CCS track and field finals: Valley Christian's Elena Bruckner wins discus, shot put
By Darren Sabedra and Glenn Reeves, Staff writers
Posted:   05/27/2016 10:13:48 PM PDT
Updated:   05/28/2016 06:58:30 AM PDT

GILROY -- Valley Christian's Elena Bruckner has set such an amazingly high bar in the shot put and 
discus that even when she does not approach a personal record, her day ends atop the medal stand 
with dominant victories.

Such was the case Friday.

Bruckner, one of the nation's all-time best high school throwers, was a double winner again at the 
CCS finals as the Texas-bound senior easily won the discus in 165 feet, 11 inches and took first in 
the shot put in 53-8, breaking her own meet shot put record.

The marks, particularly in the discus, did not surpass the CCS records she set earlier this 
season -- a national-best 186-10 in the discus and a state-best 54-7 in the shot.
Mount Pleasant’s Darius Carbin participates in the high jump, winning with a mark of 6-07.00, 
during the Central Coast Section track and field finals
Mount Pleasant's Darius Carbin participates in the high jump, winning with a mark of 6-07.00, during 
the Central Coast Section track and field finals at Gilroy High School in Gilroy, Calif., on 
Friday, April 27, 2016. (Jim Gensheimer/Bay Area News Group) ( Jim Gensheimer )

But they were still plenty good enough to win Friday. Bruckner finished first in the discus by more 
than 32 feet and the shot by more than 12 feet.

"It started out a little bit rough," she said. "I wasn't a huge fan of how it turned out in discus. 
But I am very happy with how I ended up in shot put."

Cupertino senior Jade Harrison also won two events, taking first in the 400 in 54.55 and the 200 in 
23.98. She placed third in the 100 in 12.30, a race that Mountain View's Rachael Estell won in 11.94.

The fact that Harrison finished in the top three in the 100 was somewhat astonishing, given that the 
race started mere minutes after she won the tightly-contested and exhausting 400.

"I was really tired for the 100," she said.
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Harrison looked much stronger in the 200, pulling away down the stretch.

For Estell, her victory in the 100 was quite satisfying. She was motivated after finishing second 
in the long jump in 19-01?1/4.

"I didn't do as well as I thought I could," she said. "So I think that fueled me in the 100. I got 
a little angry."

Silver Creek had a pair of individual winners as freshman Jazlynn Shearer won the 100 hurdles in 
14.29 and sophomore Arianna Fisher won the triple jump with a mark of 39-04.

"I am really just excited for the experience and going to state," Shearer said.

Said Fisher, "I was really happy. I wasn't getting what I usually get, the jumps before. I was just 
putting it all out there and I just wanted to get it. I got it."

Gunn senior Gillian Meeks, bound for Harvard, went out fast in the 1,600 and went on to win in 4:53.13. 
She completed the first lap in 67 or 68 seconds, much quicker than her normal pace of 71 or 72 seconds.

"I don't think I have ever done a first lap that fast," Meeks said. "But I wanted to take it out hard 
because I know I was really strong. But I wasn't sure that I had the kick that some of the other girls have."
Valley Christian’s Elena Bruckner participates in the discus, finishing first with a mark of 
165-11, during the Central Coast Section track and field
Valley Christian's Elena Bruckner participates in the discus, finishing first with a mark of 165-11, 
during the Central Coast Section track and field finals at Gilroy high School in Gilroy, Calif., 
on Friday, April 27, 2016. (Jim Gensheimer/Bay Area News Group) ( Jim Gensheimer )

In the other distance race, the 3,200, Harker's Niki Iyer went out fast, too. She broke from the pack 
right away and held a sizable lead before Santa Cruz's Cate Ratliff made a push in the final lap or so.

But Iyer held her off to win in 10:29.52.

"It was a really good steppingstone for state," Iyer said, noting that it was good to have Ratliff 
back in the event to push her. "I've just had so much fun this season thus far."

Asked about her early pace, Iyer said, "I wasn't actually expecting that at all. My coach wanted me 
to take it out at a pace that was pretty fast but felt good. I felt really good about it."

Los Gatos' Caice Lanovaz finished first in the 300 hurdles in 43.90 and the school's 4x400 relay won 
in 3:56.16.

