National 3,200-meter record may fall

The girls’ 3,200-meter run could be one of the most awaited races of the CIF State Track and Field Championships.

And, unlike other events at Buchanan High in Clovis, it will be run only once.

No preliminary heats for either the girls’ or boys’ eight-lap races.

If the weather conditions are just right — much cooler temperatures at 8:46 p.m. Saturday than the simmering late-afternoon heat — Mission Prep’s Jordan Hasay could attack the 13-year-old national high school record of 9 minutes, 48.59 seconds set by Thousand Oaks’ Kim Mortensen.

Hasay, one of the most decorated girls track athletes in state history, set the meet record of 9:52.13 last year. She could be challenged by 2009 state leader Alexandra Dunne of San Clemente.

It will be one race to witness by the audience, but one Oak Park junior distance phenom Melissa Skiba needs to avoid.

Skiba, ranked No. 6 in the state with a school-record time of 10:33.15, qualified for the final by winning the Masters Meet last Friday at Cerritos College.

“If Melissa runs the race of her life,” said Oak Park coach Kevin Smith, “she is not honestly in the race. If we’re talking about people running 9:49, Melissa won’t make that kind of jump.”

Patience is the key word for Skiba.

She will have an adaptable game plan to challenge for the lead in the second group of runners.

Sharing a guaranteed Saturday race is Camarillo’s Heyden Wooff. Wooff, winner of the Division II and Masters titles in the boys’ 3,200, is ranked No. 2 in the state in his specialty.

There will be a flurry of activity for other area athletes in qualifying events today.

Oaks Christian’s Jules Sharpe is entered in the boys’ high jump and triple jump fields. Sharpe ranks No. 2 in the state in the high jump with a best of 7 feet, 1 inch.

Also doing double time are Rio Mesa girls’ sprinters Valexsia Droughn and Saraina Hedgepeth.

Both return with a Spartan 4x100 relay team that finished second in the 2008 state meet. Droughn and Hedgepeth will also compete in the 100 and 200 trials, respectively.

In other running events, Travis Edwards of Royal looks to advance in the boys’ 1,600 and Agoura’s Jonathan Cabral steps to the starting line in the boys’ 110 hurdles.

Kevin Graf of Agoura and Masters champion Jordan Paea have made the field for the boys’ shot put. Graf’s best of 61-7 ranks as one of the longest in area history. In just one year, Paea has made an incredible 15-foot improvement.

For Paea, today’s competition has special meaning.

His parents, who flew from Tonga to attend their son’s graduation, will get to see him compete in the shot put for the first time.

Ventura’s Alexandra Morgan, whose Masters’ winning toss of 141-1 tied for the fourth longest girls’ discus throw in Ventura County history, has the second best state qualifying mark.

Ranked as one of the state’s best girls’ high jumpers throughout most of the spring, Lydia French of Thousand Oaks will be one of the favorites to reach the finals.