Competition continued for the track and field Bruins, as they competed at Stanislaus State in the trials and finals for the Sac-Joaquin Section divisonals.
The girls finished third overall as a team and the boys were fourth.
Mikayla Florez won the 1600.
“The race went out really slow, but after the first 800 Hannah Hull of Calaveras picked the pace up,” explained Riverbank coach Monte Wood. “Mikayla went with her, and they went after it. Mikayla stayed right behind Hannah until about 300 meters left and then made a move and passed her, but 100 meters later Hannah made a big move and passed Mikayla.”
Down the straight stretch, Wood said, the two were running stride for stride.
“Mikayla made one last surge with 50 meters left and won the race. It was a really exciting race. Her time of 5:09 was impressive because the pace went out so slow,” Wood noted. “It is a good indicator that she is primed to race really fast at the Master’s Meet. She also came back and took second in the 3200. The girl who won it didn’t race in the 1600, so Mikayla was at a disadvantage, plus it was hot.”
Kimberly Ruvalcaba took sixth in the 3200 and is the alternate to the Master’s meet. The girls 4x400 relay team qualified to finals but did not qualify to the Master’s meet.
“The boys finished fourth overall. They were just five points from first place,” Wood said. “Armando Vargas took fifth in the high jump which qualified him to the Master’s meet.”
Fabian Arana was sixth in the shot put. Jonathen Beliera was sixth in the 3200.
“The big news for the boys was that Fabian Arana finished second in the discus. He threw 165’ 9” which is only four feet from the school record. He was very consistent with multiple throws in the 160s,” said Wood. “The impressive thing about his performance was that there was no wind. Usually the big throws come with a favorable wind, but there was no wind. We are hoping that he can break the school record next.”
Master’s Meet action is set for Friday, May 30.
“Mikayla and Fabian both have good chances of breaking school records and qualifying to the state,” Wood said.
