The goal of nearly all high school track and field athletes is a
trip to the prestigious State Track and Field Championships in
June.
That was certainly the goal last weekend for Windsor athletes
Justin McQuaid, Laura Rogina, Richie Larsen and Matt Daugherty as
they competed in the Meet of Champions (MOC) at Edward¹s Stadium in
Berkeley on May 26 and 27.
Getting to State is a long, dusty road for all competitors, with
each athlete needing a top-four finish at their league finals to
qualify for the North Coast Section Championships the following
week. The Windsor foursome qualified to the MOC by virtue of a
top-seven finish at the NCS meet on May 20, and each was looking
for a top-four showing on Saturday, which would send them on to
State.
McQuaid capped an outstanding prep track career at the MOC with
a 22nd-place finish in the 3,200-meter event in a time of 10:31.79.
The talented senior distance specialist qualified for the meet a
week earlier with a personal best at NCS in 10:09.
Rogina, the reigning female SCL cross-country champion in just
her freshman year, also captured 22nd-place in the girls
1,600-meter race in a time of 5:34.02. Rogina qualified for the MOC
with a time of 5:25.14 at the NCS meet.
Larsen, one of the best hurdlers in WHS history, put the wraps
on a strong senior campaign with a 20th-place showing in the
110-meter hurdles at the MOC in 16.51. He came in with a qualifying
time of 16.19.
Daugherty, a talented junior hurdler, garnered the highest
finish at the MOC with a 14th-place showing in the 300-meter
hurdles in a personal record time of 42.43. He also competed in the
110-meter hurdles, taking 21st-place overall in 16.66.