Branham won the girls 4x100 relay in 47.70.

"I was very nervous at the beginning, but I know my team and that they can catch every person on this 
track," said Branham's Jessica Marvin, who ran anchor on a team that included Heather Follo, Maya Cook 
and Malia Miley. "Once we got into the zone, I just wanted to get to the finish line. I was looking 
for a PR and we got our PR."

St. Francis did not have a single winner but scored enough to claim the girls team title with 62 points. 
Los Gatos finished second with 53 points, followed by Mountain View (43).

Boys

Darius Carbin left his final CCS championship meet a double winner.

The Mt. Pleasant senior had a very good series of jumps in the final triple jump competition of his 
high school career. He won with a personal-best mark of 48-1?3/4 and had two other jumps at 48-0?1/4 
and 47-10?3/4 that went further than his previous best mark in the event.

"I just wanted to do my best because I'm going to focus on the high jump at state,'' Carbin said.

Carbin won his specialty, the high jump, at 6-7 -- far short of his season-best of 7-0 and lifetime-best 
7-1?3/4 he jumped indoors.

"The pit was too small,'' Carbin said. "I normally use a nine-step approach, but I had to use a five-step 
so I wouldn't fall off the pit and hurt myself. Still, I barely missed at 7-0 using the five-step.''

Carbin heads to the state meet with a goal in mind -- the CCS record of 7-3 set by Overfelt's Jeff Rogers 
in 1985.

"I want to get at least the CCS record, go at least 7-3 ¼,'' said Carbin, who also has the state record 
of 7-4?1/2 in mind.

Bellarmine College Prep, getting first-place finishes from its 4x100 relay team, from Ben Micallef in the 
800 and Matthew Richardson in the 1,600, won the boys team title.

The 4x100 team of Devon Buenrostro, Kyle Macauley, Troy Martig and Earvin DaSilva ran a school-record time 
of 41.37, the second-fastest in CCS history behind the 41.15 run by Mt. Pleasant in 1992 and tied for the 
second-fastest in the state this year. What made the time all the more remarkable was due to it being Macauley's 
first after suffering a torn hamstring five weeks ago.

"At state we're going for the CCS record,'' Martig said. "We'll have two more chances at the trials and finals 
and Kyle will keep getting stronger.''

Richardson won the 1,600 with a remarkable kick down the home stretch. King City's Roman Munoz went out in 
a blistering 59-second first lap, a pace that burned the kick out of most runners in the race.

"When a guy goes out like that I just try to run 62 or 63,'' Richardson said. "That was still a little fast, 
around 61. The first lap you feel comfortable. The second lap, it's like, `oops.' I was just lucky enough to 
have a little more left That was the hardest first three laps I've ever run. ''

Richardson's winning time was 4:17.39, a personal-best by more than three seconds. How much faster can he go 
at state?

"I think 4:15,'' Bellarmine coach Patrick McCrystle said. "Even if it's a tactical race with a 64 first lap 
he could run a 59 last lap and do 4:15.''

Micallef ran away from the field in the 800, winning in a personal-best time of 1:52.29.

"I think I can go faster at state,'' Micallef said. "In the majority of my fastest races I didn't take first. 
I'm really glad I took first and I PR'd.''

Micallef is shooting for the school record of 1:52.1, set by Keith Allen in 1984.

Mt. Pleasant's Andrew Cenidoza was a surprise winner in the 300 hurdles with a time of 38.62.

His previous best was 40.03.

"I expected to improve but I certainly didn't expect 38,'' Cenidoza said. "That was a pleasant surprise. 
There was no wind, good weather, near sunset. It's almost like a dream come true.''

Los Gatos' Jared Geredes won the 100 in 10.71. Palo Alto's Eli Givens came back to win the 200 in 21.64. 
Lynbrook's Justin Robison ran 9:12.41 to win the 3,200.

Mills' Ngahe Mapa won the shot put at 52-9 ½ and Wilcox's Jake Kenney took the discus (157-10). Serra's 
Talon Galvez-Bennett was something of a surprise winner in the pole vault (14-6).

Serra won the final event of the meet, the 4x400 relay, in an unofficial 3:19.43. Armon Plummer ran a 48.6 
anchor leg to bring the Padres home in first.