Four San Lorenzo Valley boys track and field runners qualified for the first California indoor track and field invitational, which will be Feb. 6 at Fresno State University.
The meet, in its first year, will be considered the state championship for indoor track and field in the state.
Cougars Steven Cooper, Allan Hetke, Alejandro Torres and Matt Shisler all qualified for the meet by finishing in the top four at an all-comers meet at Los Gatos High School on Jan. 23.
At Lost Gatos, Cooper topped the field in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.2 seconds. He also ran the 300 hurdles in 44.2 seconds, but he will run only the 55-meter race at the state meet.
Torres finished second in the 800-meter run in two minutes, 1.62 seconds, followed by teammate Shisler, who finished in 2:02.26, good for third.
Freshman Cody Johnson finished sixth in 2:05.78 and did not qualify for state.
Hetke, a distance runner, also had a strong day, finishing the 3,200-meter run in 9:45.27.
The indoor season is a precursor to the outdoor track season that takes place in the spring, and Cougars track coach Rob Collins sees budding potential.
“This year is definitely going to be a special group of boys,” Collins said. “Our goal is trying to get five boys under two minutes (in the 800-meter run).”
To augment the spring track season, Collins plans to take a relay team to New York in March to compete in the 4-by-800-meter relay and the distance medley relay at a national meet.
