Lady ‘Balers edge North Salinas 73.33 to 62.67, ‘Baler boys win
comfortably 97 to 39
SALINAS
North Salinas shines in the field events, but it wasn’t enough to upset the San Benito Lady ‘Balers on Tuesday.
“It was a nail-biter,” San Benito boys coach Iran White said. “But they pulled it off.”
The Lady ‘Balers track and field team completed its Tri-County Athletic League season undefeated Tuesday when it topped the host Vikings 73.33 to 62.67.
The girls meet was initially believed to be decided with a winner-take-all 4×400 relay after the results from the pole vault event were not final at the start of the race.
But in the pole vault, San Benito’s Sophie Coelho and Meghan De la Torre finished 1-2 with leaps of 8-06. A three-way tie decided the third place spot, where ‘Baler Natalie Becker and two Viking opponents finished with jumps of 8-0, providing San Benito with just enough points in the end no matter what the relay team did.
But even then, the 4×400 foursome of Courtney Allen, Kelsey Russell, Michelle Duarte and Chelsea Emilio took first place anyway with a 4:10.44, and set a season best time in the process.
The Vikings kept Tuesday’s dual meet close early on and excelled in the throws, including the discus event where North Salinas’ Briona Sullen broke a school record with a toss of 128-01.
But San Benito countered with its distance races, where Courtney Allen, Michelle Duarte and Rachel Shimabukuro swept the 800, the one mile and the two mile races.
In the 800, Allen took first (2:23.56), Duarte was second (2:29.70), and Shimabukuro was third (2:30.26); in the one mile, Allen finished first (5:19.90), Shimabukuro was second (5:25.00), and Duarte was third (5:30.00); while in the two mile, Allen was first (11:58.10), Shimabukuro was second (12:24.20), and Duarte came in third (12:36.00).
“That helped offset the field events, where North Salinas was especially strong,” White said.
The ‘Baler boys, meanwhile, provided a far more comfortable victory over North Salinas, defeating the Vikings 97 to 39.
San Benito posted 1-2-3 sweeps in the 100, 200, 800, one mile, 110 hurdles and 300 hurdles races, as well as the 4×100 and 4×400 relay events.
Additionally, the ‘Balers took the top two places in both the two mile race and 400-meter event, where Ryan Shorey set a personal record with a 49.82, the fourth fastest recorded time in the Central Coast Section this season.
Nik Soza was second in the 400 with a 51.76.
Shorey’s 23.25 in the 200 was good enough for another first-place finish as well, while Jason Roascio was second (23.67) and Felipe Davila was third (24.35) for a San Benito sweep.
In the field events, Frankie Martinez took first in the discus with a throw of 152-02 1/2, while teammate Sam Stephens set a personal record with a 143-0, good enough for third place.
Stephens, who wasn’t listed in the CCS top 20 for the discus event, is now ranked No. 15 after his 143-0 on Tuesday.
Scott Medina also moved into top 20 consideration in the high jump event when he set a personal record with a leap of 6-02 and even upset Viking Donte Mosley in the process, whose jump of 6-0 placed him runner-up.
With the regular season now complete, San Benito will prepare for the TCAL Trials, which are slated for next Tuesday at North Salinas High.
The meet will begin at 1:30 p.m.
Note:
The San Benito boys junior varsity team lost to North Salinas 79-56, while the girls junior varsity team defeated the Vikings, 75-60.
