SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis freshman Bianka Bagatelos finished fourth in the Division I girls' 800-meter run, not long after sophomore Sophia Kadel placed eighth in the D-I girls' 1,600, with each earning berths to the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters finals by virtue of their overall rankings at the Sac-Joaquin Section track & field divisional finals and Masters trials, held at Hughes Stadium Saturday.
Schools from Division I through V converged at Sacramento City College, making each event both a final for the SJS division championships plus the prelim for the SJS Masters Championship at Folsom on May 23. The top 24 finishers overall in the 1,600, top 12 in the 800 or any field event, plus the 10 top in all other running event advances from Saturday's meet to the Masters. The Masters meet, in turn, will serve as the qualifier to the CIF State Championships in Fresno.
Kadel finished the 1,600 meters with a time of five minutes, 13.48 seconds. With seven faster runners in Division I, four in D-II, five in D-III and two each in D-IV and D-V, she still had the 21st-best time in the combined field of runners, earning one of the 24 berths in the Masters meet.
A few hours later, Bagatelos ran a 2:17.75 in the D-I 800 meters, trailing a trio of fellow Sierra Foothill League runners: winner Kaylee Smith of Whitney (2:15.31), Kailee Mallow of Davis (2:16.29) and another Wildcat, Addison Ewers (2:17.56). Christian Brothers' Veronica White ran a 2:15.81 to win the D-II race, while four members of the D-III field went 2:17.63 or faster. That makes Bagatelos the No. 10 overall runner in the meet, earning another ticket to the Masters in Folsom next weekend.
Kadel was the lone Troubadour to compete in multiple D-I finals, as she followed her 1,600 by finishing 11th in the 800 (2:28.03). St. Francis also had the largest representation in the 1,600, with Holly Thorall placing 12th (5:16.99), Halle Welch crossing in 15th (5:24.51) and Chloe Harrison finishing 17th (5:25.96).
St. Francis also had one entrant in each of the throws. Freshman Abigail Carrothers closed out her season with a push of 32 feet, seven inches for seventh place in the D-I shot put. Senior Antonija Jezildzic followed in the discus ring, firing a 105-5 throw on her fifth attempt to place sixth overall among the D-I flight.
The SJS Masters finals take place at Prairie City Stadium at Folsom High on May 23. St. Francis will have Kadel, Bagatelos, plus its 4x800 relay squad and its 3,200 qualifiers from the May 9 divisional trials. The latter crew comprises champion Alyssa Gutierrez plus Miya Menza, Kadel, Harrison, Rebecca Dickson and Emily Colonnello. The actual start time for running events has yet to be determined, although the first field events begin at 1 p.m.
2026 SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION DIV. I TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS & MASTERS TRIALS
Sacramento City College - Hughes Stadium (Sacramento, Calif.)
Events with SF entrants only • Winner plus SF finishers listed
GIRLS' DIV. I 1,600 METERS - 1. Norah Feldt, Davis, 5:01.11... 8. Sophia Kadel, 5:13.48; 12. Holly Thorall, 5:16.99; 15. Halle Welch, 5:24.51; 17. Chloe Harrison, 5:25.96.
GIRLS' DIV. I 800 METERS - 1. Kaylee Smith, Whitney, 2:15.31... 4. Bianka Bagatelos, 2:17.75; 11. Sophia Kadel, 2:28.03.
GIRLS' DIV. I SHOT PUT - 1. Elizabeth Ojukwu, Pleasant Grove, 38-2... 7. Abigail Carrothers, 32-7.
GIRLS' DIV. I DISCUS THROW - 1. Gracelynne Duenas, Lodi, 141-10... 6. Antonija Jezildzic, 105-5.
