SD Prep Sports: Track & Field

2007 San Diego Section
Spring Sports Log
Prep Track & Field

Features
San Diego Multi-Event Championships
Is Eric Avila the best ever?

California State Championships
One moment in time
Eric Avila — 3,200 state champion!

Eastlake 's Jett places fifth in state 1,600 run

Posted June 8, 2007
Bonita Vista senior Eric Avila had set a goal of going under nine minutes in the 3,200-meter event. With a winning time of 9:07.69 at the Mesa League championship meet on May 11, it only seemed a matter of time before he notched the magical mark before he finally left the Barons campus.

His first opportunity came at the San Diego Section prelim meet on May 19. He timed 9:27.64 as the top qualifier. He won the event in 9:17.95 a week later while dealing with an ill-timed bout of food poisoning.

That left one race before graduation: the state meet last weekend at Sacramento City College .

He timed 9:01.77 to just miss the goal — but, drum roll … won the event.

So close and yet … the gold at the end of the rainbow.

Southwest's Riley Washington captured the 100-meter dash with a state record time of 10.30 seconds at the 1992 finals. The Baron runner is believed to be only the second Metro distance runner ever to win a state track and field gold medal.

“It was an amazing weekend. It was a great way to end the year,” Avila said succinctly.

The race in question will be remembered for all who witnessed it firsthand as an amazing piece of running — or daring. In either case, the unheralded Bonita Vista runner had nothing to lose but everything to gain, as the old saying goes.

Avila was buried in the pack in the middle stages of the race, perhaps in 15th to 20th place, before he began to make his surge in the latter stages of the eight-lap event. After working his way through the field, he finally pulled away in the final 100 meters, out-kicking a quality field that ranked as one of the nation's best.

Avila 's accomplishment is to be savored, cherished, made part of local legend. In winning the 3,200 distance, the BV runner — who holds 13 school records — not only defeated defending state champion Michael Cybulski of Royal but the No. 1-ranked high school runner in the nation, Chad Hall of Big Bear, as well.

Down the final straightaway, Avila passed Hall, perhaps shocking the unsuspecting national cross country champion. Avila certainly shocked the crowd.

Hall gave chase. Avila looked over his shoulder and ignited the after-burners. He had saved his best for last, timing his dash to the finish perfectly.

Avila won almost in commanding fashion after leaving the field behind him, likely breaking the spirit of a few high-profile runners in the process.

Hall crossed the finish line nearly two seconds after Avila in 9:03.68. Cybulski finished eighth in 9:17.36. Riverbank junior German Fernandez was third in 9:08.05, followed by Trabuco Hills senior John Sullivan (fourth, 9:09.89), Clovis senior Mikel Thomas (fifth, 9:10.09), Davis senior Brendan Gregg (sixth, 9:12.54) and Trabuco Hills junior Scott Blair (seventh, 9:14.77).

The top six finishers received medals. Cybulski finished out of a medal. Fernandez and Blair return as next year's favorites.

Avila called the adrenaline rush from winning the race “unbelievable.”

However, the road to the state title did not develop overnight.

At the beginning of last summer, Avila sat down with coaches Julie and Jeff Phair to map out a training regimen for what turned out to be quite an eventful senior year. He had two goals: (1) to win the San Diego Section championship in cross country and place among the top three finishers at the ensuing state meet in Fresno and (2) to win the San Diego Section title in the 3,200 run and place among the top three finishers at the state championship meet.

“I achieved my goals in cross country and winning the state championship in the 3,200 was a bonus,” Avila said.

Jeff Phair said he believes Avila ranks up there with the best-ever distance runners in South Bay history, Danielson and Mar Vista great Troy Swier included. Avila could be the best — cross country and track and field combined. But that's best saved for another story.

Avila may have grabbed the section's spotlight, joining La Costa Canyon's Whitney Sisler (girls high jump) as the section's lone two state champions, but he was by no means the lone Metro athlete to earn a medal at this year's state championship meet.

In another showcase for South County athletes, Eastlake senior Austin Jett collected his second state medal in as many trips to the state finals by taking fifth place in the boys 1,600-meter run. He finished sixth in the same event last year.

Jett, in fact, looked as if he might win the 1,600 until fading in the final lap. He moved out to the early lead and threatened to leave several high profile runners in his wake, at least certainly discouraging many in the field.

But the Titan standout could not hold on and was passed by four runners as the pack headed toward the finish. Royal senior Hudson Andrews won the distance in 4:07.59, followed by University City super sophomore Mac Fleet in second place in 4:08.09, Palos Verdes senior Fawad Khan (4:11.38) in third place and St. Helena senior Brian Cole (4:11.74) in fourth place.

Jett timed 4:12.09 to come in just under the 4:11.69 he had posted the previous day in preliminary qualifying to break his career best in the distance after winning the section title the previous week in 4:12.13. In that same section field, Fleet had finished second in 4:14.49.

Jett also had claimed the section title in the boys 800 run but elected to scratch that event at the state meet. He entered Saturday's 1,600 finals with the fourth-fastest qualifying time behind Fleet (4:10.35), Andrews (4:10.60) and Riverside La Sierra senior Dylan Knight (4:10.67).

Knight finished eighth in the finals in 4:16.42.

Fleet, the son of 1971 state 3,200 champion Dale Fleet, appears one to enter his name in the Golden State 's record books before his prep career is over.

Though the baton appears ready to be passed, the spotlight shines for just a little while longer on the section's two reigning distance champions from the South Bay : Avila and Jett.

One memorable weekend, to be sure. Two memorable careers that have set the standard.

Feets of Magic
Boys 3,200-meter Run
Metro Conference Top Times
1. Tim Danielson ( Chula Vista ) 8:52.44 (8:55.4 Golden West Invitational), 1966
2. Jose Vega ( Chula Vista ) 9:01.12, 1982
3. Eric Avila (Bonita Vista) 9.01.77, 2007
4. Ellis Del Sol (Hilltop) 9:03.95, 1985
5. Hector Hernandez (Mar Vista ) 9:10.55, 1991

There is far more to life than winning

Bonita Vista senior Eric Avila admitted he was nervous before the start of the boys 3,200-meter race at last Saturday's state track and field championship meet at Sacramento City College . The reigning San Diego Section champion in the event, Avila was set to compete in a field of 30 of the top runners in the distance in the state — and against a handful in that group of the top runners in the nation.

Avila, the determined underdog, capped one of the most memorable — and certainly heroic — races in the 89th edition of the meet by winning the distance with a time of 9:01.77 to shock national leader Chad Hall of Big Bear (second) and defending state champion Michael Cybulski of Royal (eighth).

The time ranks third-fastest in the history of the Metro Conference. Avila , bound for Northern Arizona University this fall, appears to be running in a league of his own.

The charismatic Baron runner called the adrenaline rush he received from winning the state title “unbelievable.”

Unbeknownst to either him or his coach, the adrenaline would be pumping again — but for an entirely different reason — before the weekend was over.

“After winning the race Saturday night, I thought that it would be a long time before I'd ever be both that nervous and excited again,” Avila said.

On the return flight to San Diego on Sunday, the Southwest Airlines plane carrying Avila, teammate Mathew Seat and coach Julie Phair had to make an emergency landing in Oakland when it was determined that the landing gear of the plane had malfunctioned after takeoff.

“Shortly after take-off from Sacramento , the pilot told us that there was a problem with the landing gear and that the plane was being diverted to Oakland ,” Phair said. “Upon arriving at the Oakland airport, the plane made several low-level passes over the flight control tower so they could visually inspect the landing gear. We were told that the front landing gear had malfunctioned. So the plane had to circle San Francisco Bay many times while burning off fuel before we could make an emergency landing.”

Phair said the Oakland airport was selected because it had a longer runway.

The flight crew was very calm in preparing everyone for what could be a “rough” emergency landing.

“It is not like TV or a movie where all the passengers are hysterical and the hero has to take charge to calm everyone down,” said Seat, a finalist in the 3,200 meters at the section championships a week earlier. “We were definitely nervous, but we kept reassuring each other everything would be all right.”

But nerves had to be on edge as the plane finally began its final descent to Oakland

“When we circled the airport for the last time before landing and saw the runway lined with fire trucks and emergency vehicles, I wasn't the only one on the plane saying a prayer,” Phair said.

When the plane, carrying 118 passengers, finally landed, the nose gear collapsed, dropping the front end of the plane's fuselage directly onto the concrete runway.

“There was a loud bang and then a terrible scraping noise as the plane slid down the runway on its nose,” Avila said. “The initial jolt threw me forward and my head hit the seat in front of me.”

But the worst part was the smell that came up from the plane as it scraped along the runway, Seat said. “It was an awful burning toxic smell that filled the plane,” the BV runner said.

When the plane finally skidded to a stop, it was surrounded by fire trucks and emergency vehicles that sprayed the nose of the plane with fire-retardant foam.

If the adrenaline rush had not yet started, it was soon about to do so as the emergency evacuation commenced.

Said Avila : “No one panicked when the plane doors opened and the emergency slides came out. We were told to slide down the chutes and then get away from the plane. It was kind of ironic that I had the race of my life the night before in the state track championship race and here I was the next day thinking about having to run as fast as I could away from the plane once I slid down the chute in case the plane exploded.”

The Bonita Vista contingent arrived safely back in San Diego more than four hours late, but none the worse for the experience, according to Phair. The trio agreed that the biggest bonus of the weekend was that they all made it home safely.

“Waiting an hour for the plane to make an emergency landing really makes you stop and realize that winning races isn't the most important thing in life,” Avila said. “I thought a lot about my family and friends, and realized that is what really counts.”

The 2007 championship state medal will forever remind him of that.

San Diego Section championships
Jett, Avila make golden journey to state meet

Posted May 26, 2007
In the end, on a day in which it didn't turn out favorably for the bulk of the Metro Conference's qualifiers, there were the region's two reliables standing atop the awards stand: Eastlake senior Austin Jett and Bonita Vista senior Eric Avila.

