COTTONWOOD - Kristina Freitas and Austin Clark had more in common than being West Valley High seniors and hurdlers. Mostly, they were both tired of being runners-up. Freitas, Clark and a bevy of local sprinters, distance runners and hurdlers claimed their first titles Friday night, at the Northern Section track and field championships at West Valley High. Throughout her varsity career, Freitas had been a placer but not a winner at the NSCIF finals, including a second-place finish behind Yreka's Jenavieve Turner a year ago. Turner handled Freitas in their first matchup of Friday, too, 15.41 seconds to 15.98 to win the 100-meter hurdles. That was Turner's sixth section championship. But it would be her last. On the final straightaway of the 300 hurdles, Freitas pushed past Turner to win with a section-record 44.14 time compared to 44.18. "I figured," Freitas said, "this is the time to shine."

Freitas played a pivotal role in another upset, as the West Valley 4x400 relay team toppled defending-champion Red Bluff. The anchor Freitas ran down the Spartans' Adrienne Hinkston in the final straight away, and was wrapped up in a hug by her teammates. Red Bluff set the section record at the state championships for the 4x400 a year ago. "This is the first time I anchored so I was really nervous," Freitas said. "I was just making sure that I ran my hardest. Once she came up on me I just tried to stay with her."

It's been a year of championships for Clark, and not just in track. The senior rushed for 418 yards to garner a section football title last fall, but only needed 300 meters to make his mark this spring. Clark caught up to heavy favorite in Chico's Michael Reynolds coming off the turn, and when Reynolds stumbled over a hurdle in the final stretch, he cashed in with a 38.73 victory. "I've ran varsity track now for four years, and it's been, 'Clark takes second, Clark takes third,'" he said. "I'm honored, man, I'm so excited I can't even put it into words."

Like Clark, Eli Chapman is a running back in autumn. And Chapman, the Mount Shasta High senior, made the trek to Cottonwood to capture his first championship. Following in the footsteps of Chico's Eli Penick from 2013, Chapman swept the 100 and 200 dashes. "I was ecstatic," Chapman said. "I heard somebody behind me and (I thought) I can't let them get me, this is my last chance to go to state."

On the other end of the spectrum, both in distance and age, Redding Christian's Belle Moran was more impatient in earning a bid to the state finals. The sophomore, after coming up short in the girls 1600m race, upset West Valley junior Jenna Storms, the defending 1,600 champion, in a brutal girls 3,200 race. In the closest race on the day Moran edged Storms by a couple hundredth a second, and put her arm around her opponent afterward - with good reason. Storms was doubled up in exhaustion and pain, collapsing for a few seconds before being helped up. "I just pushed myself so hard, I knew I could do it," Moran said. "Jenna's such a great sport, she did awesome. "I wanted to make sure she was OK, and that she's not injured or anything." The CIF state championships are Friday and Saturday, June 6 and 7 in Fresno.

Here are the rest of the track results from the NSCIF track and field championships:

GIRLS
100: Orland's Yaneth Munoz (12.62) wins her first section title over Chico's Mykisha Abrams (12.75) and Loyalton's Kennedy Hood (12.75).

200: Winters' Sofia Evanoff (25.92) wins her second 200m title over Orland's Munoz (26.15) and Foothill's Gina Nelson (26.36).

400: It's a three-peat for the Warriors junior as Winters' Evanoff (57.59) tops Red Bluff's Hinkston (59.20) and Enterprise's Patricia Dionicio (1:01.30).

800: West Valley's Alexa Flagg claimed her second straight title at 2:17.17, topping her teammate Jenna Hinkle (2:21.71) and Central Valley's Anna Lewis (2:27.40). As she learned, winning a championship is tough, but defending it is tougher. "I couldn't breathe really well, I started hyperventilating," said Flagg, who was in visible pain after the race. "It's exciting that I get to go to state again."

