The562’s cross country and track & field coverage is sponsored by Joe Carlson & Debbie Hughes.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Wilson Athletics is sponsored by Joel Bitonio, Class of 2009.
Some teams can only dream of a CIF State championship—but a team like Wilson expects it.
The Bruins continued their reign in the CIF State track and field finals on Saturday at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis, scoring a school-record 46 points at the State finals while winning a third straight girls’ title to complete their three-peat.
Wilson becomes just the third school to win three consecutive girls’ CIF State championships, and the first to do so since Long Beach Poly won four in a row through 2011.
“It means a lot,” said Wilson co-coach Shannon Fisher. “We had a couple of setbacks but they were able to recover from it and still score enough points to win and It was all over the board. From the jumps to the hurdles to the sprints to the relays. It was great.”
The Bruins also had a pair of individual state champions and also took home a win in the girls’ 4×400m. Loren Webster set a new personal-record while becoming a state champ in the long jump while Wyland Obando came in first place in the boys’ 800m
Girls
The championship is the sixth for the Wilson girls’ program and moves them into second place in state history for the most state championships. It also marks the third consecutive title for Wilson. Only five schools have ever won three state championships, let alone doing so consecutively.
“It’s an honor and we’re blessed,” Webster said. “That’s all I can say. I just thank God to be a part of this team and be with these girls and to have this experience.”
There was lots of talk ahead of the girls’ field events regarding the participation of a transgender athlete, who entered the competition as a top contender in three events. The athlete went on to win two, while Webster claimed the title in the long jump with a mark of 21 feet, ¼ inch.
The CIF released a statement prior to the meet explaining accommodations that ensured team scoring would not be affected by the athlete’s placements. Still, a first-place finish was what Webster had her eyes on. The win marked her first time surpassing the 20-foot mark this season — and the first time in her high school career she has gone beyond 21 feet.
“I talked to her last year about the situation and told her that this was going to be part of your story,” Fisher said of Webster. “I told her that you were going to be connected to this and you’re going to lead the girls through this era. We discussed last year that she was going to be the face of this whole thing.”
“I just knew I had to show up not only physically but mentally as well,” Webster said. “As long as I did that the outcome was going to be what it was today.”
Kaylin Edwards found some key points for the Bruins in what was a stacked pair of hurdles events. Edwards came in second place in the 300m hurdles with a 40.61, one spot behind Carlsbad’s Morgan Herbst who set a new meet record. Edwards also finished third in the 100m hurdles with a 13.79 while running the third leg of Wilson’s 4x400m
Wilson continued its dominant season in that girls’ 4x400m where they picked up another first place finish. Brooke Blue, Alene Washington, Edwards, and Saniah Varnado ran a 3:36.75.
Boys
The Wilson boys finished fourth in the overall scoring and had a winner in Wyland Obando. Obando had a busy day, competing in each the 800m, the 4x800m and the 4x400m.
The junior had an impressive win in the boys’ 800m, where he stormed back from fifth place to first place in the final 100m to finish with a 1:51.24. The win avenges his loss in the event last year when he fell in second place as a sophomore.
“Today I was thinking about just striking in the last 150m,” said Obando of his final move. “I know I have to be fast to stay with everyone so I thought I’d just outkick them at the end.”
The boys’ 4x400m set a new school record in Wilson’s final event of the season. They broke their previous school record from earlier in the year and came in fifth. Charles Chatman, Obando, Ky’Zir Burroughs and Kaedyn Burroughs set the new record of 3:10.55.
“It means so much to us,” Obando said. “We’ve been breaking it all year so to get it down to 3:10 is unbelievable.”
Results
Girls’ 100 Hurdles: Kaylin Edwards, 3rd, 13.79
Girls’ 800: Shirayah Lewis-Williams, 5th, 2:09.42
Girls’ 300 Hurdles: Kaylin Edwards, 2nd, 40.61
Girls’ 300 Hurdles: Saniah Varnado, 6th, 41.84
Girls’ 4×800: 4th (Elisa Rodriguez, Riley Jones, Kimani Tindal, Shirayah Lewis-Williams), 8:59.02
Girls’ 4×400: 1st (Brooke Blue, Alene Washington, Kaylin Edwards, Saniah Varnado), 3:36.75
Girls’ Long Jump: Loren Webster, 1st, 21′ 0¼”
Boys’ 400: Kaedyn Burroughs, 5th, 47.46
Boys’ 800: Wyland Obando, 1st, 1:51.24
Boys’ 4×800: 4th (Jordan Kincherlow, Cash Obando, Jai Pitre, Wyland Obando), 7:38.30
Boys’ 4×400: 5th (Charles Chatman, Wyland Obando, Ky’Zir Burroughs, Kaedyn Burroughs), 3:10.55
