There were no individual or relay winners for the Nipomo girls at the CIF Central Section Division 3 Track and Field Meet at Nipomo High School Friday, but several Titans had top-five finishes that contributed heavily to the team's second-place total.
Templeton won the team championship with 118 points. Nipomo scored 52. The Titans won the Division 3 title last year.
This time, Nipomo's Lily Gash racked up three top-five finishes. Gash placed second in the 100 hurdles in a career-best 16.71 seconds. She also finished third at 48.49 in the 300 hurdles and was fourth in the pole vault. Gash cleared 12 feet even.
Austria Holland was second in the long jump at 16-2.75. Holland also placed fourth in the triple jump. Teammate Brooke Marsden finished fifth.
Kayden Sanders finished third in the 800. The Nipomo 4x4 relay team of Sanders, Holland, Kate Barnett and Bella Simonson also finished third.
The Nipomo girls had easily the best finish of any area team at the various divisional meets. The San Luis Obispo girls (139 points) and boys (94) both won at the Division 2 meet that San Luis Obispo hosted.
Individual area champions included Anthony Alonzo of Lompoc in the Division 2 boys 100 (career best 10.95), Erwin Taomi of St. Joseph in the Division 4 boys shot put (career best 49-11 1/2) and the 4x800 Orcutt Academy girls relay team at the Division 4 meet.
In an inaugural event for the Central Section this year, the Orcutt 4x800 foursome of Sofia Rubalcava, Rylie Allen, Krysta Cotter and Cassidy Andreadakis combined for a win in 10:36.70.
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Andreadakis finished fifth in the open 300 hurdles.
Nevaeh Dyer of Paso Robles won the girls Division 1 shot put event with a career best of 39-4. The Division 1 meet took place at Clovis East High School.
Righetti's Riley Allen posted two top-five finishes at the girls Division 1 meet, finishing second in a school record 12.17 in the 100 and fifth in a career best 25.45 in the 200.
St. Joseph's Dali Oliver racked up three top-five finishes at the girls Division 4 meet. She finished second in the shot put, and fifth in both the 100 hurdles and the long jump.
Other area competitors earning open top-five finishes included Isaiah Abrigo of Righetti (third in the Division 1 boys 400 in a career best 49.26), Kendra Daniels of Righetti (third in the Division 1 girls high jump), Vince Casey of Santa Ynez (third in the Division 2 boys long jump), Isaac Castaneda of St. Joseph (third in the boys Division 4 long jump) and Chase Sylvia of Santa Ynez (fourth in the Division 2 boys triple jump).
The Orcutt Academy 4x1 relay quartet of Maleelah Acker, Mikaela Renolacio, Aaliyah Egbert and Meagan Westfall placed fourth at the girls Division 4 meet. The Righetti boys 4x4 relay team of Isaac Hernandez, Abrigo, Brian Monighetti and Javier Prado finished fifth in Division 1, and the Lompoc 4x1 boys relay team of Alonzo, Izrell Elizondo, Michael Miclat and Andrew Gaitan finished fifth in Division 2.
Meanwhile, at the Central Section Division Swimming and Diving Championships, Righetti senior Noemi Bravo Guzman finished as an alternate for the girls state meet in the 100 backstroke. Bravo Guzman qualified outright for the state meet in the event last year.
This year, Bravo Guzman combined with Madi Piasai, Allie Cabiles and Sasha Martinez for a school record 1:47.14 in the 200 Medley Relay, though the Warriors did not make the final. Bravo Guzman swam the third leg.
Kenny Cress is a sports reporter for the Santa Maria Times, covering local sports in northern Santa Barbara County. You can send information or story ideas to him by emailing it to KCress@SantaMariaTimes.com.