Jett captured section titles in both the boys 800- and 1,600-meter runs while Avila reigned supreme as the section's boys 3,200 run champion.

They are the only South County qualifiers for next weekend's state meet.

Was it a train wreck for Metro athletes at Saturday's San Diego Section track and field championship meet?

Let's just say it was grossly disappointing, especially if you were a member of the Otay Ranch Mustangs.

Otay Ranch's boys team ended the regular season ranked second among the section's boys dual meet teams. Moreover, the Mustangs returned two state meet participants to this year's finals field.

Overall, 10 athletes entered in individual events plus those competing on two relay teams, once scratches were accounted for, represented Otay Ranch's boys team at last weekend's meet at Mt. Carmel High School. The Mustangs had three entrants in the boys high jump. None advanced to the state meet. Otay Ranch had two entries in the boys 110 high hurdles. Neither advanced, including Mesa League Male Athlete of the Year Ranee Woods, who owned the top regular season time in the event.

Instead of top three (state qualifying) finishes, there were a lot of fourth- through ninth- place finishes.

The day started out on an ominous note for the Mustangs perhaps when Mesa League Female Athlete of the Year Britney Bennett, a state meet qualifier last year, recorded a mark of 18-1.25 in the girls long jump to hold down third place in the event, only to be passed and relegated to a fourth-place finish by Escondido junior Tayler Williams (18-4). Bennett (12.66) later placed fifth (eighth among Division I sprinters) in the B-heat of the girls 100-meter dash.

That seemed to be the norm throughout the rest of the day for athletes representing one of the most power-packed teams ever assembled in the Metro Conference.

It wasn't necessarily that the Mustangs performed poorly. They were just out-jumped and out-run in a highly competitive field stacked with elite North County , City Conference and East County athletes.

Otay Ranch finished 10th in the boys team standings with 20 points— a distant 44 points behind team champion (and No. 1 ranked) Escondido .

El Camino finished in second place — a distant 34 points in front of the Mustangs.

Eastlake , represented by just two athletes, scored 22 points to place ninth.

Rancho Bernardo (third, 42 points), RBV (fourth, 39 points), Mission Hills (fifth, 34 points), Vista (sixth, 29 points), Serra (seventh, 28 points) and Oceanside (eighth, 25 points) all finished ahead of the South Bay 's top squad.

But then there were Jett and Avila — inarguably among the best runners ever to set foot upon a South County course.

Avila , who is bound for Northern Arizona University in the fall, received an armful of awards at Tuesday's Bonita Vista team awards banquet. Jett, who will continue his running career at UC Berkeley, returns to compete at the state meet.

Both hope to leave their imprint on the meet, starting with Friday's prelims and Saturday's finals at Sacramento State University .

The appropriately-named Jett set personal records (and likely school records as well) in topping both mid-distance events. He moved into the lead in both races early and held the lead, despite being fiercely challenged in the 800 run, to the finish.

The Titan runner timed 4:12.13 to win the 1,600 event, finishing more than two seconds ahead of runner-up Mac Fleet of University City (4:14.49) and third-place finisher Bret Hasvold of Fallbrook (4:15.84).

In the 800 event, run two hours later, Jett out-kicked Escondido senior Sean Lynum-Young by 0.42 seconds to score his double with a winning time of 1:54.02. Mission Hills senior Jaime Carrillo (1:54.56) finished third, followed by Mission Bay sophomore Charles Jock (1:54.61).

Jock, despite finishing fourth, qualified for the state meet after Jett elected to scratch the event and concentrate solely on competing in the 1,600 in Sacramento .

The 1,600 time eclipsed the 4:13.49 mark Jett posted en route to a sixth-place finish at last year's state finals. The time in the 800 easily out-paced his previous best on the season of 1:55.36 (Mesa League finals).

Jett said his goal was to win both events at the section finals.

“I was trying for 4:10 in the 1,600 but I went out too fast,” he said. “When I ran :56 for the first lap (in the 800), I knew I was going to PR.”

Otay Ranch senior Ivan Dallet finished sixth in the 800 field in 1:57.36 — faster than his CIF prelim qualifying time of 1:58.62 but slower than the school record time of 1:56.12 he set in placing runner-up to Jett at the Mesa League finals.

For those staying until the bitter end, the boys 3,200 race promised possibly to be a record-setter with Avila setting a goal to come in under nine minutes. However, a touch of the flu earlier in the week negated those plans and the Baron superstar — one can use that word here — focused instead on winning a strategic race.

“When I woke up sick Thursday morning, I knew I wasn't going to be able to go under nine minutes,” Avila said. “That's the goal now for the state meet.”

While lowering his school record in the event might have been put on hold at this year's section finals, there were more incentives to finish first.

Personal pride, for one.

“I'd been hearing talk on the (Internet) message boards how (Rancho Buena Vista's) Colin Jarvis was going to beat me — that I wouldn't win,” Avila said.

Instead, the BV runner played cat and mouse with his North County detractors, pulling on their heart strings and then crushing their dreams.

Avila and teammate Mathew Seat went out early in the lead. Though Seat steadily dropped back (to an eventual 15th-place finish in the field of 18) Avila maintained the lead at the front of the pack for the early few laps before Jarvis, a sophomore, boldly went in front in the middle of the race.

Avila , the reigning Division I cross country champion, then deployed his strategy — and his speedy legs.

The Baron runner moved back in front and steadily increased his lead for the duration of the race, finishing first in 9:17.95. Jarvis was second in 9:25.63, followed by Valhalla senior Tony Bareno in third place in 9:34.24 to round out this year's state qualifiers.

Otay Ranch junior Brandon Velasquez placed fifth in 9:37.60 behind Steele Canyon junior Adrian Sharrod (9:35.53).

“He (Jarvis) tried hard. If I was going to beat him, I had better be prepared,” said Avila , who now holds most of the school's distance running records. “I could tell he was serious when he was in front, then I dropped the hammer. I was a little nervous. That's when I took off.”

Avila 's best time on the season is the 9:07.69 he timed in winning the Mesa League championship. At that same meet, Velasquez timed 9:41.40 while Seat turned in a time of 9:45.06.

Seat and Velazquez qualified for last Saturday's finals with CIF prelim clockings of 9:36.78 and 9:42.30, respectively.

Otay Ranch junior Marcus Vasquez appeared to come the closest to joining Avila and Jett in Sacramento by placing just 0.03 seconds out of third place in the boys 110 hurdles. Vasquez timed 15.01 to the third-place finish of 14.98 posted by Serra senior Patrick Brown. Woods was seventh in the same field in 15.31.

Vasquez had run the second-fastest qualifying time of 14.84 in the CIF prelims (after the 14.67 turned in the Helix senior Ronald Brookins, the eventual section champion). Woods owned a section-leading mark of 14.62, but had incurred a slight injury in the long jump prelims a week before. Woods, in fact, scratched competing in the long jump at the finals.

Eastlake senior Mark Novilla placed fifth in 15.18 to best Woods after finishing second to Woods with a 15.31 time at the Mesa League finals.

Eastlake junior Anette Delarosa (46.89) finished fifth in the A-heat of the girls 300 low hurdles. Delarosa later teamed with Drew Pitcairn, Mary Lisa Crimi and Nyesha Simmons to engineer an eighth-place finish in the A-heat of the girls 4x400 relay with a time of 4:06.91, which the quartet excitedly celebrated as a new school record.

As for the Mustangs' flirtation with a state qualifying berth?

•Otay Ranch, seeded ninth, finished sixth in the A-heat of the boys 4x100 relay with a time of 43.96. The Mustangs entered the meet with a time of 43.37 set at the Mesa League finals. Escondido won in 41.90.

•Otay Ranch, seeded fifth, placed seventh in the A-heat of the boys 4x400 relay with a time of 3:27.41. The Mustangs entered the meet with a prelim time of 3:25.40. Mission Hills won in 3:21.36.

•In the A-flight of the boys high jump, Otay Ranch's three entrants finished fifth (Paul Bryant, 6-3), eighth (Rob Perry, 6-2) and ninth (Vasquez, 6-0). Vasquez set a school record this year at 6-7 while Perry had cleared 6-6. El Camino's Nelson Rosario, who tripled in winning section titles in the high jump, long jump and triple jump, won the event by clearing 6-7.

•Otay Ranch junior Niko Salazar finished sixth in the A-heat of the boys 300 intermediate hurdles in 40.88, finishing sixth among Division I hurdlers, after posting the No. 4 qualifying time of 39.96.

•Otay Ranch junior Brittany Powell finished eighth in the girls shot put with a mark of 35-9 (bettering her Mesa League finals winning mark of 33-7).

•Otay Ranch sophomore Ali McTar placed ninth in the A-flight of the boys shot put with a mark of 47-8 (duplicating his CIF prelim mark but falling short of the 48-1 he recorded to finish in a tie for second place at the league finals).

•Otay Ranch senior Mike Denman won the B-heat of the 1,600 run in 4:27.76 to place sixth among Division I runners, thus earning a medal.

•Also for the Mustangs, sophomore Alfred Haselrig (50.90) was fourth in the B-heat of the boys 400 dash (ninth among Division I runners) while freshman Jacob Roach (4:34.28) finished seventh in the B-heat of the boys 1,600 run (ninth among Division I runners).

Other Metro highlights:
•Southwest senior Norman Cox (49.58) finished fifth in the A-heat of the boys 400-meter dash (fourth among Division I sprinters). He won the South Bay League title in 49.92.

•Eastlake sophomore Shacoya Payne and Otay Ranch sophomore Kiswana Williams finished seventh and eighth in the girls 100 low hurdles with times of 16.29 and 16.31, respectively. Williams (49.42) later finished eighth in the B-heat of the 300 low hurdles.

•Hilltop senior Bryan Stefan (41.68) placed ninth in the A-heat of the boys 300 intermediate hurdles.

