Danna Ibarra Canales wins state title

The Saddleback women's track & field season finished with a bang on Saturday at the 3C2A State Track & Field Championships held at Saddleback College.  Danna Ibarra Canales won the state title in the 1,500 meters, setting a program record in the process.

Ibarra Canales won the 3C2A Southern California Regional title a week earlier so hopes were high that she could repeat as champion when all the top runners in the state collected at the state championships.  Ibarra Canales did not disappoint, taking the lead with just over 100 meters remaining and giving the home fans a thrill when she cruised across the finish line in the front of the pack.  Her time of 4:39.39 was over seven seconds faster than her result at the regional finals and put her into the record books as the fastest time in program history.  Ibarra Canales broke the record set by Angel Vallier back in 2017 (4:43.08).  You can view the race on the video link above (23:40 mark, 1,500 meters).  

Ibarra Canales wasn't finished as she came back to compete in the 800 meters later in the day.  She crossed the finish line in 2:18.85 to finish fifth in the 800 meters to pick up another four points for the team.  The 14 points from Ibarra Canales put Saddleback in 18^th place overall, giving the program top-20 finishes in each of the past six state finals.