The Whitney High track and field team will be represented at the California State Championships this weekend at Buchanan High School in Clovis, but only one athlete will carry the Wildcats’ colors. Andrew Franco took second in the boys 200-meter dash and third in the 400m to earn his trip south. The junior was .25 seconds off the winning time in the 200m and less than a second behind the winner in the 400m. Heartbreak came in the pole vault, where the boys’ Adam O’Brien and the girls’ Rachel Payan both missed a trip to state. “(O’Brien) just missed going to the state meet by one spot,” Whitney head coach Mark Snow said. “I am glad he had a really good meet because he had a rough last two weeks and to step up at the Masters Meet and do well was really important for him.” O’Brien’s effort of 14-feet-6-inches missed qualifying for state by three inches. Payan suffered a similar setback, also missing out on third place by three inches. The sophomore’s effort of 11-1 was only six inches off the winning mark. Payan also qualified for Masters in the high jump, but finished well back in that event. Zach Boroja could not get the discus to fly like it did at Bella Vista, where he was runner up in Division II with a throw of 136 feet. At Masters, his best effort was 124 feet. “Zach Boroja had an off day in the discus and did not do as well as he expected, but it’s a progression that will benefit his development for next year’s track season,” Snow said. “The fire to do well is burning inside him and I expect he will come out next year as the guy to beat at league and the section meet.” At Masters, the only Capital Valley Conference athlete to beat Boroja was Roseville’s James Jones; Jones is a senior. Whitney’s Dagne Buck made amazing strides in the shot put and was the Division II champion at Bella Vista. After throwing the shot 47-3 at divisional, his goal was 50 feet at Masters and he did not disappoint. The junior hurled the iron 50-1, but finished sixth in the event. “He is another junior on our team that will make us a very formidable team next year,” Coach Snow said. “The expectations will be really, really high.” In anticipation of next year, the following results at Masters also reflect the performance of the CVC.