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BOUND FOR GLORY
Sierras boys 4x100 breaks meet record
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Jaliya Williams of Sierra High leaps toward the long jump pit during Tuesdays Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV/V Meet. She is one of four are field athletes to already have their SJS Master Meet berths secured. - photo by JONAMAR JACINTO

AT A GLANCE

• WHAT: SJS Division IV/V Finals
• WHEN: Thursday
• FIELD EVENTS: 3 p.m.
• TRACK EVENTS: 6 p.m.
• ADMISSION: Adults, $6; Kids (K-12), $4; 5-under, free.

Sierra High’s 4x100 boys relay team broke the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV/V Meet record Tuesday on its home track.

The four Timberwolves aim to improve that mark in the finals Thursday. They clocked in at 42.50 seconds — eclipsing the 2011 Sierra quartet’s time of 42.74 — despite some mildly windy conditions and poor baton passes.

“I’m just happy we got through because those handoffs were not good all. We just have to focus on getting those off cleanly in the finals,” said senior Emmanuel Elijah, the team’s anchor who also ran the second fastest 100-meter time and third fastest in the 200 during Tuesday’s preliminaries. He is joined by Nchekube Uwakwe, Jordan Lewis and Jake Supinger on the relay.

The top nine finishers in each track event advance to Thursday’s final heats. From there, the top five placers plus at-large qualifiers move on to next week’s SJS Masters Meet. The running events begin with the girls 4x100 at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Three other records fell on Tuesday. The Cosumnes Oaks 4x100 girls, led by sophomore sensation Natsumi McGee, shattered its own 2012 record in 48.95. McGee also blazed to record times of 12.08 and 24.71 in the 100 and 200, respectively. Sierra alumna Shakira Lewis previously set the 100-meter record in 12.27 last year.

Weston Ranch sophomore John McDonald earned the top seeds for the boys 100 and 200 races. He was the lone 100-meter qualifier to clock a sub-11-second time at 10.94, and he turned in an impressive 22.11 despite a palpable headwind in the 200. Fellow Cougar Renee Royster-West won her 200 heat in 26.70, the second fastest time of the day in the event.

East Union sophomore Jordan McNeal took first in her 100 (12.51) and 200 (26.78) heats and is seeded third overall in both events. Haley Cook, another promising sophomore out of EU, set a personal record time of 59.85 in the 400 and was one of just two competitors to break the one-minute barrier. Vista del Lago’s Caprina Pipion narrowly topped Cook’s time in 59.83.

Four area athletes have already punched their tickets to Masters in field events. Repeat qualifier Valerie Nestor took third in the shot put with a top measurement of 36 feet, 4 inches. Teammate Jaliya Williams finished fourth in the long jump (16-05.25), and Lewis placed third in the boys long jump (21-04.25). Bryan Vincent of Ripon High finished third to qualify in the high jump (5-11).

On Thursday, the girls high jumpers, boys pole vaulters, boys and girls triple jumpers, girls discus throwers and boys shot putters will take their turns in the field events. On the track, the distance runners will have their chance to qualify for Masters. Manteca’s Phillip Herrera is the top-seeded boys miler, and Ripon freshman Eleanor Waters is No. 4 in the girls 3,200.