•Marian Catholic freshman Camille Alvarado (59.52) finished third in the B-heat of the girls 400 dash (fifth among Division II sprinters). Otay Ranch senior Brittany Upshaw (1:00.15) was fifth and Eastlake sophomore Pitcairn (1.00.84) was seventh in the same field, placing seventh and eighth among Division I entrants. Alvarado (27.14) was ninth in the B-heat of the 200 dash (ninth among Division II sprinters).

•Marian Catholic (51.44) finished eighth in the B-heat of the girls 4x100 relay.

The good news out of it all? Six of Otay Ranch's 10 individual event qualifiers are underclassmen, meaning there will be a lot of unfinished business to take care of next year.

Steele Canyon soars to #2 CIF track and field finish

Steele Canyon's fledgling boys track and field program reached new heights this season, first by finishing undefeated in Grossmont South League competition and then by placing runner-up to University City at the San Diego Section finals May 26 at Mt. Carmel High School.

“We didn't even think we'd be close but we had a great day — a lot of PRs (personal records),” Cougars coach Gary Stathas said.

Actually, the Cougars, benefiting from 25 qualifiers (boys and girls teams combined) entered the championship meet with a realistic shot at an upper end finish. Standout performances assured that.

Steele Canyon finished with 73.5 points, placing second to University City (92 points) but well ahead of third place Mission Bay (46 points), fourth place Ramona (37 points) and fifth-place Monte Vista (28 points).

The Cougars boys team turned in three school records on the day: Luis Guerra's 48-1 in the shot put, Adrian Sharrod's 9:35.53 in the 3,200-meter run and Kellen Dion's 163-7 in the discus throw.

Both Dion and David Klarer (41.22 in the 300 intermediate hurdles) captured individual Division II titles, with Dion qualifying for the state meet as the section's No. 3 placer. The foursome of Deandre Woods, Klarer, Tyler Hardwick and Alex Perkins placed first in the 4x100 relay in 43.49.

The strength of this year's team was its depth, not necessarily its individual standouts, according to Stathas. The Cougars, for instance, won just two events at the Grossmont South League finals — the 4x100 relay and the 300 hurdles — despite soaring in the team standings.

“Our strength is that we have a well-rounded team,” Stathas said.

Among the Division II leaders, Sharrod was second (to Valhalla's Tony Bareno and fourth overall) in the 3.200 run, Ryan Pearl was second (to teammate Dion) in the discus throw (158-4), Woods placed third in the 100 dash (11.24), Justin Johnson was third in the 300 hurdles (42.18), Jamie Dale (21-3.5) and Brandon Brown (20-7) were third and fourth, respectively, in the long jump, Guerra was fifth in the shot put, while Danny Ragsdale and Fylan Fitzgerald were fifth and sixth in the pole vault at 12-0.

Dale won the B-flight in the boys long jump, with Brown finishing second.

Section champions
•Helix senior Ronald Brookins captured the section title in the boys 110 high hurdles (14.50) while Mt. Miguel junior Nico Reaves won the boys 400 dash (48.01), Monte Vista junior David Spates won the boys shot put (55-8.75), Christian senior Mandy Ross won the girls 100 dash (12.18) and Helix senior Tara Cooper won the girls 300 low hurdles (45.62). Cooper also won the B-heat in the girls 100 hurdles (15.96).

Division champions
• Mt. Miguel 's Reaves doubled as a Division II champion in the boys 200 and 400 dashes. The Mt. Miguel speedster topped Point Loma senior Luis Villacicencio by 0.04 seconds to win the 200 dash in 21.77 while edging Ramona freshman Ryan Morgan by 0.87 in the 400 dash.

•Valhalla's Bareno clocked 9:34.24 to emerge as the Division II champion in the boys 3,200 run after finishing third overall (with a state meet qualifying time) behind Bonita Vista senior Eric Avila (9:17.95) and Rancho Buena Vista sophomore Colin Jarvis (9:25.63).

•Monte Vista's Spates won the Division II boys shot put title while finishing third in the discus throw (behind Steele Canyon 's Dion and Pearl ).

•Christian senior Andrius Mikutis won the boys Division II high jump title by clearing 6-6 (thus advancing to the state meet as the No. 2 section finisher).

•Christian's Ross doubled in winning Division II titles in the girls 100 dash and 400 dash (57.44) while anchoring the Patriots' Division II champion girls 4x100 relay team (49.11). She advanced to the state meet in both the individual sprints, placing third in the section in the 400 dash.

•Also for Christian (which finished third in the Division II girls team standings), freshman Melody Criswell placed first in the Division II girls high jump (5-5) to meet the state qualifying standard of 5-4.

Headed to state
The Grossmont Conference finished with 13 event qualifiers to this weekend's state meet in Sacramento, led by section champions Brookins (boys high hurdles), Reaves (boys 400 dash), Spates (boys shot put) and Cooper (girls 300 hurdles). Also advancing to this year's state prelims/finals with top three section finishes are Helix junior Thoraya Moronesy in the girls long jump (third, 18-2.5) and triple jump (third, 37-4) and Granite Hills senior Kevin Jenkins in the boys triple jump (third, 45-0.25). Jenkins also won the B-flight in the boys high jump (6-2), though not advancing to the state meet in that event.

Notepad
•Helix senior Malik Jones won the B-heat in the boys 200 dash in 22.15.

•Team champions included Escondido (Division I boys), Rancho Bernardo (Division I girls), University City (Division II boys) and La Jolla (Division II girls).

•El Capitan finished sixth in the Division II girls team standings, Helix finished eighth in the Division I girls standings, Mt. Miguel finished ninth in the Division II boys standings and Granite Hills finished 11 th in the Division I boys standings.

San Diego Section prelims
Metro athletes put title hopes on the line

Posted May 19, 2007
With “A” and “B” heats and flights and separate team scoring for divisions, what has become known as the San Diego Section Masters track and field championship meet might seem a bit confusing at first glance. Be assured, however, the truth is out there.

The road to this year's state finals in Sacramento makes a fork, so to speak, at the upcoming Masters meet, scheduled Saturday, May 26, at Mt. Carmel High School . Finals in field events start at 10 a.m. Running events start at 1 p.m.

The participants in “A” and “B” heats/flights were sorted at this weekend's section prelim meet, also held at Mt. Carmel High School . Athletes with the top nine times or marks from the 18 qualifiers advanced to the “A” heat/flight, with the top three individuals in each event at this weekend's finals advancing to the state prelim meet June 1. The athletes with the next best nine times or marks qualified for the "B" heat and/or flight in their respective events and will have the ability to score team points but not advance to the state meet.

Otay Ranch, which finished the regular season ranked second among section boys teams, will be contending to win the Division I team championship title with a hefty number of finals event qualifiers.

In the 46-year history of the section track and field championship meet, no Metro Conference school has ever won a boys large school division title.

An Otay Ranch victory thus would constitute an achievement of magnificent proportion.

The Mustangs' mood seems relaxed but confident. Come what may seems to be the team's operating motto right now.

“If we have a really good day, we can make a run at it. But that's the case with three or four teams,” Otay Ranch head coach Ian Cumming said. “If our kids place well, we'll do well. We expect our kids to do well. But there's a lot of good teams out there.”

The Mustangs boys squad appears to be fairly good shape to make a finals title chase, according to Cumming, after qualifying athletes in nine A-heats/flights and three in B-heat/flights. Overall, Otay Ranch advanced 10 individual athletes to Saturday's boys finals, inclusive of all heats/flights.

Ranee Woods (110 high hurdles, long jump) and Marcus Vasquez (110 high hurdles, high jump) qualified in two separate A-heats. Other Mustangs advancing to A-heats/flights include Ivan Dallet (800 run), Niko Salazar (300 intermediate hurdles), Brandon Velasquez (3,200 run), Paul Bryant (high jump) and Ali McTar (shot put). B-heat qualifiers include Mike Denman (1,600 run), Alfred Haselrig (400 dash) and Rob Perry (high jump).

Vasquez, who serves as the quarterback on the school's football team, posted the second-fastest qualifying time of 14.84 in the boys 110 hurdles while Salazar notched the fourth-fastest prelim time of 39.96 in the 300 hurdles.

The Mustangs will be represented in both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Otay Ranch sped to the fifth-fastest prelim time in the latter event despite having a reworked lineup.

Ricky Daniels, Dallet, Estevan Galindo and Haselrig ran the four legs. Dallet, who earlier posted the fifth-fastest qualifying time in the 800 run (1:58.62), substituted for Salazar, who had taken a fall after finishing his race in the 300 hurdles.

The foursome said the team is on a mission of respect more than necessarily winning a championship, though the latter would be a fitting crowning achievement for what has otherwise become a history-making season.

The athletes on the current Otay Ranch team are the first class at the eastside school to start from freshmen and progress through the program to seniors.

“We made a name for ourselves. We're shooting for respect,” said Daniels, a member of the team's Mesa League champion 4x400 relay team along with Estevan Galindo, Salazar and Haselrig. “Second place is not good enough.”

“A lot of people said that when we were still in Division II that we would not be able to do well in Division I — we'd be also-rans,” Haselrig said. “We didn't say anything back. We just handled business.”

The final No. 2 section ranking only inspired the team to chase its dreams even further, team members said.

“It made us want to come out and work harder,” said Dallet, who set a school record in the 800 run (1:56.12) at the Mesa League finals.

It doesn't seem to matter who the Mustangs insert in events. Whoever they may be, they seem to rise to the occasion.

Cumming noted that Salazar “stepped it up” in the 300 hurdles after Woods scratched from the event because of a minor injury suffered while competing in the long jump. Salazar timed under 40.00 to qualify for the A-heat.

“He attacked it better than he did at the beginning of the season,” Cumming said.

Finals scratches were due Tuesday. As of the prelims, a number of South County athletes remained in the chase to get to Sacramento .

•Bonita Vista senior Eric Avila recorded the top qualifying time of 9:27.64 in the boys 3,200-meter run, leading a field of Metro qualifiers in the event, including teammate Mathew Seat (fourth, 9:36.78) and Otay Ranch's Velasquez (sixth, 9:42.30).

