Josh Schroder didn’t have his best day, but the San Benito pole
vaulter is still within striking distance of qualifying for the CIF
State Track and Field Championships for the second straight
year.
San Jose – Josh Schroder didn’t have his best day, but the San Benito pole vaulter is still within striking distance of qualifying for the CIF State Track and Field Championships for the second straight year.
The senior was more than two feet shy of his personal best clearance while taking fifth at Saturday’s Central Coast Section semifinals at San Jose City College. But his clearance of 13-6 was still enough for a fifth-place finish and to qualifying him for Friday’s CCS finals at Gilroy High.
Four of Schroder’s teammates will join him in a quest for the coveted trip to the state meet. The top three finishers in each event at the CCS finals earn an entry to the state meet.
The ‘Baler who figures to have the best shot to join Schroder in Sacramento is Morgan O’Laughlin. The senior, who is headed to Division II Bentley College on a volleyball scholarship, finished fifth in the discus in the semifinals with a throw of 113-8. She stands nearly eight feet off the mark of third-place finisher Linda Oseso of Santa Clara, but did toss 118-11 at Gilroy High in the Tri-County Athletic League championships and will hope to improve on that.
Also advancing to the finals was senior distance runner Rigo Vasquez. He placed 10th with a time of 4:24 in the 1,600 meters and would likely need at least a six-second improvement to earn a bid to state. He also ran in the 3,200, but finished 15th and did not advance to the finals.
Ryan Shorey moved on to the finals by placing seventh in the 400 meters at 50.71. The third-best qualifying time was 49.87, meaning the sophomore may need to shave up to a second off his time to earn a bid to state.
Lila Yoldi was the final qualifier to Friday’s meet. She took seventh in the shot put with a heave of 35-1 3/4, nearly a foot and a half away from third place.
Those who were unable to qualify for the finals include junior Austin Schmidt. He settled for 17th in the 110 hurdles, 12th in the 300 hurdles and 10 in the long jump. While Shorey moved on in the 400, he couldn’t advance in his other three events. He was 19th in the 200, the 4×100 relay team he was on took 19th and the 4×400 relay team was 15th.
Courtney Allen, who won the 1,600 at TCALs, saw her time slip by six seconds and took 15th in that event to see her season end. The league champ in the 400, Lauren Villasenor, also saw her season end with a 20th place finish in the 400.
Freshman Monique Bishop, who took the top spot in the league in the pole vault, lost out in a tie-breaker to cost herself a trip to the finals.
Other ‘Balers who competed and did not advance were: Eddie Trujillo (27th in 1,600); Evan McFadden (20th in 110 hurdles); Chris Koroluk (28th in 100 meters, 15th in triple jump); Jake Jackson (26th in 800 meters); Anthony De La Cerda (19th in high jump); Jamil Lee (23rd in high jump); Lilli Villagomez (28th in 100 hurdles); Ellen Dungy (13th in high jump); Justine Hunter (21st in triple jump); Sarah Yoldi (15 in discus).
