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For seven out of the eight track and field squads competing at Saturday’s league qualifying meet, “EBAL” stood for East Bay Athletic League. For the ambitious Berkeley High girls squad, however, that anagram could have stood for its minimalist approach to the meet: that is, “Eke By At Least.” 

With their speed already tested and proven, the Yellowjackets looked at Saturday’s qualifiers more as a test of efficiency. Because Berkeley’s record-setting sprint contingent had to be whisked away to Sacramento’s Meet of Champions to perform that same evening, coach Darrell Hampton was forced to distribute his girls’ energy resources, at the expense of the EBAL qualifying times. As it turned out, however, the challenge of being two places at once proved to be a bigger obstacle for BHS than the opposing athletes, and the ’Jackets managed to qualify in all expected events. 

“Everything went according to plan, and some things went better. I believe we got the best out of (the weekend),” Hampton said after the meets. “Our thing was to use the morning to learn how to conserve.” 

As expected, Berkeley High swept the individual EBAL sprint events, with Katrina Keith, T’carra Penick and Aisha Margain winning the 100m, 200m and 400m, respectively. Simone Brooks, also a member of the 4x100 team, contributed a first-place finish in the 100m hurdles, running a 15.31 to edge San Ramon Valley’s Michelle Cook. Cook would get the better of Brooks in he 300m hurdles, but the BHS senior still posted a qualifying 48.91 mark to take third.  

Granada dominated the field events, taking first in the shot, discus and pole vault, but two Berkeley girls, both jumpers, also found themselves among the qualifying field athletes. Long jumper Tatiana Newman leapt 15-11 to take fourth, while state-title candidate Laura Winnacker breezed through a 4-6 qualifying round in the high jump. 

“We’re looking good. I’m very happy with where we are right now as a team,” Hampton said. “I keep looking at the (statewide) numbers. I thought we’d be third (in the state) right now, for sure, but we may be second.” 

Despite Hampton’s plans, Saturday’s EBAL qualifying meet did turn out to affect his girls’ performance at Sacramento’s Meet of Champions. Berkeley’s 4x100 relay team of Margain, Penick, Keith and Brooks arrived too late to compete in the event, and had to be content with a first-place finish in the other relay – the 4x400. The Berkeley contingent won the longer event comfortably, posting a 4:02 against a field of competitors that Hampton said was depleted from the original entrants. 

“I don’t know if we’re becoming bullies, or what, but (the other teams) started leaving when we showed up,” the BHS coach said. “I was a little disappointed by that. We came to run. But our team was still very good.” 

Though overshadowed as usual by their female counterparts, the Berkeley boys also managed to make a sound in the EBAL meet, qualifying in two individual events. Gimey Baird will represent the Yellowjackets in the 200m at this Saturday’s EBAL championship meet, having run a 23.13 on Saturday. Daveed Diggs won the 110m and 300m hurdles to qualify for the second straight year in both events. Diggs’ 14.64 mark in the 110m placed him almost two full seconds ahead of his closest competitor – Monte Vista’s Brian Gromer.  

“They’ll all be ready for this weekend,” the BHS coach said about Saturday’s league championships, which marks the last time the ’Jackets will compete in the EBAL, before switching leagues next season. “We’re going to break a bunch of records. Before we go into another league next year, it’s important to leave our lega