Sobrato, Live Oak make impressive showing at BVAL Finals
SAN JOSE — Lance Wolfsmith celebrated his first Blossom Valley Athletic League championship Thursday by winning a second.
The Sobrato senior clocked a CIF-Central Coast Section-best time of four minutes, 15.80 seconds to win the mile in the BVAL Finals meet at Mount Pleasant High School, then turned around and sacked the two-mile in 9:19.84.
In capturing both long-awaited titles, Wolfsmith cemented a fourth trip to Saturday’s CCS Semifinals at Gilroy’s Garcia-Elder Sports Complex, where he will be favored in both events.
“It was one of the best races I’ve seen him run,” Sobrato coach Dave Wolfsmith, Lance’s father, said. “His approach and the way he went in — he was well prepared. He just looked like he was having fun out there.”
Lance, who also won the mile and two-mile at Santa Teresa Division Finals, highlighted a special evening that featured few disappointments for the Morgan Hill programs. Sobrato and Live Oak combined for 27 section-qualifying standards.
For the Sobrato boys track and field team, Alan Rios made the cut in three track events, including his specialty, the 800 meters, which he won at Santa Teresa Finals. The junior on Thursday punched a return trip to CCS by placing first in his heat and third overall in 1:59.69. He joined Alex Meldrum, Ralph Jackson and Tim Cavanaugh in qualifying in the 4×100- and 4×400-meter relays.
Meldrum and Jackson also will compete in three events next week. Meldrum won the 300-meter hurdles in a personal-record time of 40.17, and Jackson took sixth in the 400 meters in 51 seconds, also a PR.
“It was great seeing Alex advance,” Dave Wolfsmith said. “He’s a senior, and he’s worked hard this year.”
Santa Teresa champion Austin Meldrum, Alex’s brother, cleared a second-place height of 12 feet, six inches to advance in pole vault, joining teammate Brandon Mancini (10-06).
For the Lady Bulldogs, senior Ariel Mosbrucker and sophomore Marissa Benjamin are sectionals bound in two events apiece. Mosbrucker, a CCS veteran, placed fourth in high jump — matching the top height of 4-10 — and took seventh in triple jump (33-09). Benjamin, a division champion in the 100 and 200 meters, finished fifth in the latter (26.65) and was part of a section-qualifying 4×100 relay with Cassandra Valenzuela, Lenisha Alexander and Mariah Vedder. That foursome placed fifth in 51.86.
As expected, Live Oak’s relays did not disappoint Thursday.
Fresh off of its first-place finish at Santa Teresa Finals, the Lady Acorns’ CCS-veteran 4×100 relay of Erika Rodriguez, Lauren Drewniany, Courtney Robinson and Catherine Sparling fulfilled its goal of breaking a school record. They placed first in their heat and second overall in 50.74.
“They did a great job. It’s a tribute to their hard work,” Live Oak distance coach Mike Sullivan said. “They’ve been focusing on this record all year. I think they can go even faster; there was a little bit of headwind Thursday.”
The Acorns’ vaunted 4×100 relay of Jeff Roberts, Greg White, Billy Van Aken and James Hamblin also made the cut for CCS (44.13) — and in dramatic fashion. Roberts had to make a diving hand-off to White.
“They’re still working on hand-offs,” Sullivan said. “Jeff took a risk, but it paid off. They’re going to CCS.”
With its 16 personal records Thursday, the Live Oak track and field program upped its season PR count to 210, shattering its goal of 200.
“I was very happy to see that,” Sullivan said. “We’ve had more than 80 PRs the past few weeks, so we’re definitely peaking.”
White also advanced in the long jump (21-1 3/4); and Van Aken in the 100 meters (11.20).
Live Oak’s 4×400 relay of Eric Tolson, Kean Vaziry, Jacob Daw and Jacob Montoya continued its late-season surge, making the cut with a third-place time of 4:10.41.
“We’re excited about them. They’ve dropped almost 13 seconds off their original time,” Sullivan said. “Plus they’re three sophomores and one junior. They’re only going to get better.”
Senior Mason Lammers threw 124-09 in discus to place eighth, rounding out Live Oak’s CCS qualifiers on the boys side.
Division champion Stephanie Armstrong fell short of her best mark in high jump, but captured a BVAL title with the fewest misses at 4-10. The junior earned her second straight trip to section semifinals. Classmate Pauline Olsen, another division winner, did the same in the 400. She placed second in 1:00.07.
Olsen, Armstrong, Rodriguez and Sparling, a division-title winning foursome in the 4×400, also qualified.
