MODESTO — With the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III girls pole vault title and a new personal record in hand, East Union High sophomore Jerrica Hauck decided to go the extra mile.
Or in this case, the extra 3 inches.
Hauck’s attempts at 10 feet, 3 inches came up short, but her mark at 10 even was good enough Tuesday at Modesto Junior College.
Half of the field events took place Tuesday, and the top six placers in each event qualify for next week’s SJS Masters meet at Sacramento City College. The divisional track preliminaries went on Tuesday, with the nine best overall finishers advancing to Thursday’s final.
Hauck was a part of a one-on-one showdown with Escalon’s Khrista Delucchi, whose seeded mark of 9 feet even was four inches better going into the meet, for first place.
Hauck had already surpassed her personal record of 8-8 three times at 9-0, 9-3 and 9-6. She clinched the title at 9-9 on her final attempt. She clutched up again on her last try at 10 feet.
It wasn’t necessary for her to make the extra effort, but it was the cherry top.
Her goal Tuesday was to climb her way to 10-9, East Union’s program record. She still has next week and her final two years at EU to get there.
“I was like, ‘I know I have this, it’s there,’” Hauck said. “I told myself I have to go on. I cleared it by like 6 inches and figured I may as well try and see if I can make that same vault on my next one.”
Seven other area athletes have already qualified for Masters, three of them as seventh-place alternates.
After missing last year’s divisional meet with a hamstring injury, Sierra senior Udoka Uwake came up big in the triple jump Tuesday. He topped out at 43-6, his second jump in the preliminary round, for fourth place and a new personal record.
Teammate Ulysses Knapps, the top seeded long jumper on Thursday, took sixth at 43-1 ½.
“It feels great,” said Uwakwe, who also has a chance to advance with the second-seeded 4x100 relay team. “After what happened last year, now I have that opportunity to see what I got there.”
Sierra’s Jena Anderson placed fifth in the triple with a jump of 33-8, and fellow Timberwolf Arielle Jones took seventh.
In the discus throw, Ripon’s Symone Ramirez edged out Sierra’s Chantel Burton for the final Masters berth with a mark of 92-02. Manteca’s Richie Lopez is an alternate in the shot put, with his best mark standing at 45-4.
Several area athletes turned in impressive performances in the preliminary heats on the track.
Manteca Unified was well represented in the boys 300-meter hurdles, where Weston Ranch senior Angell Mayfield, the area’s lone qualifier to the state meet last year, enters the finals with the top-seeded time of 39.60 seconds.
East Union’s Hector Solario (40.69) and Paul Lyons (41.29) of Manteca followed suit, and all three won their respective heats. Mayfield also clocked in the best time in the 110 at 15.12 seconds.
East Union freshman Megan Jordan had a nice debut in the divisional meet, topping the girls 400-meter field with a time of 1:00.05.
Sierra’s 400 relay team of Allex Edwards, Taylor Renee Wilson, Lorie Hoffman and Anderson took first overall at 50.60.
The rest of the field events will start at 3 p.m. Thursday back at MJC, with the track finals set to begin at 6 with the boys 4x100.
Or in this case, the extra 3 inches.
Hauck’s attempts at 10 feet, 3 inches came up short, but her mark at 10 even was good enough Tuesday at Modesto Junior College.
Half of the field events took place Tuesday, and the top six placers in each event qualify for next week’s SJS Masters meet at Sacramento City College. The divisional track preliminaries went on Tuesday, with the nine best overall finishers advancing to Thursday’s final.
Hauck was a part of a one-on-one showdown with Escalon’s Khrista Delucchi, whose seeded mark of 9 feet even was four inches better going into the meet, for first place.
Hauck had already surpassed her personal record of 8-8 three times at 9-0, 9-3 and 9-6. She clinched the title at 9-9 on her final attempt. She clutched up again on her last try at 10 feet.
It wasn’t necessary for her to make the extra effort, but it was the cherry top.
Her goal Tuesday was to climb her way to 10-9, East Union’s program record. She still has next week and her final two years at EU to get there.
“I was like, ‘I know I have this, it’s there,’” Hauck said. “I told myself I have to go on. I cleared it by like 6 inches and figured I may as well try and see if I can make that same vault on my next one.”
Seven other area athletes have already qualified for Masters, three of them as seventh-place alternates.
After missing last year’s divisional meet with a hamstring injury, Sierra senior Udoka Uwake came up big in the triple jump Tuesday. He topped out at 43-6, his second jump in the preliminary round, for fourth place and a new personal record.
Teammate Ulysses Knapps, the top seeded long jumper on Thursday, took sixth at 43-1 ½.
“It feels great,” said Uwakwe, who also has a chance to advance with the second-seeded 4x100 relay team. “After what happened last year, now I have that opportunity to see what I got there.”
Sierra’s Jena Anderson placed fifth in the triple with a jump of 33-8, and fellow Timberwolf Arielle Jones took seventh.
In the discus throw, Ripon’s Symone Ramirez edged out Sierra’s Chantel Burton for the final Masters berth with a mark of 92-02. Manteca’s Richie Lopez is an alternate in the shot put, with his best mark standing at 45-4.
Several area athletes turned in impressive performances in the preliminary heats on the track.
Manteca Unified was well represented in the boys 300-meter hurdles, where Weston Ranch senior Angell Mayfield, the area’s lone qualifier to the state meet last year, enters the finals with the top-seeded time of 39.60 seconds.
East Union’s Hector Solario (40.69) and Paul Lyons (41.29) of Manteca followed suit, and all three won their respective heats. Mayfield also clocked in the best time in the 110 at 15.12 seconds.
East Union freshman Megan Jordan had a nice debut in the divisional meet, topping the girls 400-meter field with a time of 1:00.05.
Sierra’s 400 relay team of Allex Edwards, Taylor Renee Wilson, Lorie Hoffman and Anderson took first overall at 50.60.
The rest of the field events will start at 3 p.m. Thursday back at MJC, with the track finals set to begin at 6 with the boys 4x100.
