Locals compete at CIF track and field prelims

Persis William-Mensah gets to run in her own backyard again.

The Estancia High senior sprinter headlines one of many local track and field athletes competing in the CIF Southern Section Division 3 preliminaries at Jim Scott Stadium on Saturday at 11 a.m.

William-Mensah is in both the 100- and 200-meter girls’ events. The UC Irvine-bound runner advanced after winning both races at the Orange Coast League finals for the fourth straight season.

“CIF Prelims have always been at Estancia since my freshman year, so I’m pretty used to it,” William-Mensah said. “I love the home support and the familiarity that comes with the fact that I practice on the same track every day.”

William-Mensah is joined by teammate Rebekah Lewis, who is in the discus throw and shotput events. Lewis won the discus at the Orange Coast League finals for the second straight season and placed second in the shotput.

Estancia has Luigi Gonzalez and Tyler Thomas in the boys’ preliminaries. Gonzalez is the league discus champion and Thomas placed second in the shotput at league.

Costa Mesa is sending senior standout Quinton Bell, who made it in the 100 and 200, as well as in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Bell, the Orange Coast League champion in each of his events, is joined on the 4x100 by Jamil Douglas, Xavier Bell and Michael Dias, and in the 4x400 by Brett Bermudez, Anuare Magna and John Hernandez.

Bell set a league meet record in the 200, finishing in 21.82 seconds, and he anchored the 4x400 relay to a meet record time of 3 minutes, 29.62 seconds.

Bermudez is also competing in the 1,600 and 3,200, events he won at league finals.

Corona del Mar has the biggest group of the three local schools at the Division 3 preliminaries.

On the boys’ side, the Sea Kings have Spencer Keith (1,600 and 3,200), Giovanni Gentosi (shotput and discus), Alex Wilde (high jump), Matt Hurst (200 and 400), Anthony Cappel-West (pole vault), Ryan Myers (pole vault), Patrick Jennings (pole vault), Ethan Hold (800), and Michael Pierotti (discus) in individual events.

CdM’s 4x100-relay team of Sutton Barbato, Barrett Barbato, Danny Giger and Hurst are in the prelims, along with its 4x400-relay team of Austin Baxter, Wilde, Hold and Hurst.

The CdM girls feature Emma Kratzberg (100 hurdles and 300 hurdles), along with Maria King (shotput), Asha Hardy (high jump), Kayla Wensley (shotput), Emily Glenn (long jump), Amanda Cooper (discus), and Hannah Bagdasar (discus) in individual events.

The Sea Kings’ 4x100 relay (Jillian Beese, Sophie Shambrook, Glenn and Tiffany Ginger) and 4x100 relay (Erika Anderson, Elin Wolker, Glenn and Kratzberg) are in the prelims.

In the Division 2 preliminaries at Moorpark High on Saturday at 11 a.m., Newport Harbor will have Will Fortier (shotput), Stephen Mantei (discus and shotput), Cole Smith (shotput and discus), Kyle Fagan (pole vault), Chance Siemonsma (100), and Quest Truxton, Siemonsma, Rory Fleming and Cory Stowell (4x100) participating in the boys’ meet.

Newport Harbor’s girls are represented by Natalie Ward (300 hurdles), Rachelle A La Torre (shotput and discus), Emily Bacon (3,200), and Paige Fults, Ward, Lauren Loucks and Hope Bender (4x400).

Sage Hill is at the Division 4 preliminaries at Carpinteria High on Saturday at 11 a.m. Sage Hill has seven boys, CJ McCord (high jump, 400, 4x100 and 4x400), Nima Nakhjavani (100, 200 and 4x100), Kavi Sakraney (high jump, 4x100, 4x400), Chance Kuehnel (high jump, 110 hurdles, 4x100), Jack Renton (4x400), Zach Burns (4x400), and Vince Wetmore (pole vault), and four girls, Emily Lassiter (pole vault, 800 and 4x400), Brittany Andressoo (3,200 and 4x400), Liz Alvarez (4x400), and Julia Lowe (4x400).

To advance out of the preliminaries to the championship finals, the nine competitors with the best marks in each field event will qualify. The running events are different, as the winner of each heat will qualify, along with the next fastest time to total nine competitors.

— From staff reports