• Eastlake senior Austin Jett posted the top qualifying time of 1:55.67 in the boys 800 run and the second-fastest qualifying time of 4:18.31 in the 1,600 run.

• Eastlake 's Anette Delarosa recorded the third-best qualifying time of 46.36 in the girls 300 low hurdles.

•Otay Ranch senior Britney Bennett turned in the third-best qualifying mark in the girls long jump (17-4). She will also compete in the B-heat of the 100 dash.

• Eastlake 's Shacoya Payne (16.14) and Otay Ranch's Kiswana Williams (16.24) notched the fourth-and sixth-fastest qualifying times, respectively, in the girls 100 low hurdles.

• Eastlake 's Mark Novilla will compete in the boys 110 hurdles after registering the sixth-fastest prelim time of 15.27.

•Southwest's Norman Cox will compete in the boys 400 dash after recording the sixth-fastest qualifying time of 50.15.

•Hilltop's Bryan Stefan will compete in the boys 300 hurdles after recording the eighth-fastest prelim time of 40.72.

•Sweetwater's Alyssia Veiga will compete in the girls long jump after recording the ninth-best qualifying mark of 16-7.

• Eastlake will race in the girls 4x400 relay to round out the conference's A-heat/flight qualifiers.

B-heat qualifiers include Otay Ranch's Brittany Upshaw (girls 400 dash), Marian Catholic's Camille Alvarado (girls 400 dash), Eastlake's Drew Pitcairn (girls 400 dash) and Otay Ranch's Brittany Powell (girls shot put).

One of the more inspirational athletes to watch at Saturday's section finals will be Calvary Christian Academy sophomore Elizabeth Apgar, who stands as one-woman team for the Royal Knights. Apgar qualified in the A-heat of the girls 800-meter run with the fourth-best prelim time of 2:18.06.

Metro Conference San Diego Section Championship Meet Qualifiers
May 26 at Mt. Carmel High School

A-heats/flights
Boys 4x100 relay: 9. Otay Ranch 43.55. (1:14 p.m. race time)

Boys 1,600: 2. Austin Jett ( Eastlake ) 4:18.31. (1:50 p.m. race time)

Boys 110 high hurdles: 2. Marcus Vasquez (Otay Ranch) 14.84; 6. Mark Novilla ( Eastlake ) 15.27; 9. Ranee Woods (Otay Ranch) 15.29. (2:28 p.m. race time)

Boys 400 dash: 6. Norman Cox (Southwest) 50.15. (2:52 p.m. race time)

Boys 800 run: 1. Austin Jett ( Eastlake ) 1:55.67; 5. Ivan Dallet (Otay Ranch) 1:58.62. (3:28 p.m. race time)

300 intermediate hurdles: 4. Niko Salazar (Otay Ranch) 39.96; 8. Bryan Stefan (Hilltop) 40.72. (4:08 p.m. race time)

Boys 3,200 run: 1. Eric Avila (Bonita Vista) 9:27.64; 4. Mathew Seat (Bonita Vista) 9:36.78); 6. Brandon Velasquez (Otay Ranch) 9:42.30. (5:02 p.m. race time)

Boys 4x400 relay: 5. Otay Ranch 3:25.40. (5:38 p.m. race time)

Boys long jump: 6. Ranee Woods (Otay Ranch) 22-2. (11:45 a.m. start)

Boys high jump: 5. (tie) Paul Bryant (Otay Ranch), Marcus Vasquez (Otay Ranch) 6-3. (1:30 p.m. start)

Boys shot put: 9. Ali McTar (Otay Ranch) 48-3. (3:25 p.m. start)

Girls 100 dash: 4. Shacoya Payne ( Eastlake ) 16.14; 6. Kiswana Williams (Otay Ranch) 16.24. (3:04 p.m. race time)

Girls 300 low hurdles: 3. Anette Delarosa ( Eastlake ) 46.36. (3:56 p.m. race time)

Girls 4x400 relay: 8. Eastlake 4:07.11. (5:20 p.m. race time)

Girls long jump: 3. Britney Bennett (Otay Ranch) 17-4; 9. Alyssia Veiga (Sweetwater) 16-7. (10 a.m. start)

B-heats/flights
Boys 1,600: 11. Mike Denman (Otay Ranch) 4:25.91. (1:58 p.m. race time)

Boys 400 dash: 10. Alfred Haselrig (Otay Ranch) 50.48. (2:56 p.m. race time)

Boys high jump: 8. Rob Perry (Otay Ranch) 6-2 (1:40 p.m. start)

Girls 4x100 relay: 20. Marian Catholic 51.41. (1:05 p.m. race time)

Girls 400 dash: 10. Brittany Upshaw (Otay Ranch) 59.55; 12. Camille Alvarado (Marian Catholic) 59.81; 17. Drew Pitcairn ( Eastlake ) 1:00.56. (2:44 p.m. race time)

Girls 100 dash: 13. Britney Bennett (Otay Ranch) 12.51. (3:08 p.m. race time)

Girls shot put: 10. Brittany Powell (Otay Ranch) 35-0. (2:10 p.m. start)

Note: Calvary Christian Academy sophomore Elizabeth Apgar qualified in the A-heat of the girls 800-meter run with the fourth-best prelim time of 2:18.06. (3:28 p.m. race time)

Non-qualifiers
Boys high jump (39 entrants): 14. (tie) Darian Tannis (Otay Ranch) 6-0; 34. (tie) R.Blossom ( Castle Park ) 5-6.

Boys pole vault (32 entrants): 24. (tie) Anthony Quintero ( Eastlake ) no height.

Boys long jump (36 entrants): 25. Torian Winfrey (Southwest) 19-7; 35. (tie) M.Stacy ( Chula Vista ) no distance.

Boys triple jump (41 entrants): 13. Darian Tannis (Otay Ranch) 43-4.5; 31. Rob Perry (Otay Ranch) 40-1.75; 33. S.Ledezma ( Castle Park ) 39-10; 36. John Edwards (Southwest) 39-2.5.

Boys shot put (35 entrants): 23. Ricky Anzar ( Castle Park ) 42-11.5; 30. Henry Tello ( Castle Park ) 39-4.75.

Boys discus throw (39 entrants): 17. Ali McTar (Otay Ranch) 140-3; 24. J.Navarro (Mar Vista ) 126-5; 29. Ricky Anzar ( Castle Park ) 115-10; 32. (tie) Julian Samson (Otay Ranch) no distance.

Boys 100 dash (46 entrants): 12. Wesley Merlin (Otay Ranch) 11.13; 15. Ruben Enriquez (Sweetwater) 11.16; 31. Fred Fells (Sweetwater) 11.36; 45. Torian Winfrey (Southwest) 11.90.

Boys 200 dash (33 entrants): 21. Paul Bryant (Otay Ranch) 23.01; 28. Norman Cox (Southwest) 23.33; 30. Edwin Aguilar ( Castle Park ) 23.64; 32. Wesley Merlin (Otay Ranch) 23.72.

400 dash (41 entrants): 21. Estevan Galindo (Otay Ranch) 51.32; 25. Ricky Daniels (Otay Ranch) 51.77; 29. Edwin Aguilar ( Castle Park ) 52.19; 40. Michael Buffaloe (Marian Catholic) 53.53.

Boys 800 run (45 entrants): 19. Derek Groom (Bonita Vista) 2:01.27; 22. Che Nevarez ( Eastlake ) 2:01.68; 40. Luis Maela (Sweetwater) 2:03.36; 41. Juan Vieyra ( Montgomery ) 2:03.59; 42. Eli Ledezma ( Castle Park ) 2:03.70.

Boys 1,600 run (42 entrants): 17. Jacob Roach (Otay Ranch) 4:27.23); 20. Jeff Welch ( Eastlake ) 4:28.48; 22. Edgar Lopez (Mar Vista ) 4:30.15; 37. Abraham Castillo (Otay Ranch) 4:40.16.

Boys 3,200 run (39 entrants): 14. Eric Fujikawa ( Eastlake ) 9:51.39; 23. Gabriel Garcia ( Eastlake ) 10:01.21; 29. Juan Vieyra ( Montgomery ) 10:08.28.

Boys 110 high hurdles (48 entrants): 18. Maurice Strickland ( Chula Vista ) 15.76; 22. S.Ledezma ( Castle Park ) 15.90; 23. Karlos Santiago (Otay Ranch) 16.02; 27. Sean Rush (Otay Ranch) 16.12; 32. Bryan Stefan (Hilltop) 16.31; 47. Abraham Alem (Sweetwater) 22.30.

300 intermediate hurdles (39 entrants): 12. Brent Boone ( Eastlake ) 41.24; 19. Kiefer Baker ( Castle Park ) 41.83; 20. Sam Ledezma ( Castle Park ) 41.85; 21. E.Tomlin ( Castle Park ) 42.18; 29. Zach Parks ( Eastlake ) 42.80; 31. Maurice Strickland ( Chula Vista ) 43.60.

Boys 4x100 relay (43 entrants): 20. Sweetwater 44.11; 36. Bonita Vista 45.49; 38. Southwest 45.57; 39. Castle Park 45.68.

Boys 4x400 relay (39 entrants): 16. Castle Park 3:31.55; 33. Sweetwater 3:37.65; 37. Mar Vista 3:42.61.

Girls high jump (37 entrants): 15. (tie) Ciara Burton (Otay Ranch) 4-10; 23. (tie) Amanda Schoepflin (Bonita Vista) 4-8; 31. (tie) Cassandra Hamel (Montgomery) 4-6.

Girls pole vault (31 entrants): 19. (tie) Kim Baumgardner (Otay Ranch), Erin Lehner ( Eastlake ) 8-6.

Girls long jump (36 entrants): 22. (tie) Amanda Schoepflin (Bonita Vista), Jackae Bridges (Marian Catholic) 15-8.25. Note: 34. Elizabeth Apgar ( Calvary Christian Academy ) 14-3.25.

