MERCED — Sierra junior Holden Fishburn set a new personal record while capturing a Sac-Joaquin Section Division III title in the discus throw Tuesday at Golden Valley High.
He is one of three area athletes who earned berths in next week’s SJS Masters Championships. Six events took place in Day 1 of the SJS Division III meet. The top six placers and any additional athlete who meets or surpasses at-large qualifying marks move on.
Fishburn hit his personal-best heave of 147 feet, 9 inches on his third and final attempt in the preliminaries. He scratched his first two tries in the and ended with a throw that covered 147-1 — the second longest of the day.
Fishburn isn’t done yet. He returns Thursday for the shot put, an event he won last week in the Valley Oak League Championships.
Fellow Timberwolf Miranda Miller is returning to Masters following a runner-up finish in the long jump. Her top measurement of 37-1 ½ was well shy of her program-record leap of 38-8 ¼ set at the VOL meet. She’ll compete in the pole vault and long jump on Thursday.
East Union’s Jaiden Valencia also advances in the triple jump, placing sixth with a 34-9 mark.
On the track, heat winners and the next best marks for a total of eight move on to Thursday’s finals. The second day begins with field events at 2:30 p.m. while track events begin at 6.
East Union senior Jadyn Snaer is in two track finals but came up short of a third after the Lancers’ 4x100 relay was disqualified. She won her heat in the 100-meter dash and clocked the third-seeded time at 12.25 seconds. She’s also seventh in the 200 in 25.76.
Other Lancers returning Thursday are Alexus Surnip (100 hurdles, fourth, 14.99) and Julia Vezaldenos (100 hurdles, seventh, 16.13). Surnip failed to qualify for Masters in the triple jump, but the Sac State-bound senior will get another chance Thursday with the long jump — one of two individual events she won in league.
Sierra senior Nicholas Stanley was the defending champion in the 300 hurdles but is not advancing in the event after placing 11th overall in 42.57. He did qualify for the 110 hurdles final, finishing seventh in 15.42.
Sierra’s Jeida Lavender is coming back for the 400. She is seeded sixth with a time of 1 minute, 0.55 seconds.
The Manteca boys 4x100 (eighth, 44.25) and Sierra boys 4x400 (sixth, 3:30.17) relays also made it through the finals.