Giants' Bagley, Miller win bronze medals at State Track and Field Championships

By Nick Giannandrea

COS ATHLETICS

Shane Bagley and Ivy Miller captured bronze medals to highlight the performances of College of the Sequoias' athletes during the California Community College Athletic Association's State Track and Field Championships.

Bagley, a freshman from Lemoore High, finished third in the men's pole vault, while Miller, a freshman from Exeter, was third in the women's 400-meter hurdles on May 20 at Modesto Junior College.

Bagley and Miller were among 11 Giants who competed in the final event of the 2022-2023 CCCAA season.

In the men's pole vault, Bagley along with Mt. San Antonio's Ethan Amata and Jered Beasley all cleared the fourth height of 15-feet-, 8.75-inches on their first attempts. 

Amata got over the next height -- 16-0 -- on his first vault. Beasley clearned on this second, while Bagley, who won the Northern California title on May 13, failed on all three of his attempts. Amata went on to win the event with a vault of 17-0.75.

Bagley's third-place finish (15-8.25) provided six of the 15 points scored by the Giants' men, good for 15th place in the team standings. Mt. San Antonio won the men's team title with 175.50 points.

Miller, the NorCal champion, entered the 400 hurdles with the state's fourth -fastest qualifying time when combined with the hurdlers from the Southern California Championships.

But Miller improved on that by finishing third in 1 minute and 3.35 seconds, shaving nearly a second off the 1:04.2 she ran at NorCal. Miller finished behind champion Isela Ochoa of Merritt (1:02.67) and second-place Alyssa Matsuzaki of El Camino (1:02.97).

Miller scored six of the 13 points scored by the Giants' women, good for 19th place in the team standings. Mt. SAC won with 151.50 points.

Sequoias' next-best performance came from its men's 400 relay team, with Noah Jimenez (Kingsburg), Derrick Jones (Houston), Justyce Kahuanahana (Hawaii) and Isaiah Kemp (Hawaii) placing fourth in 41.04. All four are sophomores. Mt. SAC won the race in 40.07.

The Giants' men also saw Kahuanahana place sixth (14.75) and sophomore Alexander Mederos (Tulare Western) place ninth (15.51) in the 110 hurdles won by Riverside's Joshuas Hornsby (13.85); sophomore Alberto Nunez (Golden West) place eight (162-8) in the javelin won by Hartnell's Zachary Smith (200-10); and Jones place ninth (22.11) in the 200 won by Mt. SAC's Kerry Smith (21.37). 

Sequoias' freshman Chase Huguenard (Righetti-Santa Maria) competed in the shot put, but did not place after fouling on his three attempts.

For the Giants' women, freshman Ejaiya Burton (Tulare Western) was fourth in the 400 (56.89) and eighth in the 200 (25.17). Mt. SAC's Jaiden Hall (55.05) and Amari Weatherford (23.84) were the champions in the 400 and 200, respectively.

Sequoias' other state qualifier was sophomore Liliana Salado (Mt. Whitney), who placed eight in the 5,000 in 18:51.72. Redwoods' Hannah Hartnell won the 5,000 in 17:12.83.

Salado dropped nearly 22 seconds off effort at the NorCal finals, where she placed second.