Information on our Awards Night and Dessert will be mailed home this week. Tickets can be purchased from Coach Clendenen in E232 by the end of the week.

The Division One Track and Field Preliminaries of the CIF Southern Section can be a buzz saw or a buzz kill for many an athlete. The level of talent and depth of skill this section produces is unrivaled perhaps anywhere in the entire state. Regardless of individual performance, the experience can leave many athletes by meet's end wondering "what happened?"  Solid efforts can somehow seem diminished in the shadow of statuary talent that the division yearly creates. Just qualifying for the Preliminaries is an accomplishment, performing well on this competitive stage is signficant and finding one's way out of the Prelims and into the CIF Finals -- a Big Dance which limits its invitations to nine athletes per event -- is truly signficant.  Except for the exceptional few, athletes who assemble at this venue must find a way to mentally and physically overcome the odds to compete at a high level. If "moving on" to Finals is the goal, an extra measure of drive and good fortune is required.  On Saturday at Trabuco Hills High, Amber Sanford and Manny Santiago punched their ticket for the Finals (to be held May 17 at Mt.SAC) and led a whole host of Wolves who finished their seasons in fine fashion regardless of the temptation to let those marks pale in comparison to the stellar competition.

It took setting a school record for both of the King stars to make it happen. In Manny Santiago's first attempt at the triple jump, he hop-skipped-and-jumped to a PR and school record of 45-.75, taking down Rashad Bias' 3 year old standard. He proceed to scratch his next two attempts, but his first try was good enough for the sixth-seed going into the CIF Finals. Amber Sanford is making up for an injury-ended 2007 campaign with some superb efforts and performances over the last few weeks, starting in mid-April with her IE Championship dash in the 200. She started things off with a carry on the 4x100 relay team on Saturday, helping the group of Autumn White, Tiffany West and Juli Lambert to a school record of 49.08. That mark was the 14th fastest foursome of the entire division. Mid-meet, Amber ran another great race in the 100, just missing qualification in the 12th spot overall. But it was in her forte', the 200, that she came storming down the track in a new SR of 25.04 and snagged the 9th and final place into the prestigious Finals. The sophomore sensation has truly found her stride!

Beyond setting school records, there were solid performances and PR's across the day for King, helping to erase the memories of the 2007 debacle King held at this same meet.  The sand-pit was a welcome place for the jumpers in Santiago's club, as both Tyree Taylor and Brandon Walker landed in PR's. Taylor went 43-4 in the triple for his best-ever, while Walker leaped 21-1 in the long jump for his best mark. A great way for the talented jumpers to end their season!  Chris Belfield had his second-fastest time ever in the 300 hurdles at 31.33, Shari Haynes just missed the #5 all-time King mark with a 300 hurdle race of her own that finished under 50 seconds. Casey Candelaria ended her incredible season (and year) of growth with a fraction-of-a-second improvement in the 800 meters. She'd help the 4x400 team of Carrie Soholt, Kayla Cunningham and Tiffany West notch a 4:07 time, King's #3 all-time best.

Chantel Hicks finished high in the discus, also with a PR of 115-3, King's #2 all time. Kasey Tippets ran King's 5th-fastest freshman time in the 1600 with a fine 5:32 effort, Rebecca Asplund nearly matched her PR in the same event. Kelsi Tippets came oh-so-close in the 3200, finishing 12th overall in a great effort and her second-fastest time ever. She also pulled off a tough distance double, going 5:19 in the 1600 earlier in the day. Tiffany West ran her best time ever in the 400, another #2 all time mark for the day. She crossed the line in 1:00.04. Larissa Davis concluded her first-ever trip to the Preliminaries with a solid race in the 3200.

Each year brings better and faster athletes and the bar seems to be raised with each passing season. Proving their mettle and ability to bounce back, the 29 athletes in King's uniform showed that the past is indeed the past, and with a new year brings renewed commitment and improved accomplishment.

Link to full results

CORRECTED!  Was missing the top 5 column. Now it's included.  CIF Points will be added after Saturday.

Girls Riverside County All Time Lists  ::  Boys Riverside County All Time Lists - Hey, why not add your name to one of the lists this season?