Cenci runs lifetime-best 53.19 in 400 meters, adds 200 win in 24.10 and contributes to 3:47.68 victory in 4x400, Engelhardt follows freshman mile national record with 2:05.66 in 800 to elevate to No. 10 in state history; Fresno Central grabs state lead with 40.92 boys 4x100, also takes 4x400 in relay sweep

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Takiya Cenci produced the most memorable mark of her career at a meet rich with family history.

And Sadie Engelhardt hoped her performance Saturday at the West Coast Relays was only a sample of what she aspired to showcase at Buchanan High’s Veterans Memorial Stadium on May 28 at the CIF State Championships.

RESULTS | INTERVIEWS

Cenci, a senior at Clovis North High, ran a lifetime-best 53.19 seconds in the gold section of the 400 meters to improve on her national prep lead and less than 90 minutes later, Engelhardt – a freshman at Ventura High – also elevated to the top of the country’s high school rankings with her 2:05.66 performance in the gold 800 race, two of many highlights at a meet that held its first event in 1927.

Cenci’s great grandfather helped organize the first edition of the competition nearly a century ago and one week after eclipsing the 54-second barrier for the first time in her career by clocking 53.77 on her home track March 26 at Clovis North at the Central Valley Classic, she achieved the third-fastest time in Central Section history.

Hannah Waller of Buchanan High, an All-American at Oregon, still holds the section record at 53.01 from 2016.

Cenci also ran a wind-legal 24.10 to win the gold section of the 200 meters and joined Maya Cordoba, Emerson Parks and Tatum Zinkin in running 3:47.68 in the 4x400, the second straight week the Broncos had run under 3:48, achieving the feat with different lineups.

Engelhardt helped Ventura take second in the race in 3:56.99, after elevating to the No. 10 performer in state history in the 800, with Zinkin running a personal-best 2:11.72 to place second.

It was Engelhardt’s first appearance at Buchanan since winning a middle-school 1,600 race last April at Veterans Memorial Stadium in 4:47.90.

Engelhardt has since lowered her 1,600 time to 4:34.79, as part of a freshman national record 4:36.63 mile March 26 at the Meet of Champions Distance Classic at Azusa Pacific University.

Carson junior Reign Redmond enjoyed an impressive day as well, winning the gold section of the 100-meter dash in 11.83, along with joining Kaitlyn Williams, Simone Terry and Sahara Wray in prevailing in the gold 4x100 race in 47.43. St. Mary’s Berkeley was runner-up in 47.57 and Clovis North took third in 48.15.

Cenci edged Redmond in an anticipated 200 showdown, with the Carson standout placing second in 24.41

Fresno Central swept the boys gold 4x100 and 4x400 races, with Imari Conley, Elijah Lindsey, Cameron Tarver and Jeremiah Walker clocking a state-leading 40.92 seconds. Walter Pierce joined Conley, Tarver and Walker to run 3:22.11 in the 4x400.

Three of the top boys throwers in the state clashed in the discus, with Golden Valley senior Terraine Wiggins, Jr., producing a personal-best 186-2 (56.74m) to hold off San Luis Obispo’s Rory Devaney at 176-8 (53.84m) and Shafter’s Nick Godbehere at 174-7 (53.21m).

Godbehere won the boys gold shot put with a 58-3.50 (17.76m) performance.

Kylee Davis of Golden Valley triumphed in the gold girls long jump with a leap of 19-5 (5.91m) and placed second in the gold high jump with a 5-5 (1.65m) clearance, trailing Buchanan senior Hannah Butler at 5-7 (1.70m).

Dublin sophomore Jathiyah Muhammad cleared 13-2 (4.01m) to secure victory in the gold girls pole vault.

Arroyo Grande grabbed a pair of wins in the gold 300-meter hurdles and triple jump.

Daniela Ruelas prevailed in the 300 hurdles in 43.96, with Merced’s Isabel Perez-Zoghbi following her 400 hurdles debut less than 24 hours earlier at the Stanford Invitational to finish second in 45.00.

Madeline Scovil earned the triple jump victory with a mark of 37-2.25 (11.33m), just ahead of Buchanan’s Maddie Passmore at 37-1.25 (11.30m).

Buchanan swept the top two spots in both the girls gold 1,600 and 3,200.

Sydney Sundgren triumphed in the 1,600 in 4:53.13 and fellow junior Grace Hutchison ran 10:38.78 in the 3,200. Freshman teammate Sierra Cornett placed second in both events in 4:53.71 and 10:42.05.

Noah Ray added another distance victory for Buchanan by edging Clovis’ Christopher Caudillo in the boys gold 1,600 by a 4:11.52 to 4:13.22 margin.

Mateo Malko-Allen of St. Mary’s Berkeley won the gold 800 in 1:54.99, with Ray placing second in 1:55.22.

Brody Bendoski won the boys gold triple jump for Buchanan with a 43-11.50 (13.39m) performance, but Sanger’s Chidera Agina produced a mark of 44-2 (13.46m) to emerge victorious in the silver section.

Campolindo picked up three gold victories, with Mari Testa grabbing the girls 100 hurdles in 14.89, Mason Fara taking the boys 400 in 49.65 and Alexander Lodewick capturing the boys 3,200 in 9:34.60. Ethan Mahanake of Bakersfield Liberty won the boys silver 400 in 49.14, as well as the 200 in 22.02.

Clovis North teammates Jake Parnagian and Nickolas Miller produced wind-aided performances of 21.14 and 21.18 to take the top two spots in the boys gold 200, with Nathan Johnson of Clovis High running a wind-legal 10.47 to prevail against Fresno Central’s Walker (10.49) in the gold 100.

Concord De La Salle’s Anthony Trucks edged Dublin’s Anish Kasam in the boys gold 300 hurdles by a 38.98 to 39.00 margin. Kasam prevailed in the gold 110 hurdles in 14.72.

Bakersfield Liberty’s Luke Krauss cleared 6-5 (1.95m) to win the boys gold high jump and Turlock’s Ian Strode earned a tiebreaker victory over Dublin’s Khaliq Muhammad in the gold pole vault based on fewer attempts after both athletes cleared 15-4 (4.67m).

Although Clovis West’s Dante Robinson triumphed in the gold long jump with a leap of 21-5.50 (6.54m), Bakersfield Liberty’s Christian Edwards jumped 21-6 (6.55m) to prevail in the silver section.

Alexis Garnica of Clovis won the girls gold discus throw with a 128-3 (39.09m) effort and Carson’s Lauryn Williams won the gold shot put at 38-2.75 (11.65m). Garnica finished runner-up at 38-1.50 (11.62m).