But the setback didn't seem to bother either athlete.
Goransan won the race in a personal best of 14.23 seconds and Nelms rebounded with victories in the 100 meters and the 300 hurdles at Los Gatos High.
The meet didn't use a wind gauge, but coaches said the strong breeze Friday would have rendered most times as winded aided.
"When Katie jumped it threw me off a little bit; I wish she was there to push me even harder," said Goransan, a junior whose time is the fourth best in the state this year. "It was a slow start because everyone seems to hold back after a false start."
Valley Christian Coach Greg Marshall said "Hannah's not the fastest out there, but she is so efficient."
Nelms, another one of the state's top juniors, won the 100 meters with an electric performance of 11.88 seconds, which ranks third among wind-aided times in California this year. Fifty minutes later Nelms blew away the field in the 300 hurdles with a time of 44.09.
"I was pretty mad about the false start, and I used that energy in the 100 meters," Nelms said. "I'm pretty happy with that time because I haven't been training much in the 100. I tend to have a hurdler's start where I pop right up out of the blocks in the 100 meters, but I felt like I got a good start today and I was able to maintain it."
Pinewood's Angela Gradiska finished second in the 100 meters (11.99) and took first in the 200 with a personal best time of 24.46. Andrea Martinez of Willow Glen was second in 25.85.
"I like the 200 better than the 100 because there isn't as much pressure to get up to top speed and I love to run the turns," Gradiska said. "I was able to slingshot out of the turn today and kept my form coming down the stretch."
On the boys side, Gilroy senior Peter Guenther continued the torrid pace he started at the Arcadia Invitational two weeks ago.
Guenther won the 100 meter hurdles with a personal best of 14.61. In the 300 hurdles, Guenther looked strong as he came down the home stretch with Alvarez's Mike Skinner giving chase. Skinner trailed coming over the last hurdle, but managed to surge toward the finish line. Guenther leaned in to win with his second personal best of the day — 38.24 — holding off Skinner by six hundredths of a second.
"Mike has a lot of heart, he always finishes like that," said Guenther, who competes against Skinner in the Tri-Valley Athletic League. "We are like enemies before a race, we don't like to talk, but when it's over we're pretty good friends."
Santa Clara's David Zamora, in his second year of track, won the 100 meters (10.89) and was third in the 200 meters (22.48)
Santa Teresa's Meagan McKee pulled off a double, winning the discus (125-10) and the shot put 42-51/2.
Sobrato's Lance Wolfsmith looked strong from start to finish in winning the 3,200 with a time of 9:15.46. Willow Glen's Nohe Lema was second in 9:20.33.
"I had a lot of family watching me here tonight and that kept me motivated to stay out front," Wolfsmith said.
In the girls 1,600, Mountain View senior Mary Reynolds (5:01.87) held off freshman teammate Allison Sturges (5:03.06) to win.
"The first 800 was pretty slow," the Santa Clara-bound Reynolds said. "So I knew I had to pick up the pace to run near five minutes. I didn't know who was behind me, but I wasn't surprised it was Allison; she's an amazing freshman."