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TRACK & FIELD: Miller highlights area’s state hopefuls at Masters
Bulletin track 2019
Sierra’s Miranda Miller leaves her mark in the long jump pit at Kimball High, placing second in the Valley Oak League Championships. - photo by JONAMAR JACINTO/Bulletin file photo

Formerly a gymnast, Miranda Miller is going out as one of the most accomplished track and field athletes from Sierra High.
The senior bound for CSU Bakersfield returns to the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Championships on Friday and Saturday at Davis Sr. High where she’ll compete in three events in which she owns school records.
“I’m just pushing for higher PRs, better records and hopefully it’s enough to get me back into the state meet,” she said after placing first in the pole vault last week during the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III meet at Golden Valley of Merced.
Miller never participated in track until the start of last season and ended up as the only athlete from the area to reach the CIF State Championships in Clovis, doing so in the triple jump. The top three placers along with anyone who meets or exceeds at-large marks qualify for the state competition set for May 24-25.
Miller checks in with the top-seeded mark of 11 feet, 3 inches in the pole vault, a mark she established on her final attempt in the divisional meet last week. She will also compete in the triple jump, where she’s seeded sixth, and long jump.
Sierra junior Holden Fishburn was another top performer in Division III. He won both the discus throw (147-9) and shot put (50-11) with marks that landed him the No. 1 and 3 seeds for Masters.
East Union senior standouts Jadyn Snaer and Alexus Surnip, Valley Oak League champions in multiple events, hope to make the most of their last opportunities to qualify for state. Snaer is running the two sprint events and is seeded third in the 100 with a time of 12.33 seconds.
Sacramento State signee Alexus Surnip made Masters in the 100 hurdles and long jump. Her best shot is in the long jump — her VOL Championships mark of 18-3 ¾ is a personal record and the fifth best recorded in the section this season.
A handful of freshmen are making their Masters debut.
LaNicia Ellis from Western Athletic Conference champion Lathrop is running the 200, 400 and 4x100 relay. She placed first in the 400 and keyed the 400 relay’s win during the SJS Division IV/V meet. She was also the 200 runner-up.
East Union distance specialist Maury Ortiz narrowly advanced in the mile following his sixth-place finish in Division III.
Ripon sophomores Laila Irigoyen and Bennie Dimas qualified for the 800 and part of mile relay quartets consisting of all underclassmen. Irigoyen helped Ripon earn its first Trans-Valley League title in girls track. Dimas is the reigning TVL and SJS Division V champion.
Others competing at Masters: East Union’s Julia Vezaldenos (100 hurdles) and Jaidyn Valencia (triple jump); Sierra’s Nicholas Stanley (110 hurdles), Jeida Alevender (400) and boys 4x400 relay; Lathrop’s Erielle De La Cruz (triple jump) and Maria Soto (3,200); and Ripon’s Abrahim Alsaidi (3,200).