Pittsburg pole vaulter Khaliq Muhammad among athletes to watch at NCS Meet of Champions
There's only one state leader among the competitors heading into the two-day North Coast Section Meet of Champions at Dublin High School.
Pittsburg senior Khaliq Muhammad leads all Californians in the pole vault with a mark of 17 feet, 2 inches, one inch better than University City-San Diego senior Kai Anderson. Muhammad, who finished second at state last year to Anderson, has cleared 17-2 twice, the last time at the Bay Valley Athletic League championships on May 7.
Last week he broke the NCS Tri-Valley championship meet record at 17-0½, and Friday he'd love to challenge the NCS MOC record of 17-8½ set in 1987 by Acalanes-Lafayette's Brent Burns.
Field event finals Saturday start at 2 p.m., and the first races begin at 4:30 p.m.
The top three finishers and qualifying marks advance to next week's state meet at Buchanan High School in Clovis (Fresno County).
'Khaliq's competitive attitude is off the charts,' said Pittsburg's 17th-year head coach Aaron Alatorre. 'He never shies away from the moment and does whatever it takes to improve himself.'
His sister Jathiyah Muhammad won the state pole vault last season (13-9) and is now competing for the University of Arizona. Their father, Gary, is a first-year coach for the Pirates but has coached the sport for years, most notably at James Logan-Union City.
To improve his marks this season, Khaliq has worked on his speed and run the 100, 200 and 400 meters and 300 hurdles, improving all marks considerably throughout the season. His best times are 11.66 (100), 24.19 (200), 55.36 (400) and 43.31 (300 hurdles). Few, if any pole vaulters, would make such a physically taxing sacrifice to improve at his true craft.
Heading into Friday, he's bettered his 16-4 mark from the 2024 state meet 10 times and gone at least 17-0 five times in competition.
'He's under a little pressure (to win state) because his sister did it last year,' Alatorre said with a laugh. 'He's had a great season to date.'
So has teammate Tim Edwards, a senior sprinter who anchored the Pirates to a stunning state 4x100 relay title last year. Edwards has expanded his range to the 400, where his 47.47 best last week at the NCS Tri-Valley meet places him 15th in the state. He also won the 200 last week (21.51) and hopes to elevate the Pirates relay from their best of 42.00, which is well off their winning state time of 40.77 last season.
Football star Jamar Searcy (Wake Forest signee) is the only other returner to the 4x100 team, but Ahmaud Thompson and Elijah Bow have improved greatly and should help the Pirates compete with favorites El Cerrito (40.87, fifth in state) and De La Salle-Concord (40.91, sixth in state) for the top of the podium.
Pittsburg placed third at MOC last season before its shocking state title.
More NCS track and field athletes to watch: Montgomery-Santa Rosa senior distance runner Hanne Thomsen, who has signed to Stanford, has the state's second-best mark in the 1,600 (4:41.16) and the 3,200 (9:58.17). She won the state 3,200 as a freshman, placed fourth in the 1,600 as a sophomore and last year placed second in the event (9:59.81). Thomsen has dropped the 800 but has the state's No. 6 mark (2:09.04). … Other top-10 state marks this season from NCS athletes: De La Salle junior sprinter Jaden Jefferson has the state's No. 7 100 time in 10.39. He finished fourth at state last season and is the defending MOC champion. … De La Salle senior Trey Caldwell is ninth in the 3,200 (8:58.17). … Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa junior Devon Bertoli is fifth in the shot put (60-9½). … San Marin-Novato senior Trenton Jepma is ninth in the discus (180-4). … Benicia senior Grady Wachob is tied for 10th in the high jump (6-8). … Encinal-Alameda senior Levi Harte is 10th in the long jump (23-9). … In the boys triple jump, Bishop O'Dowd-Oakland senior Cameron Jones is sixth (48-7) and De La Salle senior Ant Dean is seventh (48-5). Branson-Ross sophomore Farah Allen is 10th in the 1,600 (4:48.13). … Bay School junior Soleil Warner is seventh in the 300 hurdles (42.29). … Monte Vista-Danville's 4x800 girls relay team of Sofia Fernandez, Cate Miller, Kaylie O'Connell and Ava Padilla is seventh (9:14.46). … Acalanes senior Dulcinea Vail is tied for seventh in the high jump (5-7¼). … St. Mary's-Berkeley junior Kira Gant Hatcher is ninth in the long jump (19-5½) and third in the triple jump (40-0½). Teammate Corinne Jones, a sophomore, is fifth in the triple jump (39-9¼).
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