State notebook: Stockdale's Miller runs personal best in boys 3,200 final
| Saturday, Jun 04 2011 10:47 PM
Last Updated Saturday, Jun 04 2011 11:08 PM
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Cameron Miller of Stockdale High School runs in the 3200m race at the CIF State Track & Field Championship on Saturday, June 4 at Buchanan High School in Fresno, Ca.
Jayson Kovar of Burroughs High School competes in the discus throw at the CIF State Track & Field Championship on Saturday, June 4 at Buchanan High School in Fresno, Ca.
Cameron Miller came into the boys 3,200-meter final at the CIF State Track and Field Championships on Saturday night knowing he'd need the run of his life just to stay with California's best distance runners.
He delivered a personal record by 10 seconds, running a 9:10.20 and finishing 21st in the fastest two-mile race in state history, one in which 13 runners finished under nine minutes. The previous high was eight.
"Arcadia (Invitational) was crazy, and this was 10 times more intense," Miller said. "It was a really nice race for me, because I was going for 9:15. They really pull you along. It was just an honor to run with those guys. They're some of the best athletes in the country."
Elias Gedyon of L.A.-Loyola won the race with a late kick in 8:50.03, the third-fastest high school time in the U.S. this year.
Miller stuck with the lead pack well into the seventh of eight laps.
"Going into the race, my biggest fear was that I was going to get caught up with those fast guys and kill myself in the first mile," Miller said. "But that didn't happen. I really stayed on my pace."
Miller, a junior, he said he hopes to challenge the nine-minute mark himself, a milestone that would put him in position to reach the medal stand.
"I'm really excited for next year," Miller said. "This experience was really important."
Kovar slips, finishes ninth
The boys discus finals went awry for Burroughs junior Jayson Kovar before they even began. And it got no better from there.
Kovar slipped and fell in a rainy ring during warm-ups, then only had one legal mark in six throws, a careful one that he tossed only to ensure he would reach the re-seeded final three throws.
Kovar had come into this weekend as the state leader with an April throw of 207-9, though that came under the influence of some gusty desert winds.
"It wasn't our day," said Jay Kovar, Jayson's father and the Burroughs coach. "He wanted everything to be perfect, and when it wasn't, I think he lost sight of what he could do."
Newport Beach-Newport Harbor's Ethan Cochran won the title at 185-9 from his first throw; it was the first time since 2007 that the boys discus winner didn't come out of the Central Section.
Jayson Kovar had two sector fouls to the right, then tossed in his 129-8. His fourth throw was his best, but he stepped out of the ring for a foul, then committed two more sector fouls, including one by about a foot on his final throw.
"He'd been consistent all year up to now," Jay Kovar said. "But we had a good year."
Good luck catching a Jackrabbit
Long Beach-Poly's girls team, as expected, zoomed to an easy win in the girls team competition. The Jackrabbits won their third straight title by racking up 72 points. That's the second-highest point total ever, behind Poly's 80 points in 2004. It was fueled by victories in the 400 relay, two individual championships and two runner-up finishes.
Poly also won the boys title in more tense fashion. The Jackrabbits scored 35 points to 32 from L.A.-Loyola and were fueled by their nation-leading 1,600 relay team, which won the final in 3:12.44.
Clovis High was second with 30 points, all from Jenna Prandini. The Oregon recruit won the long jump, 100 and 200.
Stockdale finished 33rd with 7 points, five from high jumper Asia Chesley and two from discus thrower Alex Collatz. The Mustangs were the only Kern County team, boys or girls, to score points.
Distance bonanza
The cool, rainy conditions wreaked havoc on sprints and many field events (see Collatz, Alex), but they were perfect for distance runners.
Besides Miller's 3,200 race, Saturday night saw a national record in the 800 meters from Amy Weissenbach of North Hollywood-Harvard-Westlake, whose 2:02.04 was nearly a second faster than the old record of 2:02.90.
Sarah Baxter, a freshman from Simi Valley, started her career in grand fashion, winning the girls 3,200 in 10:13.00, the fourth-fastest time nationally this year.
Controversy at the finish
Weissenbach later was at the center of some late controversy. She appeared to lead Harvard-Westlake to victory over Gardena-Serra and Long Beach-Poly in the 1,600 relay, track and field's crown jewel.
But officials ruled that she interfered with a Long Beach-Poly runner when she passed her with 200 meters to go. Harvard-Westlake was disqualified, giving the victory to Gardena-Serra, and the Wolverines' appeal was denied.
