CHS Track and Field Athletes Qualify for CIF Competition

Track is one of those sports that doesn’t end suddenly for all team members with the last game of the season.

For most, their last meet is the league prelims or league finals. Some make it through to the CIF prelims, fewer to the CIF finals, while only the elite advance to the state meet in early June. Advancement to the league finals requires a finish in the Top 9 at the league prelims. To advance from the league finals to the CIF prelims, an athlete must either finish in the Top 2 after scratches, or achieve a qualifying mark.

The league meets were held last week at several venues. Monday at Coronado, Danielle Eckert advanced to the CIF prelims as the fourth seed in the Division II pole vault event, with an effort of 9-feet even. Most preliminary heats and the finals for the high jump, triple jump, and the 3,200-meter run were held at Hoover Tuesday.

In the girls’ high jump, Jamie Klages cleared 5-feet, 9-inches, advancing her to the CIF prelims as the top seed. Sarah Player was off her best, but also advanced with a qualifying jump of 4-feet, 11-inches. Both Adam Munns and Reid McLean advanced in the boys’ high jump. Munns won the event with a jump of 6-feet, 4.5 inches and is the second seed. McLean, nursing a sore hamstring, stopped at the qualifying height of 5-feet, 11-inches.

Jake Ruzevick easily won the 3,200-meter run in 10:14, but teammate Ben Enowitz was accidentally tripped by a Madison runner he’d beaten before and Ben finished in third place in 10:58.9. However, since Ruzevick plans to concentrate on the 800 and 1,600-meter runs at the CIF he scratched out of the 3,200-meters moving Enowitz into the second qualifying position. Enowitz was scheduled to run the 1,600 prelims but couldn’t because of a twisted ankle suffered during his fall in the 3,200. By coaches’ vote, he was advanced to the 1,600 Harbor League finals. Also advancing to the finals of the 1,600-meter run Kacey Zapatka, Ruzevick, and Michael Davies, by finishing second, third and fifth in that order.

In the girls’ sprints, freshman Neisha Scales advanced to the league finals in both the 100 and 200-meter dash events. Ashley Houston qualified for the league finals in the 200-meters on Tuesday and the long jump, held Wednesday at Crawford H.S. Not moving on, but performing well, were Megan Mushovic, who placed fourth in both the triple jump and the discus throw; David Zodrow, fourth in the discus throw; Allison Cabana, 13th in the 1,600; Care Bach, 13th in the 400; Tenille Workman, 13th in the 200; Robert Schneider, 16th in the 200; Branden Hoover, 17th in the discus throw; and Jose Tijerina in the 1,600.

At the City Conference finals held Friday at Patrick Henry High School, Ruzevick won the 1,600 in 4:31.20, then came back to win the 800 in an excellent time of 1:58.71, fast enough to position him as the top seed at the CIF prelims next Saturday. Zapatka (4:52.58), Enowitz (4:59.29) and Davies (5:02.40) followed in the 1,600, but didn’t advance to the CIF prelims. This is the second year in a row that Ruzevick has won all three distance running events at the league finals.

In the 300-meter hurdles, McLean took a cautious approach and didn’t go for time, while winning the event in 41.67 to advance as the seventh seed. Conversely, Player went for time in the girls’ 300-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line spent, but with the best time of the day and a new school record of 45.96. She is the top seed in that event at the CIF prelims next week.

Ruzevick’s three wins in the distance events earned him the Harbor League MVP for running events for the second year in a row. Klages won the girls’ MVP for field events for her state-leading high jump mark.

To give you an idea of how dominant Klages is in her event, the automatic qualifying mark to advance to the state in the high jump is 5-feet, 4-inches. Jamie has jumped 5-feet, 10.25 inches, more than 6 inches higher than the qualifying mark.

Summarizing the efforts of our fine high jump Coach Kerry Elders, Player has jumped one inch over the state-qualifying standard, and both McLean (6-feet, 3 inches) and Munns (6-feet, 7-inches) both have legitimate shots to advance as well.