Girls triple jump (43 entrants): 14. Alyssia Veiga (Sweetwater) 34-8.75; 24. Chloe Furlow ( Eastlake ) 33-2.5; 37. Judith Arredondo ( Montgomery ) 30-10.5; 41. Carolina Solis (Montgomery) 29-0.25.

Girls shot put (38 entrants): 23. Jessica Soltysiak (Otay Ranch) 32-4; 28. Cassandra Hamel (Montgomery) 30-7; 29. Kala Cheers ( Montgomery ) 30-6.75.

Girls discus throw (36 entrants): 18. Jennie Hilliard (Bonita Vista) 98-11; 23. Jessica Soltysiak (Otay Ranch) 93-5; 27. K.Johnson (Mar Vista ) 89-5; 31. Chesley Stefan (Hilltop) 84-0.

Girls 100 dash (42 entrants): 21. K.Williams (Mar Vista ) 12.77; 30. Brialonna Turner (Hilltop) 13.04.

Girls 200 dash (35 entrants): 22. Britney Bennett (Otay Ranch) 26.55; 27. Brialonna Turner (Hilltop) 26.95; 28. Camille Alvarado (Marian Catholic) 27.06.

Girls 400 dash (34 entrants): 23. Bonnie Ayala (Otay Ranch) 1:01.23; 28. Carley Bo Byrn (Marian Catholic) 1:02.60.

Girls 800 run (36 entrants): 23. Maila Luch (Sweetwater) 2:25.68; 29. Nathania Penrod (Mar Vista ) 2:28.99; 31. Jessica Mendoza ( Chula Vista ) 2:29.38; 34. Johanna Rhein (Marian Catholic) 2:31.28; 26. Marga Crain (Hilltop) 2:42.05.

Girls 1,600 run (37 entrants): 23. Tanya Valenzuela (Hilltop) 5:30.30; 25. Angelica Larios ( Chula Vista ) 5:30.83; 32. Johanna Rhein (Marian Catholic) 5:44.38; 35. Jazmin Schoonmaker (Otay Ranch) 5:45.91.

Girls 3,200 run (43 entrants): 21. Elizabeth Arias ( Chula Vista ) 12:07.12; 22. Angelica Larios ( Chula Vista ) 12:09.58; 30. Julia Hernandez ( Castle Park ) 12:15.72; 35. Karla Atencio (Hilltop) 12:29.85.

Girls 100 low hurdles (37 entrants): 19. Jessica Torres (Hilltop) 16.89; 36. Carolina Solis (Montgomery) 20.08.

Girls 300 low hurdles (37 entrants): 17. Kiswana Williams (Otay Ranch) 48.20; 24. Devon Senneseth (Hilltop) 49.49; 26. Erin Bjournson (Otay Ranch) 50.29; 36. Carolina Solis (Montgomery) 56.06.

Girls 4x100 relay (37 entrants): 16. Otay Ranch 50.83; 28. Hilltop 52.15.

Girls 4x400 relay (33 entrants): 20. Otay Ranch 4:11.50; 26. Hilltop 4:17.47; 30. Marian Catholic 4:19.25.

Metro Conference Championships
Utter dominatination:
Otay Ranch drops hammer on Mesa League rivals

Posted May 12, 2007
There are 16 events in a high school track and field meet: 10 running events, including two relay events, and six field events. Imagine if a team won all events in a championship meet. That didn't happen at Friday's Mesa League finals — but both the Otay Ranch Mustangs boys and girls teams came mighty close to sweeping the meet.

The Otay Ranch boys team, ranked second in the San Diego Section and led by Male Co-Athlete of the Meet RaNee Woods, captured first-place finishes in 10 of the 16 contested events, including five of the six field events.

The Mustangs girls team, paced by Female Athlete of the Meet Britney Bennett, strode to first-place finishes in 12 events, including both relays, all three sprints, both hurdles events and five of the six field events.

There are only two words to adequately describe the performance put forth by Otay Ranch on its home track: utterly dominating.

For the record, the Mustangs nearly tripled the team score over their nearest challenger in the boys meet, racking up 244 points to the 88 points posted by runner-up Eastlake . In the girls meet, Otay Ranch topped second-place Eastlake by an 81-point margin: 191-110.

The Mustangs also captured runaway team titles in both the girls and boys junior varsity competition, winning the girls championships by a margin of 162 points and the boys title by 97 points.

On second thought, devastating also might be easily substituted for dominating.

Otay Ranch head coach Ian Cumming, who received the chore of building a program from the ground up when the school opened in 2003, remained humble in victory, placing the program's success on the shoulder of his coaching staff and student-athletes.

“I am flattered that our team is ranked as the second strongest dual meet team in the county. It is a great compliment to our boys for having taken their talent and worked hard to maximize it,” he said. “It is also a great compliment to our assistant coaches, who do a great job of relating to our athletes while working hard to understand the technique and workout principles specific to their events. Once again, their knowledge and the great work ethic of our student-athletes is allowing our kids to perform their best when it counts the most.”

It looks to count the most at next Saturday's San Diego Section prelim meet at Mt. Carmel High School — a meet that serves as a qualifier for the San Diego Masters meet that will determine team titles in both Division I and Division II as well as individual qualifiers for the state championship meet the first week in June in Sacramento.

The Mustangs ended the regular season ranked second to Escondido in the Division I boys rankings. Though unranked, Otay Ranch's girls team also looks to do some serious damage in postseason competition.

The 2007 Mustangs also look to go out with some history on their side, according to Cumming.

“This group of seniors is our first to finish all four years here at Otay Ranch and they have done an amazing job as athletes but also in leading others in how to be classy while working to be the best you can be,” the Mustangs head coach said. “I am very impressed by so many of them. Britney Bennett and RaNee Woods both have been Athlete of the Year/Meet multiple years. Others who have been especially impressive include, but are not limited to, Rob Perry, Kim Baumgardner, Jeff Smith, Estevan Galindo, Sandra Aguilar, Ricky Daniels and Darian Tannis. As a coach, I am very lucky to have the privilege to work with so many great student-athletes as we have on our team. I also thank our great group of coaches and all of our staff at the school, including the administration, teachers and support staff who all support us in so many ways.”

Cumming said there is a “reasonable chance” of winning the CIF title on the boys side.

“We need to have a very good day at both CIF prelims and finals for this to take place since there are many very good teams in the county,” Cumming said. “Each of our athletes just needs to focus on the positive and the technique elements which help them the most and we will see what happens. If we win, I will be very happy and excited for our kids, but either way, they will finish strongly in what has been a very good season.”

A “very good season” might be an understatement where the Mustangs are concerned.

Not one but several Otay Ranch athletes have a good chance of winning individual CIF titles, Cumming conceded. The most obvious, the head Mustang noted, would be Woods and/or Marcus Vasquez in the hurdles along with Bennett in the long jump and, with a great start, perhaps the 100-meter dash.

“The great thing about athletics is that the human spirit can do incredible things and therefore, several other of our athletes could end up surprising people and do something truly amazing,” Cumming said.

Woods captured first-place finishes in four individual events last Friday, winning league titles in the boys high jump (6-3), long jump (21-1), 110 high hurdles (14.62) and 300 intermediate hurdles (39.01). The time in the 110 hurdles ranks as the fastest fully electronic time recorded this year in the section. He lowered his time in the 300 hurdles by more than a second from his prelim time of 40.04.

Both times lead the list of qualifiers for next Saturday's CIF prelims.

Last season, Woods earned honors as the South Bay League Athlete of the Meet after taking home three gold medals and one silver medal. With the Mustangs moving up to the more competitive Mesa League this season, all the accolades earned ring like the proverbial shot heard 'round the world.

This likely the best group of athletes to come out of the South Bay in the past decade, though the 2000 Division II champion Eastlake Titans might want to argue that.

Woods (last year's Division I runner-up in the 300 hurdles) and Bennett (the Division II champion in the long jump two years ago) lead the current standout group of Mustangs.

Woods' times in both hurdles events were fully electronic season bests, though he hesitated somewhat at the final barrier in the 300, clearing it in what he called a “basketball jump” to best Eastlake 's Brent Boone by 0.71 seconds. Of the four events, the lanky Woods said he was less certain of emerging on top in the long jump.

“I thought I'd do well in the long jump but another guy ( Chula Vista 's Matt Stacy) jumped 21-0.5 and I thought I might not beat him but I went 21-1 on my next jump and I beat him,” said Woods, who missed a month during the middle of the season while recovering from a hamstring injury.

Joining Woods in the boys championship circle were teammates Wesley Merlin (100 dash, 11.36), Paul Bryant (200 dash, 22.95), Alfred Haselrig (50.10), Darian Tannis (triple jump, 41-0.75) and Julian Samson (discus throw, 153-4).

Merlin won titles in both the 100 and 200 sprints? At last year's South Bay League finals. He finished second to Bryant this year in the 200 dash (22.96) in a photo finish.

Otay Ranch topped the high jump field with the top five finishers: Woods, Perry, Vasquez, Bryant and Tannis.

The Mustangs went three deep in dominating both the 200 and 400 dashes. Bryant led Merlin and Ricky Daniels (22.96) across the finish line in the 200 while Haselrig led teammates Estevan Galindo (50.68) and Daniels (51.23) across the finish line in the 400.

Galindo won last year's South Bay League 400 dash title.

Daniels, Galindo and Haselrig were members of the Mustangs' winning 4x400 relay team along with Niko Salazar.

Other boys league champions included Eastlake's Austin Jett, who was named the Male Co-Athlete of the Meet along with Woods after winning the 800 and 1,600 runs, as well as Bonita Vista's Eric Avila (3,200, 9:07.69), Sweetwater's Chris Navarro (pole vault, 13-6) and Eastlake's Marcus Perry (shot put, 48-11).

Jett repeated as league champion in both the 800 (1:55.36) and 1,600 (4:18.49). The 800 time led all CIF prelim qualifiers while the 1,600 time was third best. He will be attending UC Berkeley this coming fall on a partial scholarship and indicated he will likely concentrate on the 1,600 distance in college.

