Aimee Rodgers was the only Falcon to win an event, leading the varsity girls to an 11th-place team finish in the sub section.
Rodgers placed first in the 100-meter high hurdles with a time of 15.36 seconds and went on to place fourth in the 300 hurdles in 46.58 seconds. The sophomore sensation, who claimed Bay Valley Athletic League titles in both events on May 12 at Clayton Valley High School, is expected to post even faster times at the MOC.
"Aimee did a phenomenal job in the 100 hurdles on Saturday," said head coach Nate Smith. "In the 300 hurdles she actually won her heat, but three girls in the second heat had a great race and ended up beating her time. She's a runner that runs with her competition. She needs that extra push. I think if she ran in that second heat she would have had a faster time."
Sophomore Caitlin Thomason placed fourth in the triple jump, reaching 35 feet, 8 inches in her first jump of the finals. "She set a new school record at 34s, and then in the finals had a huge jump at 35-8," Smith said. "It was very exciting to watch."
Maria Curiel placed fifth in the 400 meters, finishing the race in 59.14 seconds. The speedy sophomore delivered one of her strongest performances of the season, shaving another .7 seconds off her school record. "She had a great race," Smith said. "She's so mentally strong in the last 100 meters that I like her to get out fast. Some runners need to hold back at first but I want her to run to win, to compete with the girls in front."
Diondre Borel was the only double qualifier for the varsity boys, which placed 13th as a team. The Freedom senior broke his own school record in the triple jump, reaching 43-7.5 to place third. Borel decided to save his legs for the long jump and forgo competing in the triple jump finals, having already qualified for the MOC in that event. He took fifth in the long jump at 21-4.
"The triple jump really is his best event and he's been getting progressively better. Just in the last month he has improved by over a foot," Smith said. "I think he'll do really well next weekend. I know he has a 44-foot jump in him. His goal is 45 feet."
Junior Hunter Simpson placed third in the high jump, matching his season best height of 6-4. "If he can clear 6-4 in his first attempt at the MOC he has a good shot at going to state," Smith said. "Hunter almost cleared 6-6 on Saturday and I know he has it in him."
Sophomore Trae Weeks narrowly qualified for the MOC, finishing seventh in both the triple jump (42-4.5) and the long jump (20-8.5).
On Tuesday morning Smith learned his eighth-place varsity girls 4x400 relay team also qualified for the MOC when the Monte Vista team pulled out of the race. As of press time on Tuesday, the athletes had not decided whether they would compete.
The top four athletes in each event at the MOC qualify for the state meet in Sacramento June 1 and 2.
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