varsity track team competed at the Class 3 District 5 Track Meet Saturday at St. Borgia Francis High School, Washington, where California athletes qualified in four events to advance to Class 3 Sectionals Saturday, May 24, at Eldon.

A total of 16 teams participated, with Blair Oaks winning the boys' division with 92. The Pintos placed fifth with 55.

Union won the girls' division with 108. The Lady Pintos placed 16th with eight.

"I'm extremely proud of our efforts at this meet," California Coach Rick Edwards said. "We pr'd in a large portion of our events, which is what you have to do at a meet with this caliber of competition.  Dylan Norton really performed. He's moving on in three of his events. Our boys' 4x400 ran a three-second pr and needed it to move on. This was one of the faster 4x400 relays in the state."

The top four finishers in each event at the district meet qualify to advance to sectionals and earn All-District honors.

Norton placed second in the 300 Meter Hurdles with 40.72, and fourth in the 110 Meter Hurdles with 16.08.

Also qualifying for sectionals and earning All-District honors were Nathan Squires, who placed first in the Shot Put with 48'6", and the relay team of Norton, Dylan Albertson, Benigno Corona and Conner George, who placed fourth in the 4x400 Meter Relay with 3:31.08.

"I'm really proud of our boys and the way they competed," Edwards said. "They have worked hard to put themselves in this position. It doesn't just happen on the track. Their year-round weightlifting helps them." 

Other results for Pintos and Lady Pintos who didn't qualify to advance to sectionals are as follows. In the 100 Meter, Walker Borghardt placed eighth with 12.32; 200 Meter, Ellie Wirts seventh, 28.78; 300 Meter Hurdles, Jasmine Wells sixth, 50.32; 400 Meter, Albertson seventh, 53.5, and George eighth, 53.8; 800 Meter, Corona seventh, 2:10; 1600 Meter, Burkett fifth, 4:54, and Katie Imhoff sixth, 5:42; 3200 Meter, Burkett fifth, 10:40; Discus, Ramiro Garcia eighth, 134'3"; Shot Put, Garcia eighth, 43'; Pole Vault, Luke Burger sixth, 12'6"; Long Jump, Borghardt fifth, 20'4"; Triple Jump, Borghardt sixth, 40'; the 4x200 Meter Relay team of Seth Fairchild, Norton, Albertson and A.J. Kendrick placed seventh with 1:37.

"On the girls' side, Jasmine Wells had a good meet," Edwards said. "She ran two pr's in her split of the 4x400 and in the 300 hurdles. She's a great competitor for us and scored at every meet this year. Ellie Wirts and Kayla Allison also performed well. They both scored a ton of points for us this season. We also have two very good young throwers in Audrey Pickering and Cameron Meyer. Katie Imhoff and Laney Porter ran hard for us at every meet this year and they were both in two distance events and the 4x400. They are quality athletes who have put forth a lot of effort in track."