Posted: Mar 12, 2022
DAVIS, Calif. – Junior Maddie Pelfrey won the varsity girls' pole vault and improved to No. 2 in school history with a leap of 11 feet, 10 inches highlighting action by a small crew of St. Francis athletes at Davis Senior High School's Halden Invitational Saturday.
Pelfrey's mark surpasses her previous best of 11-6, set at Oakmont's Glenn Poole Invite back on February 26. She surpasses Notre Dame alumna and 2004 Big East champ Laura Huarte (2002 Meet of Champions) and 2007 UCLA double All-American Ingrid Kantola (2004 Sac-Joaquin Section Finals), who now share third place in the Troubadour record book at 11-9. Pelfrey cleared 15 inches higher than any other competitor in the meet, besting Pioneer's Maddy Juhler (10-7).
Current St. John's sophomore Meghan Ladd holds the school record with her 12-0 leap from the 2018 Bronco Distance Carnival.
Pelfrey had one of two event wins on the day for St. Francis, as Elise Blomquist captured the frosh-soph shot put at 27-8. Other high Troubie finishes belonged to junior Donna Valizadeh, who placd third in the varsity vault behind Pelfrey and Juhler with a 9-7 effort. Sophomores Ava Forte and Kendal Graham finished in ties of second and fourth, respectively, in the frosh-soph vault with matching heights of 7-0.
Among the throwers, Emika Garcia led the SF varsity trio in the discus with a 10th-place mark of 67-7. Mackenzie Santos placed fifth in the frosh-soph shot (24-8.75) and sixth in the frosh-soph discus (72-6).
The St. Francis track & field season continues in a week at Sheldon's Husky Invitational on March 19.
2022 HALDEN INVITATIONAL TRACK & FIELD
Halden Field (Davis, Calif. )
St. Francis events only • winners plus Troubadour finishers shown
GIRLS' VARSITY POLE VAULT - 1. Maddie Pelfrey, St. Francis, 11-10... 3. Donna Valizadeh, 9-7.
GIRLS' FROSH-SOPH POLE VAULT - 1. Aine Walsh, Davis, 7-0... t2. Ava Forte, 7-0p; t4. Kendal Graham, 7-0.
GIRLS' VARSITY SHOT PUT - 1. Isabella Popejoy, Rio Americano, 31-1.0… 8. Emika Garcia, 28-0; 19. Khalen Chiddick, 19-6.5; 26. Sophie Harris, 17-3.25.
GIRLS' FROSH-SOPH SHOT PUT - 1. Elise Blomquist, St. Francis, 27-8.0... 5. Mackenzie Santos, 24-8.75; 7. Magdalena Becerril, 24-3.0.
GIRLS' VARSITY DISCUS THROW - 1. Nellee Bitners, Davis, 119-1... 10. Emika Garcia, 67-7; 20. Sophie Harris, 53-2; 23. Khalen Chiddick, 47-2.
GIRLS' FROSH-SOPH DISCUS THROW - 1. Isabella Backus, River City, 81-9... 6. Mackenzie Santos, 72-6; 9. Elise Blomquist, 61-5; 19. Magdalena Becerril, 40-11.