Jett won by nearly a 10-second margin in the 1,600 but held off a furious challenge by Otay Ranch's Ivan Dallet in the 800, as Dallet finished less than a second behind in a school-record 1:56.12.

Dallet was mobbed by teammates after exiting the finish line chute.“I went out :56 for the first lap, pushed it when I got to the final 300, picked it up in the last 200 and kicked it at the 150. He knew I was there the whole time. He (Jett) had better leg speed,” said Dallet, whose previous best time in the event had been 1:57.79 (the previous school record).

Jett said repeating as a double individual league champion had been a goal he had set for himself. He also set a goal of posting a career-best time in the 1,600 run at the state finals where he finished sixth last year. “There's a lot of good runners out there this year. It will be a good race,” he said.

Avila 's time was the fourth-fastest ever run in the history of the Metro Conference while Navarro's winning pole vault mark just fell short of the school record of 14-0 that he will be shooting to match at this weekend's CIF prelims.

As for Bennett, er … Otay Ranch's wonder woman? All the SDSU-bound senior did was collect her third consecutive Athlete of the Meet award by repeating as a league champion in the 100 and 200 dashes and long jump. She obliterated her prelim time of 13.00 with a finals clocking of 12.52 in the 100 dash and timed 26.21 in winning the 200 dash. Her winning long jump was 17-1.5 — more than a foot ahead of her nearest challenger in the event.

Bennett has won the 100 and 200 sprints and long jump all four years in varsity league finals competition (South Bay League and Mesa League combined). She was one of four Mustangs to advance to last year's state prelims (along with Samson, Woods and Charay Savage).

Kiswana Williams doubled in winning titles in the girls 100 and 300 low hurdles, timing 16.11 in the shorter distance and 47.23 in the longer distance to best prelim marks of 16.40 and 47.82, respectively.

Joining Bennett and Williams in Otay Ranch's championship circle were fellow girls team members Brittany Upshaw (400 dash, 59.58), Ciara Burton (high jump, 4-11), Kim Baumgardner (pole vault, 8-9), Brittany Powell (shot put, 33-7) and Jessica Soltysiak (discus throw, 121-9.5).

Bennett (4x100), Upshaw (4x400) and Williams (4x400) were members of victories relay teams as well.

Notepad
•Other Mesa League girls champions included Chula Vista's Angelica Larios (1,600 run, 5:24.69) and Elizabeth Arias (3,200 run, 11:58.07), Sweetwater's Maila Luch (800, 2:21.51), Eastlake's Chloe Furlow (triple jump, 33-4.5).

•Sweetwater had four of the nine finalists in the boys 100 dash, led by runner-up Fred Fells (11.36) and third-place finisher Ruben Enriquez (11.41).

•Otay Ranch's Vasquez appeared on his way to a top finish in the boys 110 hurdles before falling. He finished last in the seven-man field in 19.00 after owning the top prelim time of 14.77. He received a bye into Saturday's CIF prelims.

•Otay Ranch jumps coach David Hunter was selected as the Mesa League Boys Coach of the Year while Mustangs throws coach Dan Helton was named the Mesa League Girls Coach of the Year.

BV's Avila turns in a record 3,200 run for the ages

He won one event at Friday's Mesa League Track and Field championship meet, yet he emerged as a celebrity sensation. Well, that was nothing less than expected for Bonita Vista High School senior Eric Avila, who has etched his name in the record book as the force of our time in distance running circles.

Avila, the defending champion in the 3,200-meter run and reigning San Diego Section Division I boys cross country champion, sped to an amazing time of 9:07.69 to top this year's field of 13 runners. The time was nearly an eight-second drop from his seeded mark of 9:15.05. He won by nearly a 34-second margin.

Instead of promptly falling to the ground after crossing the finish line, gasping for breath, Avila stopped at the end of the exit chute, pumped his fist in triumph and then proceeded to greet the rest of the finishers with a congratulatory handshake.

Some performance. Some class act.

Avila's winning time was the fourth-fastest ever run in the history in the boys 3200 meters in the Metro Conference and the fastest time in that distance since 1991.

The previous best time was the 9:10.55 that former Mar Vista standout Hector Hernandez ran at the state meet more than a decade ago. That mark still stands as the school record at MVHS and now ranks fifth best in the conference behind Avila 's school record standard.

Chula Vista 's Tim Danielson holds the conference record at 8:52.44, set in 1966. Chula Vista 's Jose Vega ran the second-fastest time in the distance at 9:01.12 in 1982. Hilltop's Ellis Del Sol timed 9:03.95 in 1985. Then comes Avila and Hernandez.

It was evident at last Friday's finals that the Baron standout runner, who will be attending Northern Arizona University this fall, was out to post a personal record time. It didn't take him long to extend a commanding lead on Otay Ranch's Brandon Velasquez (second, 9:41.40) and BV teammate Mathew Seat (third, 9:45.06) and then lap the field.

“I wanted to PR but I didn't think I was going that fast,” said Avila , who won the event with a time of 9:21.94 last year. “At that last lap, I still had a lot of energy. I wanted to see what I could do. This was just my third two-mile this season and I've slowly PR'd in each one. I was shocked, to be honest. I figured I would come in at 9:11 or 9:14 but not 9:07. Now I want to go under 9:00. I think I can do that at CIF. I want to crush it at state.”

Avila 's league finals time is the fastest among the 23 qualifiers for Saturday's section prelims at Mt. Carmel High School . The next fastest qualifier is Rancho Buena Vista sophomore Colin Jarvis at 9:40.05, followed by Otay Ranch's Velasquez. Seat's time ranks sixth overall among the CIF prelim qualifiers.

Of the 23 qualifiers, 18 came in under 10:00.

Hernandez has more than a casual interest in Avila 's career after serving as Bonita Vista's coach during Avila 's freshman year.

“That 3,200-meter run was my last high school race for Mar Vista and was only good enough for a seventh place at state,” Hernandez said. “If you do the math, it took 16 years for someone to run under my time. I am glad Eric did it. I knew when I coached him in his freshman year at Bonita Vista that he was going to be a very good distance runner if he stayed injury free. I knew he had a lot of potential when he broke 10 minutes for the first time in the 3,200 as a freshman at the Escondido Invitational. He's got a very good shot at winning the 3,200 meters at state meet this year and even breaking nine minutes. I wish him the best through out his college running career. I can see him running a very fast 5K and 10K in the near future.”

A total of five runners broke the 10:00 barrier at last Friday's finals. Also joining the elite group were Eastlake 's Eric Fujikawa (9:46.17) and Gabriel Garcia (9:52.74). Fujikawa's time stands as a new school record.

Trojans notch first league title since 1992

Posted May 10, 2007
The Castle Park High School boys track and field team celebrated its first league dual meet championship since 1992 by winning eight event titles at this year's South Bay League championship meet, held May 10 at San Ysidro High School.

The Trojans also posted six second-place event finishes.

The twin brother tandem of Sam and Eli Ledezma combined for four individual titles, including three by Sam, and shared the spotlight as members of the Trojans' victorious 4x400 relay team.

Sam Ledezma emerged victorious in both hurdles events, capturing the 110 high hurdles in 15.96 and the 300 intermediate hurdles in 41.23 just ahead of teammate Kiefer Baker (41.62) and Hilltop's Bryan Stefan (41.73) in an exciting photo finish. The CP hurdler also won the triple jump title with a mark of 41-0.

Eli Ledezma claimed top honors in the 800 run with a time of 2:05.02.

For his part in four event titles, Sam Ledezma earned Male Athlete of the Meet honors.

Ricardo Anzar doubled in winning the shot put (43-4.5) and discus throw (130-8) while Boogie Blossom won the high jump (5-8) ahead of teammate Steven Grimaldo (5-6).

Edwin Aguilar was second in both the 200 (23.77) and 400 (52.24) dashes. Henry Tello was second in the shot put (40-3).

Grimaldo and Aguilar joined the Ledezma twins on the Trojans' winning 4x400 relay team.

Southwest finished with four event titles at this year's South Bay League finals. Norman Cox won the 200 (23.33) and 400 (49.92) dashes while sophomore Torian Winfrey captured top honors in the 100 dash (11.74) and long jump (19-0). The Raiders also claimed the meet-opening 4x100 relay title

Montgomery 's Juan Vieyra also had a memorable meet by posting one winning time and finishing second in two another events. Vieyra won the 3,200 title in 10:27.26 and placed second in the 800 run (2:05.36) and 1,600 run (4:41.29). He was involved in a photo finish with CP's Eli Ledezma in the 800 event.

Mar Vista's Edgar Lopez (1,600, 4:40.04) rounded out this year's boys league champions. He held a 50-meter lead at one point in the 3,200 run before collapsing twice on the track en route to a fourth-place finish.

A pair of Southwest athletes posted second-place finishes in field events. John Edwards placed runner-up in the triple jump (40-1.5) while Jojo Frijas was second in the long jump (18-11.75).

Hilltop's Stefan was second in the 110 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles. Also for the Lancers, Richard Evans placed second in the 3,200 run.

On the girls side, it was time for athletes from Hilltop, Mar Vista, Marian Catholic and Montgomery , specifically, to shine.

The 100 dash was the big race in the girls running events, with Mar Vista sophomore Kiani Williams posting a winning time of 12.88 ahead of Hilltop's Brialonna Turner (13.05) and Marian Catholic's Jackae Bridges (13.34) and Lauren Judal (13.43).

Turner came back to win the 200 dash (26.86) while Bridges won the long jump competition (16-6). Williams was second in the 200 dash (27.14).

Hilltop's Tanya Valenzuela, last year's South Bay League champion in the 800, won the 1,600 this year with a time of 5:32.20 while Lancer teammate Devon Senneseth placed second in the 300 hurdles (49.38).

