Skyline senior close on heels of state's top sprinter
By Mitch Stephens
June 6, 2014 | Updated: June 6, 2014 11:47pm
Eric Taylor
Dublin sophomore Mecca McGlaston (right) was the No. 1 qualifier in the 100 hurdles.
Clovis, Fresno County --
Long Beach Poly senior Ariana Washington, the current queen of California sprints, looked quizzically toward the track at the finish of the third 100-meter heat in Friday's state championship trials at Buchanan High.
Washington, trying to join Marion Jones and Allyson Felix as the only three-time state 100 and 200 champions, had just won her heat in a lifetime best of 11.37 seconds - the nation's No. 2 time this year - and was feeling awfully good about it.
But heat three winner - Skyline senior Destiny Smith-Barnett - ran the nation's fourth best time at 11.40, setting off some groans throughout the crowd.
"I have no idea who that is," Washington said. "But I guess I will" Saturday.
While Washington, who later ran the nation's second-best 200 (23.27), has already won five state golds in her career, Smith-Barnett is a relative unknown.
She ran 12.08 as a sophomore, missing the finals by two spots, and last season she didn't compete. "I was taking care of some personal business," she said.
But the 5-foot-7, UNLV-bound sprinter has improved immensely as a senior. She ran a wind-aided 11.64 at the Arcadia Invitational, her only race against Washington, who won in 11.38.
The two will face off twice in Saturday's finals. Smith-Barnett followed up Washington's blazing 200 with one of her own, winning her heat in 23.75 to qualify second.
Eric Taylor
Destiny Smith-Barnett advanced in both sprints.
"I have a lot of respect for her," Smith-Barnett said. "She's one of the fastest runners in California history. ... But I'm excited. I told myself (in the 100) to get out and pump my arms and get through it. I got to go. I have to represent the (Oakland Athletic League) because they don't get much love. I wanted to show that NorCal has some fast runners too."
Metro Area athletes advanced a whopping 45 individual spots and seven relay teams to Saturday's finals, including seven at the top.
Defending long jump (24-2 3/4) and triple jump (48-9 3/4) champion Nate Moore of Castro Valley needed just three total jumps to earn the top spot in each event. He also ran a leg on the 400 relay team, which qualified second in a season best of 41.51.
Dublin sophomore Mecca McGlaston, in her second season of hurdles, continues to improve rapidly and was the No. 1 qualifier in the 100 hurdles in a wind-aided 13.62. She'll have a competitive finals as the top four finished within 0.06 of a second and the eight qualifiers were within 0.30.
"I just kept telling myself quick feet, quick feet," McGlaston said. "This was the first time I really used my speed at the end. ... It's going to take a time in the low 13s to win, I think."
There were logjams in the pole vault and high jump. Tamalpais-Mill Valley senior August Kiles tied for first in the pole vault at 15-9. Female pole vaulters Lauren Larson (San Ramon Valley-Danville), Greta Wagner (Los Gatos) and TayloreJaques (Presentation) tied for the top at 11-9. Rachel Reichenbach (Foothill-Pleasanton) and Kirsten Mork (Granada-Livermore) tied for the high jump lead at 5-7.
Central Coast Section girls had a big day as Madeline Price of Menlo School-Atherton won her heats in the 200 (23.97) and 400 (54.57), Gunn-Palo Alto senior Sarah Robinson won her 1,600 heat (4:51.87) and qualified second, and Wilcox-Santa Clara senior Marisa Kwiatkowski recorded the third-best triple jump (39-8 3/4).
The San Francisco Section's Kareem Dupree (Academy of Arts and Sciences, 300 hurdles) and John Hogan (Lowell, 1,600) advanced. Dupree, who missed the 110 hurdles final by two spots, qualified fifth in the 300s at 37.33.
"It's just a great experience to be out here with all these great athletes," said Dupree, who transferred from Logan-Union City after his sophomore year. He was an alternate on that team. "It feels much better to work up a sweat on the track rather than sitting in the stands. I can't wait for (Saturday)."
Mitch Stephens is a national columnist for MaxPreps.com. E-mail: Twitter: @MitchMashMax