SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Track & Field

CIF-San Diego Section Prelims:

South Bay League athletes rise to the occasion

By Phillip Brents
Posted May 26, 2004

While Mesa League athletes may have overshadowed those from the South Bay League throughout the 2004 high school track and field season, it was time for athletes from the Metro Conference's smaller schools to shine at this year's San Diego Section prelim meet at Poway High School.

Hilltop senior B.J. Roberson, in particular, helped deliver the South Bay League's shining moment by finishing with the top time in the boys 300-meter hurldes among Division I schools at the May 22 meet. He notched the fourth-best time in the 110-meter high hurdles.

Roberson was not the only South Bay League athlete to shine. Mar Vista senior Troy Swier, also competing in the Division I meet, ran to the top time in the boys 1600 meters while finishing second in the 3200 meters.

Southwest junior Luis Urrutia -- the South Bay League champion in the boys 100 meters, long jump and triple jump -- placed second in the long jump at the Division I prelims

Hilltop's Selina Munoz will also be competing in Saturday's San Diego Masters state qualifying meet at Poway High by finishing sixth in the Division I girls 800-meter run.

The atheltes with the top nine marks, inclusive of both the Division I and Division II prelims, qualified for the Masters finals.

Roberson finished as this year's South Bay League champion in both hurdles events, timing 15.4 in the shorter distance and a league record 40.32 in the longer distance. His times at the Division I prelims were 14.83 in the 110 hurdles and 40.11 in the 300 hurldes. He bested Fallbrook senior Mike Mateljan by .08 second for the top time in the division in the 300 distance.

The South Bay League's male co-Athlete of the Meet (with the Raiders' Urrutia) at the league championship meet, Swier timed 4:15.86 in the 1600 meters and 9:28.89 in the 3200 meters. The Mariner senior led El Camino sophomore A.J. Acosta (4:20.91), El Camino junior Randy Pensinger (4:21.22) and Bonita Vista senior Ryan Becijos (4:21.25) in the 1600 distance. Helix senior Baby Wagnew recorded the top 3200 time of 9:18.07.

Urrutia finished with a long jump mark of 22-3 at the CIF prelims after winning the league title with a jump of 21-10.5.

Other Metro Conference Masters meet qualifiers included: Sweetwater senior Javier Diaz (boys 800, fourth Division I), Chula Vista senior Nikki O'Neal (girls 200, sixth Division I), Eastlake junior Esha McDowell (girls high jump, second Division I), Eastlake senior Marina Pastrana (girls pole vault, seventh Division I), Bonita Vista junior Melanie Hannibal (girls long jump, sixth Division I), Chula Vista senior Steve Nemecek (boys pole vault, fifth Division I) and Eastlake sophomore Marcus Yarbrough (boys shot put, seventh Division I).