1,600: West Valley's Hinkle broke through for her first title after three second-place finishes in her career. Her 5:03.86 time topped Moran (5:08.61), who had a lead coming into the final lap, and Yreka's Meri Krier (5:27.51). "I think that I should have won last year and I let the pressure get to me," Hinkle said. "This year I matured as a person and as a runner."

100 hurdles: Yreka's Turner (15.41) wins the shorter hurdle race for the third time over West Valley's Freitas (15.98) and Yreka's Ashley Ensminger (16.02).

4x100 relay: Abrams anchor is the difference as Chico (49.75) wins. Orland (50.05) catches Red Bluff (50.05) late to secure the silver.

BOYS
400: Enterprise senior Anthony Rodriguez broke through for his first section crown at 49.75, easily holding off teammate Anthony Gallino (51.04) and Trinity's Cairo Ingram (52.21) to avenge past heartache. "My freshman year, for the 4x400, we came in second and that was the heartbreak of my life," Rodriguez said. "It was a dream to go to state. Today I get to fulfill that dream; it's a big honor for me and for my school."

800: West Valley's Zach Baldwin (1:57.39) spectacular kick tops Yreka's David Neill (1:59.54) and Chico's Jacob Graber (2:00.46).

1,600: Shasta's Landon Woollard, a decorated cross country runner, added a track and field title to his mantle: taking advantage of Mount Shasta's Chris Morzenti late race collapse to win 4:30.02 to 4:30.85. Foothill's Austin Hunt was third (4:33.26). "The shorter races hurt physically a lot more," Woollard said, "but it's a little bit easier on the mind."

3,200: Yreka's Clayton Bunn (9:38.03)can't dispatch Paradise's Justin McGlone (9:38.45) until the closing meters of the race. Trinity's Ben Harper(9:51.44) was in the mix throughout until tailing off in the final lap.

110 hurdles: Chico's Reynolds (15.12) graps the early lead and maintains it to win over West Valley's Clark (15.62) and Yreka's Payson Collins (16.00).

4x100 relay: Chico (43.03), Red Bluff (43.68) and Paradise (43.87).

4x400 relay: Rodriguez anchored Enterprise's victory in the final event of the evening, weeping with joy afterward as his teammate Dom Stewart draped his arm over him.

Here are the rest of the results from the NSCIF track and field championships:







COTTOWOOD - After finishing as a state finalist in the triple jump last year, West Valley High senior Marcus Simmons never let the pressure get in the way of repeating as a section champion. He had competitors chasing him all spring, but he continued to challenge himself instead of worrying about others. By continually testing himself to his standards, Simmons walked away a double-event winner Friday at the Northern Section track and field championships at West Valley High School. He jumped 44 feet, 10.5 inches to take the triple jump after winning the long jump with a mark of 21-9.5 earlier on the day. It's the second straight year he won both events but this year, he was named the co-Bob Russell Award for most outstanding male athlete with sprinter Eli Chapman of Mount Shasta. "I had a better work ethic this year," Simmons said. "I wasn't missing any practices, was focused and my mind was just in it this year."

Simmons didn't lead after his first jump, though, as Central Valley's Chris Johnson went 43-5.5 on the first attempt. But Simmons' next jump of 43-10 put him in control and then bested that by more than a foot to win it on his fifth try. He had never cleared 45 feet until the state championships last year. This season, Simmons didn't drop below that mark until his seventh meet of the year at the Sac River League championships when he didn't need a big jump to win it. Now he's heading to the CIF state track and field championships in Fresno for the third straight year after going as an alternate as a sophomore. He'll still have the pressure on him after his 10th-place finish last year but it doesn't faze him. "I'm not intimidated," Simmons said, "it motivates me because I know what to look for now and I know I have the potential to go farther."

