Demirbas takes gold in the high jump to pace Pirates at State Meet

MISSION VIEJO -- It was a very memorable final meet of the season for the Orange Coast College women's track and field team as the Pirates finished sixth overall with 39 points at the 2024 3C2A Track and Field State Championships on Saturday at Saddleback College.

"What a great season," OCC head coach Jennifer Williams said. "Our Pirates placed sixth in the state and fourth in SoCal. It was definitely a team effort. We had all event groups represented at the State Meet ... throwers, sprinters, hurdlers, jumpers and distance athletes. That shows the dedication of all of our coaching staff and having a staff that is recruiting, training and mentoring these athletes is what makes this team so special."

Leading the way for the Pirate women was standout freshman, Esmeray Demirbas, who picked up the entire rainbow of medals at the State Meet, including a state championship in the high jump, when she cleared 5-feet-5 inches to take the gold. Demirbas joined Cerritos College's Zharia Taylor in clearing 5-5, but Demirbas earned the gold on clearing the bar in fewer attempts.

It was a BUSY weekend for Demirbas, who qualified in three individual events and helped run in OCC's 4x100 relay. In the 400 hurdles -- Demirbas' final event of the meet -- she earned the silver medal with a time of 1:01.89, just behind Moorpark's Ava Ball's time of 1:01.89. In the 400, it was a battle to the finish, where she earned the bronze medal with a time of 56.05, just behind Antelope Valley's Kayla Thompson (55.54) and Cerritos' Elena Mack (55.8).

"It was an incredible experience to compete in the state meet," Demirbas said. "From this being my first season of track ever, being able to go this far was crazy. Truly I give it all to God. The competition was great, and it was great exposure to put under my belt for the future. Being able to compete in multiple events at OCC was not easy, and there were times where I wanted to only do one. Being supported by my coach and teammates really helped me keep going and I am very glad I went to OCC ... not only for track, but for school as well. The environment and people are very welcoming."

In addition to her individual performances, Demirbas joined Chloe Guerena, Dagmar Wong and Annabelle Low in the 400-meter relay and helped the Pirates finish sixth in the state with a time of 49.2.

In the hammer throw, freshman standout Abigail Gavrilovic capped off a magical first year with the Pirates by earning state runner-up with a throw of 162-2, topped in the state only by San Joaquin Delta's Isabella Popejoy (178-0).

"I am beyond grateful," Gavrilovic said. "God, family, friends and my coaches have been a constant and I'm beyond blessed with my achievements this season."

Guerena earned an individual medal in the 200, where she finished sixth overall with a time of 24.86.

Low had herself a busy weekend, competing in the heptathlon, where she finished 12th overall with 3,594 points. In those seven events, Low earned a state championship in the 800 with a winning time of 2:29.66, over four seconds faster than runner-up Savannah Showemaker of Cuesta College (2:33.74).

Distance specialist Liberty Miller got to know the Saddleback track very well, competing in both the 1,500 and 5,000. In the 1,500, she finished seventh in the state with a time of 4:48.56, while in the 5K, she placed 8th with a time of 18:06.65.

In the javelin, Paityn Wilkins finished ninth overall with a mark of 111-7 and she placed 10th overall in the pole vault with a jump of 10-2.

Photos from the 2024 State Meet, courtesy of Luke Lastra, can be found HERE.