Pitman and Turlock track and field teams had one last meet to make their mark in the Central California Conference Center and decide the winners of the 2016 season.
Both schools had multiple first place results from a variety of individuals, but in the end only the Pitman varsity girls finished atop the standings in the CCC.
“I wore a lucky hat last year to every meet and we won the boys and girls title. I'd been keeping it as a keepsake. I had to break it out for the first time this year for some good mojo,” said Pitman head coach Thad Moren. “Everyone did a great job for Pitman and especially our girls.”
The victory for the varsity girls team marked the 10th in school history, tying Merced for most conference titles.
The Turlock varsity girls finished tied with Golden Valley for fourth.
Pitman varsity boys took fourth and Turlock followed in fifth.
The weather changed the conditions dramatically, especially after all teams were moved to the gymnasium for a period of time due to rain and lightning.
Pitman senior Kiana Clay, who will be attending Cal State Fullerton in the fall for track and field, placed first in the 200 and 400 meter races.
Turlock's Julia Handy followed up with a second place result in both races, just less than one second off from both races. Cerah Moren placed third in the 200 meter race, just behind Handy by .20 seconds.
“No amazing times because of the cold and rain but great racing,” said Moren.
Clay and Moren, along with Brianna Smith and Makenna Boutelle placed first in the 4x1 relay race after finishing with a time of 49.72.
Moren also placed second in the discus for girls with a distance of 113 feet, 7 inches. Sophomore Whitney Barnes of Pitman took first in the girls shot put after hitting a distance of 38 feet, 1 inch.
Pitman girls also dominated in the pole vault after sophomore Lindsay Berryhill took first with a clearance of 8 feet, 6 inches. Freshman Cierra Verdone took first for Pitman in the triple jump with a distance of 34 feet, 8.75 inches.
“Merced and Turlock were great opponents, and made some moves to challenge us, but our girls stayed the course and trusted their training to have a good meet,” said Moren.
On the boys side, Pitman also took a handful of top finishes with David Fox placing first in the shot put with a distance of 41 feet, 11 inches. Arturo Hernandez followed at 41 feet, 9 inches. Chris Martinez was third with a 41 feet, 5 inches.
Isaiah Marable placed third in 200 meter race with a time of 22.62 and took first in the 400 meter race with a time of 50.56.
Pitman's Jacob Sylvester took first in the pole vault with a 13 feet, 6 inch clearance and Brendan Patterson took first in the long jump with a distance of 21 feet, .5 inches and first in the triple jump with a clearance of 41 feet, 2.75 inches.
Turlock's Will Hilgen took first in the high jump with a 5 feet, 10 inch clearance and sophomore Gabriel Cordero of Turlock placed first in the boys discus with a distance of 157 feet, 11 inches. Hernandez from Pitman followed in second with a distance of 147.
Eric Alvarez ran a personal record in the boys mile at 4:35, good enough for second in the tough CCC distance climate.
“Just a remarkable job from a lot of our boys,” said Turlock coach JoAnn Davison.
Turlock's Gabe Cordero grabbed the top spot in the boys discus with a hurl of 157 feet, 11 inches, one of the top sophomore throws in the state. Cordero also ran one leg of the 4x1 team who were just half a second off breaking the record set last year.
Fernando Rodriguez of Turlock, who will run this Saturday at the elite Sacramento Meet of Champions, grabbed a third place finish with an 11.31.
“He proved he is worthy of racing with the best in the CCC,” said Davison.
Maria Varela of Turlock placed second in the 3200 meter race with a time of 12.27.
Ade Fredeen, continues to move up the ranks in CCC hurdling history, after finishing in second place in the 100 meter hurdles, and third in the 300 meter hurdles.
Jessica Bettencourt retains her top ranking in the 300 hurdle race with a first place finish after finishing with a time of 48.49, helping the girls team clinch the third place overall CCC finish.
Emily Romo took second in the varsity girls high jump with a leap of 4 feet, 8 inches.
And the pole vault squad, led by standouts Hannah Tinely and JoJo Cipponeri, took places 2 through 6 under the tutelage of former THS top vaulter Bergan (Montes) Hernandez.
Jeff Ikari ran a lifetime best of 42.4, good for third in the 300 meter hurdle race and Larry Eggleston vaulted 10 feet, 6 inches for a third in the pole vault.
The qualifier for Divisionals will be held at Atwater on May 7.
