Best of Empire track athletes in Meet of Champions

The best of the area’s track and field athletes try to take the biggest step of their careers Saturday after some outstanding performances in the Redwood Empire Championship Meet held at Redwood High School in Larkspur.

The top seven finishers in that meet move on to Friday and Saturday’s North Coast Section Meet of Champions to be held at the University of California, Berkeley.

The MOC is just a step away from the ultimate for California prep athletes, the CIF state meet to be held June 2-3 in Clovis. The top three finishers in each event at the MOC qualify for advancement to state.

Both Petaluma and Casa Grande will be well represented at this weekend’s MOC.

Boys

The area’s best hopes for a state trip are carried by Petaluma High’s Dunbar brothers, Jack and Will, who staged a stirring duel in the 800-meter run at the Redwood Empire meet.

In a repeat of the race they ran in the Sonoma County League championship meet, Jack won in 1 minute, 56.09 seconds, with Will a close third in 1:56.34. Jack will also advance in the 1600 after finishing fourth in 4:20.55.

Of course, the Dunbars aren’t the only local athletes involved in this weekend’s MOC.

Casa Grande’s standout jumper Dulio Froes will advance in the high and triple jumps after an outstanding Redwood Empire meet. He was third in both events, going 20 feet, 4 inches in the long jump and 41-0½ in the triple.

Petaluma’s Justin Santa was also a standout, finishing second in the discus at 144-1 and third in the shot at 42-3.

Casa’s Mathew Hart was seventh in the shot.

Casa Grande’s Noble Schlueter ran 16.10 to finish fourth in the 110-meter high hurdles.

Casa Grande’s 4x100 relay team of Kyle Sutton, Mathew Mason, Edwin Ajquity and Froes finished sixth in 44.34, while Petaluma’s 4x400 team of Jack and Will Dunbar, David Lomas and Dominic Christobol came in fourth in 3:32.20.

Petaluma finished fourth as a team with 38 points, behind Maria Carrillo (56), Tamalpais (52.5), and Montgomery (44). Casa Grande was 11th with 18.5 points.

Girls

Petaluma thrower Claire Pierce continued to be the story for area girls. After being seriously injured in a Go-Kart accident, she had just one tune-up meet prior to the SCL League Meet. She won the shot in that event and went even further in the Redwood Empire meet, with a 34-4 effort that placed her second to Madeleine Maher of McKinleyville, who went 34-8.

Casa Grande’s Annalea Hanakawe was fifth.

Casa Grande sophomore Lauren Doran will take her speed to the next level after finishing fourth in the 100 (13.00) and the 200 (26.98). Petaluma freshman Courtney Bell was seventh in the 100.

Another young Petaluma runner, sophomore Camille Flynn, was seventh in the 800.

Casa’s Grace Petraglia was sixth in the 1600.

Petaluma’s Sophie Hospodar finished seventh in the 3200.

Petaluma’s 4x100 relay team of Sydney Dennis, Payton Draper, Camille Leoni and Bell, after setting a school record in the SCL meet, was fourth in 50.92.

Petaluma’s Erika Gilmore cleared 9-2 to finish sixth in the pole vault.

Petaluma had two outstanding efforts in the jumps. Senior Leoni sailed 34-2½ to finish an inch behind winner Angela Clare of Redwood in the triple jump, while Dennis flew 16-8¾ to finish third in the long jump.

The Petaluma girls finished sixth as a team with 27 points behind Maria Carrillo (182), Redwood (92), Tamalpais (45), El Molino (32), and Santa Rosa (32). Casa Grande was 14th with 11.