Montgomery had four individual champions, including a double by Cassandra Hamel in the high jump (4-8) and shot put (31-2.5). Also for the Aztecs, Carolina Solis won the 100 hurdles in 18.00 while Judith Arredondo won the triple jump (30-4.5). Solis was second I the latter event with a mark of 28-10.

For Mar Vista , Nathania Penrod starred by winning the 800 (2:30.54) and placing second in the 1,600 (5:33.10).

Marian Catholic's Camile Alvarado won the 400 dash in 1:02.45 ahead of teammate Carley Bo Byrn (1:03.28). Byrn finished second in the 300 hurdles (49.68).

Also for the Crusaders, Johanna Rhein placed second in the 800 (2:32.93) and fourth in the 3,200 (5:42.66), qualifying for the CIF prelims in both events.

Castle Park 's Julia Hernandez captured her third consecutive title in the 3,200 distance with a time of 12:01.78, placing ahead of Hilltop's Karla Atencio (12:17.34).

Men of Steele excelling in track and field

Posted April 22, 2007
Higher. Stronger. Faster. The Steele Canyon High School boys track and field team continues to soar during the 2007 season. The Cougars, who carried an undefeated Grossmont South League dual meet record into Wednesday's key matchup against visiting Monte Vista, finished with an elite second-place finish at the fourth annual Mustang Movin' Shoes Relays April 21 at Otay Ranch High School .

“Our goal is to win league,” Steele Canyon coach Gary Stathas said. “If we can beat Monte Vista, we have Mt. Miguel the following week (to close out regular season competition). If we can win both of those meets, we should have the title.”

The Cougars put themselves in position to contend for this year's league title by defeating Granite Hills, 72-64, in a high profile dual meet on April 19. The winner was not determined until the final meet: the 4x400-meter relay. Had Granite Hills won the event, the Eagles would have prevailed by a 69-67 score. Nursing a 67-64 lead, Steele Canyon won the race in 3:36.4 to add five team points to its final score.

“It was a great meet,” Stathas said. “Whoever won that last race would have won.”

The Cougars shaved down their time in the 4x400 relay to a 3:29.69 to set a school record with a second-place finish (to Otay Ranch) at the Mustang Relays.

David Klarer, DeAndrae Woods, Branden Brown and Jamie Dale ran the corresponding legs in the 4x400 relay. Klarer's 400 time amazed onlookers.

Otay Ranch won the event in 3:29.08, followed by Eastlake (3:35.61) in third place.

Overall, Steele Canyon finished with 84 points in the 10-team Blue Division field — trailing team champion Otay Ranch (102 points) but well ahead of third-place Eastlake (59 points).

Otay Ranch entered the week ranked sixth among boys teams in the section. Steele Canyon is pushing for inclusion in the top 10, ranked 11 th in the latest coaches' poll.

Stathas said the strength of this year's team is in its depth across the board, not necessarily superstars who lead the way.

“Our success is that we're decent in a lot of events this year,” Stathas said. “I don't know if we will have anyone compete in the state finals but we'll have a lot of people in CIF (San Diego Section finals). We're a good dual meet team. We've got a lot of sophomores and juniors, so we should be strong next year as well.”

BV's Avila is burning up the track
Posted April 13, 2007
Coming off a tremendous cross country season, Bonita Vista High School senior Eric Avila has continued to add to his impressive running resume. After the high school cross-country season ended, Avila — the San Diego Section champion and Runner of the Year — continued to shine. After placing third at the California state cross country championships, Avila competed in the USTAF men's national cross country championships in San Francisco .

At 17, Avila was the youngest runner and the only high school athlete in the difficult 6.2 mile race in hilly Golden Gate Park , yet he completed the race in 31:40 — or an average of 5:05 per mile. He finished 39th overall out of 328 adult male runners. The average age of the men in this race was about 25. Most were very experienced collegiate and elite masters runners.

In the race, the Baron standout beat many NCAA and NAIA All-American runners, including the sixth-place finisher at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. Avila 's time was one of the fastest high school 10K cross country times in the world in 2006.

This track season, the versatile BV senior continues to show why he is a Western States All-American after posting the fastest high school 1,600 meter time (4:14.9) in the San Diego Section this year.

“Eric's time ranks him fourth in the state this track season,” Baron distance coaches Julie and Jeff Phair said.

Avila 's fast 1,600 meter time has earned him an invitation to the prestigious Penn Relays in Philadelphia in late April.

“At the Penn Relays, Eric will be racing against the top high school milers in the country,” Julie Phair said. “Eric is being heavily recruited by all of the colleges in the west with national level cross country and track programs. Running at the famous Penn Relays will give Eric additional exposure to the best collegiate running programs back east.”

Avila 's coaches attribute his running success to one simple factor: dedication.

“Eric has a tremendous work ethic,” Jeff Phair said. “Eric is a very focused athlete who sets high goals for himself and is determined to succeed. In four years of coaching Eric, he has never cut a workout short or missed a Saturday practice.

“Eric has had the inevitable minor injuries that come with training hard. Most other high school athletes use the extra time off from running to play video games or go to the mall, but not Eric. To stay in shape if injured, Eric spends hundreds of hours in the pool and on a bike, cross-training with the same intensity he gives to his running.”

While Avila is one of the fastest milers in the state, he has great diversity of track skills, according to his coaches.

“Eric's best event is probably the two-mile,” Julie Phair said. “Eric had a nagging calf injury toward the end of the track season last year, which limited his training. Eric was very disappointed with his fifth-place finish last year at CIF finals in the two-mile. He is not only extremely motivated to win the CIF championship in the two-mile this year, but he has set a goal of being just the second high schooler in San Diego in the past decade to run a sub-9:00 minute time (following in the footsteps of 2005 national cross country champion A.J. Acosta).”

But Avila 's skills in track are not limited to the longer distances. “At a recent meet, one of our 400-meter runners was injured. We asked for a volunteer to fill the spot, and Eric jumped up,” Jeff Phair said. “Eric had never run in a competitive open 400 before. Without any specific speed training, Eric ran 51 seconds, which is a phenomenal time for a long-distance runner.

“In practice (on a loose dirt track), Eric has run several sub-2:00 minute 800 meters. Eric has such a tremendous work ethic, that if he wasn't specifically training for the mile and two-mile, Eric could be a 48-second 400-meter and 1:52 800-meter runner this year.”

With the ability to score points in four events at the Mesa League and section track finals, which events will Avila enter?

“Eric loves to compete,” Julie Phair said. “If we let him, Eric would try to compete in many other events. He'd probably do well in the high jump, hurdles, long jump and triple jumps but he's a little too skinny for the shot put. We'll make a decision on which events Eric will compete in at league and CIF finals as we get closer to those meets.”

The Eric Avila file: No stopping this kid

Bonita Vista senior Eric Avila didn't quite get as far as he wanted this past cross country season. That is, the Footlocker Nationals in Balboa Park .

Avila , the charismatic standard bearer for South County distance runners, finished ninth at the western regional qualifier the weekend following the state championship meet held in Fresno over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The top eight finishers qualified for the Footlocker Nationals the second weekend in December.

The Baron standout had placed third among Division I runners at the preceding state championship meet after winning the San Diego Section Division I title at Morley Field the prior weekend. He finished seven seconds off the winning time posted by Division I state champion Michael Cybulski, a senior from Royal, and six seconds behind Trabuco Hills senior J.T. Sullivan.

Cybulski's time was the best out of all 960 male runners in the five enrollment divisions while Avila 's time ranked fifth best, placing him among the top one-half percent of competitors at the state finals.

But regionals proved to be quite a different, and perhaps, unexpected story.

He did not hide his disappointing at the finish at regionals, terming it “really bad.”

The BV runner finished five seconds from getting the chance to run in front of his hometown fans at the most prestigious high school cross country event in the nation — the national championship meet.

He had donned body paint the previous year, along with several of his Barons teammates, to cheer on A.J. Acosta's quest to become a national champion. Acosta, of El Camino High School, did just that. Avila was a proud member of The A.J. Nation.

It was going to be his turn in 2006 to shine in the national spotlight. It was destined, it seemed.

In fact, all through the 2006 season Avila matched the times that Acosta ran in 2005 en route to becoming a national champion.

There were even chants of “Avi, Avi!” starting to roll off the tongues of supporters as the section finals season drew to a close.

Others could sense it as well.

But all those dreams of glory ended on the often times brutal course at Mt. San Antonio College on Dec. 2. Avila finished ahead of more than 180 runners in the field that encompassed 10 states but could not hold onto his position, by his estimate, as the No. 6 or No. 7 runner, he held in the late stages of the race.

The BV harrier timed 16:06 on the 3.1-mile course in warm conditions for that time of year. He trudged off the course knowing over the course of the season that he had beaten the same time run by some of the qualifiers.

New Mexico 's Matthew Tebo clocked 15:46 to top the western regional field. Eighth-place finisher Jared Ward of Kaysville , Utah , timed 16:01. There were two Californians ahead of Avila : Big Bear's Chad Hall (second, 15:47) and Clovis ' Mike Thomas (third, 15:48).

The top eight finishers earned recognition as First Team All-Western Region. Avila was the leading member of the Second Team pack as well as the highest placer from the San Diego Section.

To put things into perspective, Avila's time at the state finals was only five seconds slower than that posted by Hall, the Division IV champion, and three seconds slower than that of Thomas, the Division II champion.

One can thus easily understand the hurt.

As it turned out, there were other arenas in which Avila could excel.

Avila received an invitation from San Diego Track Club developmental cross country team coach Thom Hunt, a former national junior mile record-holder, to compete for the team at the 2006 Men's USA Track and Field national club cross country championships Dec. 9 in San Francisco .

The race featured the best men's club teams from around the United States . The field included 328 entries, representing 42 teams.

At 17 years of age, Avila was the youngest runner to compete in the difficult 6.2- mile race in hilly Golden Gate Park . He completed the race in 31:40 for an average of 5:05 per mile, finishing first on the San Diego Track Club team, and second among the 18 runners representing San Diego County . His time trailed only that of Kristopher Houghton, 25, among locals.

