GILROY — Jose Sedano couldn’t believe it.
After sitting out more than half the season with a lingering torn meniscus injury in his right knee, the Pajaro Valley High senior sprinter finally regained the form that had several college track programs calling after last season.
Sedano sped through the 100-meters in 11.21 seconds, breaking his old school record and finishing fifth at Friday’s Monterey Bay League Master’s Meet to advance to the Central Coast Section track and field semifinals for the second year in a row.
“I’m shocked,” Sedano said. “I have no idea how I did it.”
He added after a pause: “But I’ll take it.”
Sedano was one of 14 individual local athletes that will return to Gilroy High for the CCS semifinals, which are scheduled for May 20. The Monte Vista Christian 4×100 relay (44.3, 5th) and North Monterey County High’s 4×400 relay (3:35.47, 5th) also advanced to CCS.
Sedano’s teammate, senior Rubi Genis, advanced in the high jump after clearing 4 feet, 8 inches to take third.
North Monterey County High sophomore distance runner Agustin Saldivar continued his late-season explosion by finishing first in the 1,600 (4:32.12) and second in the 800 (2:00.64).
Saldivar, who missed several days of practice earlier in the season because of issues at home, said he had plenty left in the tank after both races and is eager to show it next week.
“I was just going for a place,” Saldivar said. “I felt relaxed through the whole race.”
Watsonville High junior mid-distance runner Daniela Salazar continued to push her limits in what has easily become her breakout season. She not only cruised to first in the 800 (2:24.99) — her bread-and-butter event in which she holds the school record — but dipped deep into her endurance and finished fourth in the 3,200 with a personal best of 11:54.34 to advance.
Fellow Wildcat Jose Villanueva also set a CCS qualifying mark but will not return to Gilroy. He’ll be in Idaho at a family wedding. Villanueva, a junior who worked his way back from a fracture in his hip at the end of last season, placed fourth (41-7.5) in the triple jump.
Watsonville senior Pedro Alcantara qualified in both the shot put (44-7.5, 5th) and the discus (130-3, 4th) and his teammate Rolando Llamas also qualified in the discus with a personal best toss of 131-9, which was good enough for third.
Llamas said he had confidence that he would put on a much better showing than at last week’s MBL division championships in which he threw 119-8 and barely squeaked into Friday’s Master’s Meet because of a dislocated shoulder. Still, a more than 10-foot improvement on his personal best was a little unexpected.
“I knew I could’ve done better [last week],” Llamas said. “I proved that today.”
MVC’s star freshman pole vaulter Delaney Ezeji-Okoye again finished with the league’s best mark in the event (10-0) to advance to CCS.
On the boy’s side, MVC had seniors Jordan Marquez and Darren Selck advance in the 110 hurdles (16.27, 5th) and high jump (5-8, 5th), respectively.
NMC also advanced four other athletes: junior Sarah Delgado (800, 2:27.15, 5th), senior Elisa Ibarra (100 hurdles, 17.61, 5th), junior Jocelyn Cazarez (discus, 102-11, 5th) and senior Luis Contridas (pole vault, 11-6, 5th).
