Coming off a historic performance at the City Section finals, where she became the first femaile to triple in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters, Palisades High track star Marissa Willams arrived at Buchanan High in Clovis for last weekend’s state finals with hopes of making the podium in both of her events.
Knowing the competition was a step up from what she faced at City, Williams dropped the 800 at state to concentrate on the mile and two-mile races. Winning her section automatically qualified her for the 3,200, but Williams had to run one of the eight fastest times in Friday’s 1,600 preliminaries to advance to the finals the next day and she did so in dramatic fashion.
Running in the second of two heats, Williams was in fifth place going into the fourth and final lap. Only the top four in each heat automatically qualify for the finals.
“I kept getting boxed in and I couldn’t make a move unless I was on the outside,” she said.
Then, with 100 meters to go and the field thinning out, Williams showed the closing speed she is known for, sprinting past two runners and nearly catching leader Sarah Robinson of Palo Alto Gunn at the finish line.
Gunn ran the race in 4:51.78, Williams was second in 4:52.32 (a little more than a second over her time at last year’s prelims) and Haley Dorris of Temecula Great Oak was third in 4:52.42. Destiny Collins, also of Great Oak, was the fastest qualifier, winning the first heat in 4:51.04.
“My coach [Bob Macias] wanted me to advance,” said Williams, who calmed her nerves afterwards by listening to music on her iPhone. “I’m trying to get a PR in the mile. I don’t think anyone was going all-out. Everyone was saving a little for tomorrow. It was hot so I was drinking a lot of water to stay hydrated.”
Macias was pleased to see Williams’ competitive nature surface at the end, enough to give her the fourth-fastest qualifying time overall.
“She’s so strong and she just turned it on at the end,” he said. “She’s a junior and I don’t think she realizes how good she is.”
After staying amidst the pack the day before, Williams was second to last after one lap and trailed the field at the halfway point of Saturday’s final. She made her kick in the final lap and finished in seventh place – two spots higher than she had the previous year–with a time of 4:53.64, almost two seconds faster than last year’s effort. Robinson won in 4:44.25 and Collins was second in 4:51.47.
“Physically Marissa was fine, but she made a tactical error,” Macias said. “You can’t wait that long to make your move against girls of this caliber. She left herself too much ground to make up.”
After a two-hour rest Williams was back on the track for the 3,200 finals, a talented field even without the absence of three-time state champion Sarah Baxter from Simi Valley, who was injured and unable to defend her title.
Irvine Northwood senior Bethan Knights, who ran 9:54.89 a week earlier at the CIF Masters Meet, six seconds off the national prep record of 9:48.59 set by Kim Mortensen of Thousand Oaks in 1996, took command from the start and was never challenged, winning by more than 12 seconds in 10:00.19. Robinson was second, followed by Addi Zerrener of Dos Pueblos and Collins.
Williams placed 14th out of 27 runners with a time of 10:40.38. She ran 10:30.49 to finish eighth as a sophomore.
The Dolphins’ 4×400 relay of Kendal Lake, Ashley Stevens, Nicole Figueroa and Doshawn Franks clocked 4:05.48 to finish seventh in its heat at Friday’s prelims but did not advance to Saturday’s finals.
Stevens then clocked 58.09 to finish sixth in her qualifying heat in the 400 meters.
“This is definitely a step up from what we saw at City [finals],” Macias said. “Here, you’re going up against the best of the best.”
In Friday’s prelims, PaliHi junior Chase Cobb clocked 22.19 to finish eighth in his heat in the 200-meter dash but he did not qualify for the finals. Cobb ran in the same heat as Mater Dei’s Curtis Godin, who went on to win the final in 20.93.
Emerson Simpson leaped 20-6.50 in the long jump Friday to place 21st out of 25 competitors in the boys long jump but he did not advance to the finals. Alex Olsen couldn’t clear the opening height in the girls pole vault and Franks missed her three tries at the opening height in the girls high jump at prelims.
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