SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Delta League and Sac-Joaquin Section D1 champion St. Francis track and field team will start a strong contingent of athletes in the SJS Masters Trials Friday at Davis High School.
"Now it about focusing on the events you are best at and trying to qualify for the state championships," said Head Coach Rod Jett. "It is exciting and we have our fingers crossed."
The Troubadours will be led off by junior Jayme Hendrickson and junior Isabella Palchak in the high jump as the only field event participants on Friday starting at 2 p.m. Running events start at 4 p.m. Friday afternoon,
The senior-laden 4x100-meter relay with Isabelle Grassel, Chanel Grimes and Serena Shimada will join super sophomore Reyna Johnson in the opening event on the track. They run in the third heat with the heat winner and next four best times advancing to the finals. They enter the weekend with the fourth-best time in the section.
"My have a good chance to make it in the 4x100m relay and we are really excited," said Johnson. "We are top four and all we have to do is beat one team. In the hurdles, I will just have to run fast."
In the 100m hurdles, Shimada and Johnson will return with a short break with junior Isabella Palchak, who is in the first heat. Shimada runs in the third heat and Johnson in the fourth. Johnson is ranked fourth and Shimada ninth. Johnson will also run the 100m.
"I don't really think about form but running fast between the hurdles," said Johnson, who has broken her own school record five times this season.
Isabella Fauria is the top-ranked entry in the 800m and will join teammate Haley Silva in the fourth heat. Senior Sophie DeBenedetti will look to continue her career with a run in the first heat.
"I am most excited for the 800 because we have three girls in that event that have a chance of going to state," said top-ranked Isabella Fauria, who leads the section with a best of 2:13.57. "We (Silva) are going to run together and try to go 1-2."
Silva is seeded fifth by time and DeBenedetti ranks 14th.
Shimada, who lives in Davis, will run her third race of the night in the 300m hurdles, where she has run a best of 45.86 good for ninth in the section.
Senior Chanel Grimes advanced to the 200m and will start in the third heat.
The Troubies will also finish off with a 4x400-meter relay entrant.
On Saturday, junior Meghan Ladd will seek her first state championship berth in the pole vault after clearing a personal-best last week in the Division I meet. Johnson is seeded second in the long jump. SF will also have strong challengers in the distance events with Fauria, freshman Cate Joaquin, junior Haley Silva and freshman Tatiana Cornejo. Joaquin, who has the second-best time in the 3200 meters, and Cornejo will double in the 3200 meters with two chances to earn a state berth.