In Blistering Heat, Kruthers Takes 4th

CLOVIS — Blistering heat did not stop 's Chelsea Kruthers from finishing strong in her last high school 800-meter race Saturday night at the CIF State Championships. 

In the opening lap, Kruthers fought a tough headwind in the backstretch and an agressive pack of runners, as all nine competitors looked to stay within reach of national record-holder, Amy Weissenbach of Harvard-Westlake in Studio City.

As the bell lap hit, Kruthers faced tough positioning. In the last 200 meters, she was boxed in at the curve and made a break for it in the last 50 meters, passing Chico's Kody Atkins and San Landro's Nijae Jones at the finish line.  Kruthers finished fourth with a time of 2:09.98, her second fastest time ever.

This race marks the end of a very successful season in which Kruthers has earned all-league, all-CIF and all-state honors. Her personal best time from Friday's State prelims put her in the record books for all-time best CIF performances and was the fastest 800 meter time produced by an Orange County athlete. 

She looks forward to continuing her career at the Division I level at San Diego State University on a full athletic scholarship. 

Reflecting on this past weekend, Kruthers noted: "It was a very rewarding experience for me to compete at such an elite meet with athletes who have been here before. This was my first trip to state champs and it gets me excited for big meets in the future." 

As her coach, here are my thoughts. This is just the start for Chelsea. It has been a privilege coaching her these past four years. Her dedication and drive to reach every goal set before her is incredible.  She has represented our school and program in the most positive light and I couldn't be any prouder to call her my athlete.

— Cat Nolan is the head coach of girls track and field at SJHHS.