NORWALK — Thanks to a much-needed last-second push, Sadee Martinez can look forward to heading to Sacramento.
Martinez, a Burroughs High junior distance runner, needed every ounce of energy to cross the finish line and accomplish a remarkable feat.
Martinez set a personal record of 4 minutes 58.82 seconds in the girls' 1,600 meters Friday at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk to earn a spot in the coveted CIF State Track and Field Meet.
Placing 11th Friday, she met the automatic qualifying time of 4:59.23, eclipsed the school record she set May 19 in the CIF Southern Section Division II Finals in the process.
So, with less than a second to spare, Martinez can now make plans to head north to the state capital.
"I knew it would be tough," said Martinez, who also took part in the CIF-State Cross-Country Championships in Fresno last November. "When I got toward the finish line, I wanted to push myself.
"It's great to keep my season going. You just have to dig deep and want it more."
All 12 runners in Friday's race qualified for the State Meet, which will be held Friday and June 2 at Sacramento City College's Hughes Stadium. The 1,600 runners will take part in a qualifying race Friday with the chance to advance to the finals the following day.
Shelby Buckley of Corona del Mar won Friday's race in 4:46.80. Crescenta Valley junior Claire Collison, who competes in the Pacific League with Martinez, clocked 4:54.84 to take seventh and also advance.
When Martinez entered the final lap of the 1,600, she fell well behind the lead pack. However, she came on strong over the last 20 meters.
"The whole race, everybody was close to each other," Martinez said. "I got tired midway through, but it was really exciting.
"I'm proud of what I accomplished."
Burroughs Coach John Peebles said Martinez competed in quality meets, such as Arcadia Invitational in April, which helped her prepare for her first trip to the Masters Meet.
"She had some good competition," Peebles said. "That's helped her step it up lately.
"She just continues to put the effort in. With that effort, hopefully everything turns out well."
Martinez became the first Burroughs track and field athlete to compete in the Masters Meet since Carolyn Brown qualified in the girls' 800 in 2002. Brown was a two-time state qualifier.
Martinez is the first Indians athlete to qualify for state competition in cross-country and track and field during the same school year.
In November, Martinez finished strongly in the Division I cross-country race at Woodward Park in Fresno, placing 20th in 18:43. Her time was the 65th fastest of the 928 girls in five division races on the day.
Just qualifying for the state meet was a historic undertaking for Martinez. She became the first athlete — male or female — in Burroughs history to earn a spot in the prestigious meet, which began in 1987.
Martinez was an All-Area and All-Pacific League honoree in cross-country.
