SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Track & Field

2005 High School Report

East, South athletes making a name for themselves this spring

By Phillip Brents

Posted April 7, 2005

With a month gone by in the high school track and field season, a number of East County and South County athletes have begun to make a name for themselves in San Diego Section-wide invitationals. That name-dropping continued at this year's Elmer Runge Classic, held April 2 at Patrick Henry High School.

Grossmont Conference report
Granite Hills’ Chris Costa recorded the top times in both the boys 110- and 300-meter hurdles while Helix’s Dax Danns captured first place in the boys 400-meter dash and Highlanders’ teammate Sharika Thompson ran to the best time in the girls 300 hurdles.

Helix also received a first-place effort from Thoraya Maronesy in the girls triple jump while Granite Hills’ Scott Finley continued his mastery in the boys pole vault by clearing 15 feet, 6 inches to win that event.

Costa timed 15.31 seconds to win the 110 high hurdles ahead of Hoover’s Martin Smalls (15.62). Costa clocked a meet-best 40.08 in the 300 intermediate hurdles event to finish ahead of both La Jolla’s Nick Montermarano (40.35) and Mira Mesa’s Bobby Workman (40.95).

Danns, who finished first in the 100 and 200 meters at last year’s Grossmont Conference championship meet and first in the 100 meters at the San Diego Section Division I championships, timed 49.62 to edge St. Augustine’s Robert Christianson (49.84) while Thompson clocked 46.14 — more than two seconds faster than her nearest challenger, University City’s T’Shara Hicks (48.88).

Maronesy won her flight with a put of 33-8.0 to out-jump Coronado’s Charleyne Patterson (32-6).

In other top performances, West Hills’ Danielle Edmondson tied for the best girls high jump mark of 4-10 inches and turned in the third-best girls shot put of 32-2.5, while Granite Hills’ Kurtis Smith and West Hills’ Nathan Muzquiz did the same in the boys high jump with clearances of 6-2.

Granite Hills’ Jessica Owens was second overall in the girls 100-meter hurdles by timing 17.65 and was third in the 300 distance in 49.37.

West Hills’ Charles Tyler was second in the boys 200 dash with a 22.63 time while Wolf Pack teammate E.J. Brown was second in the boys triple jump with a jump of 41-8 and also had the second-best long jump of 21-0.

The West Hills duo of Ryan Shumaker (143-7) and Matt Sutton (141-5) were second and third in the boys discus throw. Shumaker also placed third in the boys shot put (49-2). West Hills’ Dan Gonia (4:35.19) was third in the boys 1,600-meter run.

Granite Hills’ Marc Porter (2:01.62) finished fourth in the boys 800 run, followed by Eagles teammate Walter Bueno (2:05.06) in sixth place and West Hills’ Jeremy Root (2:06.57) in eighth place. Granite Hills’ Justin Hoody was fifth in the boys 3,200 run in 10:20.98.

Valhalla’s Alicia Nugent (5:39.87) and Helix’s Jamie Marliere (5:42.37) were eighth and ninth, respectively, in the girls 1,600 run. while West Hills’ Samantha Espinolda (13:00.97) was ninth in the girls 3,200 run.

In frosh/soph running events, West Hills’ Jonathan Darby (56.71) was second in the boys 400 dash while Wolf Pack teammate Raleigh Sevier (11.51) was second in the boys 100 dash and Granite Hills’ Alex Guaderrama (4:43.84) finished fourth in the boys 1,600 run.

In boys relay events, Granite Hills won the 4x100 relay in 43.29 — timing .20 of a second faster than runner-up Helix (43.49) — while also clocking the fastest time in the 4x400 at 3:29.00.

In girls relay events, Helix won the 4x400 relay ion 4:12.33 ahead of third-place Granite Hills (4:25.93) while West Hills finished second in the 4x100 relay in 50.89. Granite Hills had the fifth-best time between the two heats in the 4x100 event.

In boys field events, the Granite Hills tandem of Mike Martinez and Tom Lussenden placed third and fourth in the top flight of the boys triple jump with jumps of 40-11.5 and 39-6.5, respectively, while West Hills’ Mike Gregus won his flight in the event with a jump of 40-0 (fifth-best mark overall). Granite Hills’ Eric Trudo turned in the sixth-best long jump of 19-9.5.

In girls field events, West Hills’ Braeolyn Ochs was fourth in the pole vault (8-0) while Granite Hills’ Dayna Moyer posted the fifth-best overall long jump (15-3.75).

Metro Conference report

Sweetwater’s Ernest Pierce turned in the top boys long jump of 21 feet, 7 inches while snaring the fourth-fastest time pf 22.77 seconds in the boys 400 dash.Red Devil teammate Donald Groves posted the second-best mark (50 feet, 3.75 inches) in the boys shot put and the fifth-best mark (131-5) in the boys discus throw.

Pierce’s nearest challenger in the long jump was West Hills’ E.J. Brown, who jumped 21-0 to win his flight. Patrick Henry’s James Malone was third overall (second in Pierce’s flight) with a mark of 20-11.

Groves trailed the winning shot put mark of 52-5 turned in by Rob Smithson of La Jolla by just more than two feet.

Marian Catholic’s Janelle Millner was second in the girls 400-meter run, timing 1:00.93 in the fastest flight of four heats. Crusader teammate Shanice Howard won the third heat in 1:02.50 to post the fourth fastest time in the event.

Millner finished with the eighth-best time in the 400-meter dash in 27.58 while Howard (2:33.55) finished eighth in the girls 800 run.

In other top performances, Sweetwater’s Azael Gomez was third in the boys 800 run (2:07.13) and fourth (4:38.55) in the boys 1,600-meter run while Chula Vista’s Gabby Garcia recorded the third-best girls shot put (35 feet, 3 inches).

Chula Vista’s Virginia Madero was fourth in the girls 100-meter dash with a clocking of 13.14 -- 0.45 second off the winning time of University City’s Shakara Lott (12.29). Madero came back to post the fifth-fastest time overall in the 400 run in 27.28 (once again behind Lott’s winning time of 24.79).

Sweetwater’s Ferrari Welch (15.84) was fifth in the boys 110 hurdles while Chula Vista’s Leo Holmes was fifth in his heat of the boys 400-meter run (seventh fastest time overall). Welch (44.84) won his heat in the boys 300 hurdles (ninth fastest overall). Holmes later ran the 11th fastest time of 23.52 in the boys 400 dash.

Chula Vista’s Roberto Hernandez was seventh in the 1,600 run (4:42.88) and ninth in the 800 run (2:07.46). Spartan teammate Mikkel Conver(2:08.86) was 11th in the shorter distance.

Sweetwater’s Jeron Blackwell (11.58) was eighth in his heat of the boys 100 meters (11th fastest overall).

In frosh/soph events, Sweetwater’s Raul Isais (4:55.66) was fifth in the boys 1,600 run.

In other performances, Sweetwater’s Karina Rios timed 2:34.77 to win the B-heat in the girls 800-meter run while Sweetwater’s Francisco Villasana was second in the boys 1,600-meter B flight in 4:51.33 and ninth in the boys 3,200-meter A flight in 10:40.27. Red Devil teammate Abraham Alem (16.64) was second in the boys 110 hurdles second flight while SuHi’s Alex Castaneda (55.65) was second in the boys 400 meters second flight.

Sweetwater (4:46.05) was sixth in the 4x400 girls relay while Chula Vista (4:58.15) was eighth.