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Long Beach Poly Millikan St. Anthony Track & Field Wilson

TONIGHT: Long Beach Athletes At CIF State Track & Field Meet

Fifteen Long Beach athletes will compete in nine events at the 100thannual CIF State Track & Field Finals in Clovis. Long Beach Poly’s girls’ team is one of the three teams expected to compete for the state championship and they’ll race the other favorites, Serra and Calabasas, head to head in the 4×100 and the 100/200 sprints.

“Our goal is just to run as well as we can and let it work out however it works out,” said Poly coach Crystal Irving. “We want the kids to run well but we aren’t talking to them a lot about (points).”

Wilson’s Rachel Glenn cleared Friday’s qualifying mark of 5-5 with ease, and has the state’s top mark of 5-11 this year. Saturday’s high jump competition will be the first event going for the local kids, with an opening height of 5-4.

The meet could end with some fireworks with the Wilson boys’ 4×400, which will be in the running for a state title. Surprising some on Friday was the Poly boys’ 4×100, which made Saturday’s final and could be in position for a podium finish.

The biggest storyline for Saturday is defending 100 and 200 state champion Ariyonna Augustine trying to defend her titles; if she does, it will boost Poly’s chance in the team standings as well. Junior Kenya Payne, the younger sister of Poly All-American Kymber Payne, qualified in the 300 and would give Poly a huge boost with a podium finish.

LONG BEACH STATE FINALISTS w lane assignments

Girls’ 4×100

Long Beach Poly (Lane 8) 47.22

Boys’ 4×100

Long Beach Poly (Lane 7) 41.47

Girls’ 100 Hurdles

Asjah Atkinson, St. Anthony (Lane 2) 14.10

Girls’ 100

Ariyonna Augustine, Long Beach Poly (Lane 4) 11.65

Girls’ 300 Hurdles

Kenya Payne, Long Beach Poly (Lane 9) 43.26

Boys’ 300 Hurdles

Riley Williams, Millikan (Lane 8) 38.34

Girls’ 200

Ariyonna Augustine, Long Beach Poly (Lane 6) 23.82

Boys’ 4×400

Long Beach Wilson (Lane 7) 3:16.29

Girls’ High Jump

Rachel Glenn, Long Beach Wilson (5-5)

Mike Guardabascio
An LBC native, Mike Guardabascio has been covering Long Beach sports professionally for 13 years, with his work published in dozens of Southern California magazines and newspapers. He's won numerous awards for his writing as well as the CIF Southern Section’s Champion For Character Award, and is the author of three books about Long Beach history.
http://The562.org