CdM’s Buckley takes third

SACRAMENTO — With the sun shining on a packed track, Corona del Mar High’s Shelby Buckley had to fight the rest of the girls’ 1,600 meters field as well as the elements at the CIF State Championships.

Buckley, the CIF Southern Section Masters champion, finished third in the finals to medal at the state meet Saturday at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento in front of a crowd of 11,171.

“It was dry out there, I had to keep licking my lips,” said Buckley, who came in at 4 minutes, 45.39 seconds.

Having a solid game plan entering the race helped the junior finish strong.

Coming in, Buckley and CdM Coach Bill Sumner had a pretty good idea that senior Christine Babcock of Woodbridge, Anna Sperry of Simi Valley and Chelsea Reilly of Davis would lead the pack. Buckley, also the CIF Southern Section Masters champ, wanted to settle in at fourth and make a late break.

“She was supposed to keep an eye on the leaders,” Sumner said. “And if somebody makes a mistake, then pounce.”

Sperry and Babcock set their own pace, leaving the rest of the field behind, but Buckley was able to overtake Reilly to finish more than two seconds ahead of fourth place.

Babock won the race in 4:38.85, which is the second best time in the national record books.

“She kind of lost contact with the two leaders,” Sumner said of Buckley. “Her last 250 was off the charts.”

Buckley will return next season more seasoned to push for that top spot in the 1,600.

“She just needs a little more experience,” Sumner said.

Corona del Mar senior Sarah Cummings also competed at the state meet in the 3,200. A tangle up at the gun caused a restart, but when they started running Cummings found a position in fourth place.

“She ran fourth a big portion of the race,” Sumner said. “But they went out too fast, and she doesn’t have a kick like some of those other girls.”

She finished 14th with a time of 10:54.01.

Cummings is headed for Princeton next season, where she will more likely compete at the 5,000-meter level. After all, Cummings showed her ability at longer distances when she won the CIF Division III cross country title last fall.