Enterprise's Dom Stewart is headed to state as well after winning the high jump with a personal best mark of 6-8. His past three meets, he's cleared 6-4, 6-5 and 6-6 but reached the at-large state qualifying mark of 6-7 and kept going. "When it comes to this meet, there's so much pressure that you don't know how the kids are going to do," Enterprise coach Jim Deaver said. Once Stewart topped 6-8 to best Hamilton's Chris Jaeger, last year's section champ, he moved it up to 6-10.25 to go for the stadium record set by Enterprise's Anthony Williams in 2010. All three of his attempts failed but the thought of not finishing his career with a victory pushed him to keep going. "This was going to be my last meet if I didn't compete as well as I know I can," Stewart said.

Anderson's Chris Delaney repeated as the boys discus champion, winning by more than 10 feet by tossing 164-10. After setting a school-record of 171-3 three weeks ago, he came in as the overwhelming favorite. "I was actually worried I was going to lose or not take first," Delaney said. "The past few meets after that PR, I've been hitting really low. I had to work a demon out, working every single day to get back." Red Bluff's Kayla Thayer was the only other double winner in the field events, winning the girls discus and shot put. Thayer had been a finalist the past two years in both events but never won.

Here are other results from the field events from the section championships:

GIRLS
High jump: Yreka's Jenavieve Turner won with a mark of 4-11 as Enterprise's Taylor Keener couldn't reach that mark. Keener (4-10) was second while CV's Alyssa Land, Red Bluff's Jenny Weightman and Golden Eagle's Caroline Ristuccia tied for third with a height of 4-8.

Long jump:Chico had the top two finishers in Mykisha Abrams (16-6.75) and Ariana Gonzales (16-2.25). Weed's Mallory Pappas (16-02) took third.

Triple Jump: Anderson's Hannan, although already in the lead, saved her best jump of 34-11.5 for last. Enterprise's Chantelle Borges was second (33-10.5), Foothill's Kira Olson was third (33-5.25).

Shot put: Thayer came within an inch of her season-best, throwing 37-03 for the win nipping last year's champion Gridley's Marisela Cardenas by less the three inches. Enterprise's Jordan Kimbrough was distant third (33-4).

Discus: Thayer won with a throw of 122-8, her third highest this season. Mount Shasta's Leah Maumasi was fourth (108-5).

BOYS
High jump: Stewart and Jaeger both qualified for state while West Valley's Marley Broeks was third at 6-5. Enterprise's Zayd Morton was fourth (6-3), Foothill's Jeremiah Putnam was fifth (5-11).

Pole Vault: West Valley's Aron Wisenhunt won by clearing 13-2 and teammate Austin Steele was second (12-6). Mount Shasta sophomore Garrett Bryan was fourth (12-0) and Mount Shasta's Preston Blakely and West Valley's Deven Hernandez tied for fifth (11-6).

Long jump: Simmons won with his second-best jump this year (21-9.5). Fall River's Michael Westlund and Corning's Ivan Alvarado tied for second (21-8.5) and CV's Johnson was fourth (20-10.5).

Triple jump: Following Simmons' top finish was Johnson (44-1.25) and Las Plumas' A.J. Cahee (43-5.5), respectively. U-Prep's Lino Lovotti was fifth (41-5.25).

Shot put: Shasta's Zane Ventimiglia threw 55-0.5 for first to claim his first section championship. Enterprise's Casey Gunter was second (51-1.5), Shasta's John Kealiinohomoku was third (49-2) and Enterprise's Izzy Matthews was fourth (48-10.25).

Discus: After Delaney was Quincy's Shawn Hughes (154-0) and Enterprise's Gunter (147-8) and Matthews (143-4), respectively.