Avila placed 39th in the field of the 328 runners. Mathew Downin, 29, of Madison , Wis. , won in a time of 30:13.

Now comes the impressive part. In the race, Avila finished ahead of many NCAA and NAIA All-American runners, including the sixth-place finisher at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in 2000. Avila's time of 31:40 was more than three minutes faster than that of Hector Hernandez, the former Mar Vista San Diego Section champion and three-time All-American, who finished 207th in the race.

Hernandez also serves as a coach for Castle Park High School .

The average age of the men in the race was approximately 25. Most were very experienced collegiate and elite masters runners, according to Bonita Vista coach Julie Phair. After searching national 10K cross country race times in 2006, Phair concluded that Avila stands as one of the fastest high school 10K cross country runners in the country, based on times he posted last fall.

His senior year is far from over, however.

Though he was hobbled somewhat by injuries last spring, Avila has returned to the track and field oval with much to prove this season. He currently ranks as the section's No. 2 runner in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs behind University City 's Mac Fleet and Westview's Travis Kuhlman, respectively.

Final victory, however, could yet be his before he dons his graduation cap.

Eric Avila File
School: Bonita Vista High School
Class: Senior
2003-04: Third Metro Conference JV championships

2004-05: Metro Conference cross country champion, fifth at San Diego Section Division I finals, 19th at state cross country finals, Metro Conference track and field 1,600 and 3,200 champion, seventh San Diego Section 1600 finals

2005-6: Metro Conference cross country champion, sixth at San Diego Section Division I cross country finals, seventh at state cross country finals, Metro Conference track and field 3,200 champion, fifth San Diego Section 3,200 finals

2006-07: Second at Metro Conference cross country finals, San Diego Section Division I cross country champion, third at state cross country championships, ninth at Western Regional cross country championships

Metro Conference Top Marks
(Based on reported results/April 7, 2007)

Boys Top Marks
Running Events
100: Pierce (Sweetwater) 11.26.
200: Pierce (Sweetwater) 22.80.
400: Cox (Southwest) 50.3; Daniels (Otay Ranch) 50.56; Boone ( Eastlake ) 51.5; Avila (Bonita Vista) 51.56; Haselrig (Otay Ranch) 51.66; Aguilar ( Castle Park ) 51.80.
1,600: Avila (Bonita Vista) 4:14.9; Jett (Eastlake) 4:19.65; Dallet (Otay Ranch) 4:34.61; Denman (Otay Ranch) 4:36.66.
3,200: Avila (Bonita Vista) 9:18.04 (converted); Velasquez (Otay Ranch) 9:40.00.
110 high hurdles: Woods (Otay Ranch) 14.49; Alem (Sweetwater) 15.63; Santiago (Otay Ranch) 16:01.
300 intermediate hurdles: Woods (Otay Ranch) 40.26; Salazar (Otay Ranch) 40.38; Parks ( Eastlake ) 41.3; S.Ledezma (Castle Park ) 41.56.
400 relay: Otay Ranch 43.52.
1,600 relay: Otay Ranch 3:30.06.

Field Events
High jump: Perry (Otay Ranch) 6-6; Rahmare (Otay Ranch) 6-0.
Pole vault: Quintero ( Eastlake ) 12-6; Navarro (Sweetwater) 12-6; Smith (Otay Ranch) 12-6.
Shot put: Baez ( Eastlake ) 50-8; Perry ( Eastlake ) 49-6; Samson (Otay Ranch) 46-7.
Discus throw: Samson (Otay Ranch) 158-4; Baez ( Eastlake ) 146-7; Perry ( Eastlake ) 142-3.

Girls Top marks
Running Events
1,600: Hernandez ( Castle Park ) 5:28.80; Arias ( Chula Vista ) 5:31.37.
100 low hurdles: Payne ( Eastlake ) 16.48; Bjornssan (Otay Ranch) 17.5.
300 low hurdles: Williams (Otay Ranch) 49.78.
400 relay: Otay Ranch 51.58.
1,600 relay: Otay Ranch 4:22.79.

Field Events
High jump: Owens ( Eastlake ) 5-2.
Long jump: Bennett (Otay Ranch) 17-7; Bridges (Marian Catholic) 16-2.5.
Triple jump: Veiga (Sweetwater) 32-3.
Shot put: Powell (Otay Ranch) 35-3; Childs ( Eastlake ) 35-0; Soltysiak (Otay Ranch) 33-9.
Discus throw: Soltysiak (Otay Ranch) 122-8.

Elizabeth Apgar: Calvary Christian Academy's 'Wonder Woman'

Posted April 6, 2007
There are approximately 100 students at Calvary Christian Academy in Otay Ranch. There is exactly one person on the school's track and field team: Elizabeth Apgar.

“It's fun. I like to represent my school,” said Apgar, a high-spirited sophomore who is no stranger to the annals of running.

Apgar, whose older sister Sarah attends Southwestern College, competed as an individual last year and qualified for the San Diego Section Division II finals, placing fifth in the girls 400-meter dash in 59.26. In the preceding section prelims, she qualified with a sixth-place time of 59.23 in the 400 dash while placing 15th in the girls 200-meter dash in 26.93.

Quite impressive for a freshman on her own.

Apgar may be best known, however, for cross country, where she is a two-time state meet qualifier and two-time division champion. She placed fourth at the state championship meet in the Division V girls race two years ago and was second (to national sensation and West Regional champion Jordan Hasay) last fall.

She has won the last two San Diego Section Division V championships, besting the competition at Balboa Park 's hallowed Morley Field with a time (on the 2.75-mile course) of 17:37 as a freshman and 17:57 as a sophomore.

As a one-woman team, Apgar said the emphasis is to try out as many events as possible at weekend invitationals.

“We're going to try a lot of things this year,” she said. “We're trying the 800 through the 3,200.”

Actually make that “from the sprints to the long distances.”

Apgar competed in the 200- and 800-meter runs at last Saturday's Elmer Runge Invitational at Patrick Henry High School . She finished second overall in the 800 with a time of 2:30.39 and was 15th (out of 43 runners) in the 200 with a time of 27.52.

For an athlete to compete in the 200 as well as the 3,200 — events that are so close together — well, that would dictate a will of iron, if not legs.

“You have to pace yourself,” she said in the selection of the different events to compete in over the course of one day.

Without any teammates to either practice with or against, Apgar said she receives a lot of inspiration from her father Lloyd and her older sister.

“My dad pushes me,” the Calvary Christian Academy wonder woman said.

Because she is still experimenting with so many different events, Apgar said she has yet to develop a specific philosophy about competing in a track and field meet.

“We're going into it slowly with all the other events,” she said.

But going along slowly is not an attribute that Apgar exhibits on the oval — or the cross country course.

While she qualified as an individual two years ago to the state cross country meet, she was joined last fall by her teammates as both Calvary Christian Academy 's boys and girls teams also advanced to compete in Fresno . The boys team qualified as Division V champions; the girls team qualified as Division V runners-up.

“That was so much fun,” she said. “We got to have the run of this big house for the weekend.”

Apgar wasn't the only South County athlete having fun at last Saturday's Elmer Runge Invitational. Marian Catholic sisters Jackae Bridges and Jhazmine Lynch put on quite a power-packed show in the girls 200 meters.

Bridges was second in her heat with a time of 27.01 while Lynch, who helped guide the Crusaders girls basketball team to a phenomenal 28-2 overall record and a trip to the San Diego Section Division IV semifinals, won her heat with a time of 27.17.

Bridges also placed third in the long jump with a mark of 15-1. She won the Tiger Relays at the opening meet of the season with a jump of 16-2.5.

The two also ran the 100-meter dash, with Lynch finishing sixth overall in 13.32 and Bridges timing 13.36 in eighth place (out of 35 entrants).

Other top marks turned in by Metro Conference athletes included those by Bonita Vista's Whitney Boykin with second-place marks in both the girls shot put (31-10.75) and discus throw (100-8.5) and Amanda Schoepflin with a second-place finish in the girls long jump (15-2.5), as well as Chula Vista's Elizabeth Arias with a runner-up finish in the girls 3,200 run (12:03.16). Arias was also sixth in the Thom Hunt Invitational Mile with a time of 5:29.21.

Castle Park 's Sammy Ledezma placed third overall in the boys 300 intermediate hurdles (41.56), finished fourth in the 110 high hurdles (16.20) and fifth in the triple jump (39-10.25). CP teammate Kiefer Baker (43.66) followed Ledezma in sixth place in the 300 hurdles while Bonita Vista's Bernie King (16.52) was sixth in the 110 distance.

Serra's Patrick Brown won both hurdles events, timing 15.43 in the 110 distance and 40.23 in the 300 distance.

Castle Park 's Julia Hernandez finished fourth overall in the girls 3200 run (12:05.60) while Chula Vista 's Angelica Larios (12:29.55) and Marian Catholic's Johanna Rhien (12:34.86) were seventh and eighth, respectively, in the same field of 25 runners.

In other events:

• Castle Park 's Edwin Aguilar was fifth in the boys 400 dash (51.80) while teammate Henry Tello placed fifth in the boys discus throw (120-10.5).

• Castle Park 's Eli Ledezma finished sixth in the boys 800 run (2:08.21) and eighth in the Thom Hunt Invitational Mile (4:45.34).

• Castle Park 's Ricky Anzar was sixth in the boys shot put (42-1) and eighth in the discus throw (115-0.5).

• Castle Park finished fourth in the boys 4x400 relay with a time of 3:35.08.

Elmer Runge Invitational
Saturday, March 31
Patrick Henry High School
(Additional results)

Boys 1,600 Run
5. J. Vasquez ( Chula Vista ), 4:50.40

Boys Pole Vault
3. E. Ortega ( Chula Vista ), 11-0
7. M. Lopez ( Chula Vista ), 10-0

Girls 100 Dash
5. A. Lopez ( Chula Vista ), 13.17.

Girls 400 Dash
8. S. Tolliver ( Chula Vista ), 1:03.11.