ELK GROVE — Sierra High standout Shakira Lewis seized her moment in the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters 100-meter final Friday at Elk Grove High.

A less-than-perfect break at the gun, the intensity of a monstrous head wind and a field of lightning fast sprinters could not keep Lewis from etching her name on the qualifying list for the 2012 CIF State Track and Field Championships.

Lewis barreled down the lane the final 15 yards, erasing ground and opponents with each step on her way to a third place finish. Lewis was the lone area athlete to advance to state and just the second Sierra High girl to accomplish the feat in school history.

“It feels good,” Lewis said. “I was talking to my friend Emmanuel (Elijah, who competed in the 100 and 200 trials on Thursday) and I was telling him how I really wanted to make it to state. It’s my first year, and I wanted to say that I went to state my first year as a track athlete.

“Today, I just went out there and raced.”

Lewis definitely overcame a shoddy start out of the blocks, making up ground on at least five of her opponents. The final portion of the sprint revealed the type of finishing speed Lewis has. In what was less than ideal conditions, she turned in an effort deserving of a state meet berth.

“Since the (SJS Division IV-V meet) my blocks have not been that good,” Lewis said. “Today we practiced, we did speed drills, but it still was bad because I got out so late. I saw all the girls in front of me and I said I have to go get them.”

Sierra teammate Bret Wilson experienced the swiftest decline from peak to valley when the senior’s final toss of the discus ushered him into third place and a likely berth into the state meet, only to watch Vacaville’s Cutrtis Bleasdale toss it 167 feet, 6 inches — two feet further than Wilson’s — to steal his spot.

“It was another PR (personal record) and I thought I was going to state,” Wilson said. “Right until third place threw his 167. I knew I was in trouble because he threw it pretty far.

“When they measured it, my heart sank.”

East Union standout Jerrica Hauck conquered the 11-foot-2-inch mark, yet could not clear 11-5. With only two competitors — section champ Sydney Blakeley of Ponderosa (11-8) and runner-up Melissa Maneatis of Del Oro — doing so, that left a three-way tie for the third and final spot for state.

The tiebreaker (total misses) favored Placer’s Shelby Crider. Hauck is the section’s first alternate for the state meet.

Howling winds shifted pole vaulters in the air mid flight, forcing the participants to adjust on the fly.

“I still had some hope at the end when they went to misses, and I’ve got alternate so that is the bright side,” Hauck said before heading off to graduation. “I came out here really confident and I think the wind really threw me off. It was blowing this way and then that way.

“It really affected what pole I used.”

Ripon High’s Alec Steinberg was able to land a PR in the mile, finishing out the season with a top-15 race with a time of 4:34. Steinberg and teammate Ryan Torres also competed in the 3200.

Valerie Nestor of Sierra landed a top-10 finish in the girls shot put.

The state meet is scheduled for June 1-2 at Buchanan High School in Clovis.