COTTONWOOD -- The day didn't go as planned at the Northern Section CIF Track and Field Championship, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing in at least some instances. Six event qualifiers, five of them winners, advanced to the state meet held next week at Buchanan High in Clovis. Some of them were surprises, and some of them like the Chico High sprint relay teams were expected to do exactly what they did - win like they have done for much of the season that led up to a warm Friday at West Valley High with section titles and state berths on the line. Chico High senior Michael Reynolds won the 110- meter hurdles in 15.12 seconds and got the Panthers' 400 relay team started on what became a time of 43.03, yet another section best result this year by the time anchor Efren Trevino crossed the finish after standout runs by Kody Hassett and Stephen Dean in between. " Running with them has definitely been my favorite," said Reynolds, who capped his day as part of a third place finish in the finale, the 1,600 relay. " I can't wait to see what we can run at state."

The Chico girls sprint team of three sophomores Francesca DiSano, Libby Hidahl and Ariana Gonzales, along with junior anchor Myki Abrams, won in 49.75, the first sub 50 time of the season for any section squad. Abrams made up a margin for the victory over Red Bluff, which faded to third in 50.05, as they were caught by Orland although both were credited with the same time. " That is a shocker. I wasn't expecting that, but it feels great to beat our old time," said Abrams, who explained the Panthers were third or fourth (more likely second-TC) when she got the baton in what was a heated opening race to the track events. "It was the anxiety rush. Our handoffs are always nails. If we're behind, we push ourselves."

Orland's senior anchor, Yaneth Munoz, got a win of her own in the 100, besting Abrams. Munoz capped a decorated high school career at Orland with a 12.62 personal record in the 100 to go along with second place showings in the relay and the 200 to Winters' Sofia Evanoff. "It was a really good start. I think that's what got me the win because I pulled away in the beginning," Munoz said.

Abrams already had her own individual victory to go with the relay title. The standout Chico junior won the girls' long jump in 16 feet, 6.75 inches. She ran the 100 in 12.75 to take second. One of the other surprises - and more competitive events - was found in the boys' high jump. Three athletes cleared 6-5 and two eclipsed the state automatic qualifying mark of 6-7 to advance to Clovis. One of them was Hamilton's Christopher Jaeger, the defending section champion. Jaeger, now a junior, won it last year at 6- 6 in a personal- best jump. He cleared 6- 7 this time for another timely best coming at the section finals. But this time around, it was only good for second place Friday, coming in behind Enterprise's Dom Stewart, who cleared 6- 8. " I didn't think I was going to make it to 6-7," Jaeger said. " I'd rather have the gold, but I'm really excited."

Some of the surprises included Reynolds, who wasn't able to add to his 110 hurdle victory with another in the 300 hurdles as he settled for second behind West Valley's Austin Clark after the Chico senior first came in contact with a hurdle and then Clark. " I hit it with my knee and then I kind of stumbled over and then I kind of like leaned towards the middle and me and Clark actually bumped each other with our hands, and that got me stumbled off a little more," said Reynolds, who was second in 39.31 to Clark's 38.73.

The varied results of the day left the Bob Russell awards for athletes of the meet up for debate, West Valley's Kristina Freitas was the given the nod over Yreka's Jenavieve Turner of the girls' award by setting a section & meet record in the girls 300 hurdles, placing 2nd in the 100 hurdles and anchoring the West Valley long relay to victory. It was a much more difficult in deciding the boys winner. Ultimately two were named the top male athlete as Mount Shasta's Eli Chapman and West Valley's Marcus Simmons shared the award. Chapman won the 100 in 10.93 and the 200 in 21.96. Simmons defended his titles in the long jump with a leap of 21- 9.5 and the triple jump at 44-10.5.

Freitas turned in one of the memorable events in a meet filled with them as she won the 300 hurdles in 44.14 over Yreka's Jenavieve Turner, who finished at 44.18. Both times bettered the section record for the event, set by Paradise's Noelle Phares at the 2003 section finals at West Valley. Freitas also ran a leg of the winning 1,600 relay and was second in the 100 hurdles to Turner. West Valley's Clark and American Christian Academy's Autumn May were named the recipients of the Norm Mackenzie Sportsmanship Awards.