Track and field: Records fall in boys’ and girls’ 3,200s

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Whew! What a meet the 2008 CIF state championships has turned out to be.

Jordan Hasay of San Luis Obispo Mission Prep broke a state meet record in the girls’ 3,200 meters, holding off Laurynne Chetelat of Davis to win the eight-lap event in a stunning 9 minutes 52.13 seconds Saturday afternoon at Cerritos College. Chetelat finished in 9:52.51, which was also bettered the previous state meet record of 9:52.80, established by Kim Mortensen of Thousand Oaks in 1996.

Not to be outdone, German Fernandez of Riverbank came back from his record-setting time in the boys’ 1,600 to smash the national record in the 3,200, winning in 8:34.23. The previous national high school mark was 8:41.10, established by Dathan Ritzenhein of Rockford, Mich., in 2000.

Combined with Christine Babcock’s national record in the girls’ 1,600, long-time track enthusiasts are calling this meet the greatest distance performance display they’ve ever since at the high school level.

-- Dan Arritt

Note: For up-to-the-minute results of the CIF state championship meet, check here.