At two track and field invitationals over the weekend, the San Benito men’s team didn’t grab a top eight finish, but the girls squad — behind school-record setter Vanessa Estrada — finished in seventh place in both the Central Coast Section Top 8 Classic and the Bill Kearney Invitational.
In San Jose on Friday at the Top 8 Classic, the girls team placed seventh thanks to Estrada’s second place finish in the 3200 meters with a time of 10:53.76 — a school record — and a fourth place finish with a time of 5:00.77 in the 1600 meters.
Teammates Krystal Alnus, Breanna Lowther, Simone Cooper and Savanna Wilson all finished in the top 10 in their events to pace the Balers.
Alnus placed second in the discus throw, with a toss of 127-06. Alnus (36-00.5) and Lowther (34-03.00) finished in eighth and 10th place in the shot put.
With a jump of 35-03.75, Cooper finished seventh in the triple jump. Wilson led the long jump for San Benito with a distance of 16 feet and 8.75 inches.
On the guys side — who finished 17th out of 39 teams — David Kret placed first in the 400-meters with a time of 49.44. Teammate Taylor Lothman finished seventh with a time of 50.76.
R.J. Collins also ran well for San Benito, placing ninth in the 1600 meters with a time of 4:27.29.
In the high jump, Alex Garratt leapt 5-08.00 to place seventh.
In Salinas on Saturday, the boys team finished 22 out of 24 teams.
Only Garratt — in the high jump — and Ricardo Gonzalez — in the triple jump and 400 meters — finished in the top 10 in their events.
Garratt placed ninth in the high jump, leaping 5-06.00. Gonzalez scored a 36-05.50 — good for fourth place — in the triple jump and ran to a ninth place finish in the 400 meters with a time of 55.06.
The girls placed better, finishing in seventh place.
Lowther, in the discus throw, finished in third place for San Benito with a throw of 105-06. Other top finishers included third-place winner Elizabeth Reikowski in the triple jump, and the fourth-place 4×100 meter relay team of Brandy Gonzalez, Bree Casas, Ilanna Woods and Mary Alameda.
