SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Track & Field

METRO CONFERENCE TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Eastlake Titans: Soaring above the rest

By Phillip Brents
Posted May 15, 2005

Eastlake junior Luc Ruiz just missed setting a new school record in the boys pole vault at last Friday’s Mesa League track and field championships at Otay Ranch High School. On each of his three attempts at 14 feet, 7 inches, his body undulated over the bar, only to skim it on the way down.

So close, so high.

Ruiz settled for a winning mark of 14-0 to move onto Saturday’s San Diego Section prelims at Mt. Carmel High School. He will get another week to attempt to break the school record of 14-6 and, should he qualify for the CIF finals, another week after that. Should that fail, he has another year left to make a stab at the record book.

Ruiz admitted his junior year has been one of learning — and advancing. He equaled his best height of the season at this year’s Mesa League finals.

“I hit a slump in the middle of the season. I was having a little bit of trouble but I was able to come back this week and get my name out. I’m looking forward to next week so I can grab a few more pointers from the guys.”

Ruiz said his turnaround came after taking a few pointers from Granite Hills’ Scott Finley, who is the current odds-on favorite to win the Division I pole vault with El Camino’s Derek Scott out for the season with a knee injury. Scott had vaulted 16-8 earlier in the season to rank among the national leaders. Finley ranks second at 16-2. The two had planned to finish first and second at the state finals.

The Eastlake vaulter said he “picked Finley’s brain” at the Escondido Invitational on April 29. Finley won that meet with a meet record 15-8; Ruiz finished in a tie for sixth-place with teammate Andy Klosterman at 12-6. The following week, Ruiz, using a new 15-foot, 175-pound pole, cleared 14-0 in the Mesa League championship dual meet against Sweetwater.

Ruiz entered the season with a best vault of 13-0. He said he is eager to accept advice from those who have been there and done that.

“I look up to Scott Finley and the other guys. I’m motivated to keep up with the big boys,” said Ruiz, who competed at the conference junior varsity finals last season.

Ruiz can count himself among those “big boys” after recording the second-best vault during league championship meets across the section last weekend. Finley led the division with a winning mark of 15-0 at the Grossmont South League finals. Ruiz matched the 14-0 turned in by Fallbrook senior Lane Votapka and Rancho Bernardo seniors Sejoon Park and David Freund.

La Jolla senior Jeff Coover led Division II qualifiers at 15-0. Viking sophomore teammate John Gibson vaulted 14-0.
With qualifying coming down to the best performances on that day — and not the best marks on the season — Ruiz acknowledges that anything can happen on any given day. “I need to be aggressive on my pulls and rock back,” he said in handicapping his postseason game plan.

The top two finishers at the Mesa League Finals, plus those who met a qualifying standard (12-9 in the boys pole vault), earned the right to advance to the CIF prelims. Bonita Vista’s Patrick Leopold matched his best of 12-0 to finish second ahead of Sweetwater’s Chris Navarro (11-6).

Ruiz’s first-place finish in the boys pole vault helped Eastlake cement the points championship at this year’s Mesa League finals. The Titans finished with a meet-best 153 points — 30 points ahead of runner-up Sweetwater and 51 points ahead of third-place Bonita Vista. Eastlake’s boys team also received individual championship performances from Dante Franks (400 dash, 51.32), Anthony Feaster (triple jump, 43-6) and high jump (5-10).

Athletes of the meet
•Sweetwater’s Donald Groves earned honors as the Mesa League boys Field Athlete of the Meet with top marks in the shot put (48-11) and discus (147-6) while Red Devils teammate Ernest Pierce scored the Mesa League boys Track Athlete of the Meet with first-place finishes in the 100-meter dash (11.31), 200 dash (21.96), long jump (21-4.5) and 4x100 relay (43.40).

•Eastlake’s Esha McDowell earned honors as the Mesa League girls Field Athlete of the Meet after winning the high jump (5-5), long jump (16-8) and triple jump (34-11).

•Eastlake freshman Anette Dela Rosa made a big impression with victories in the 100 dash (13.06), 300 hurdles (49.20), 4x100 relay (51.15) and 4x400 relay (4:18.69) to earn honors as the Mesa League girls Track Athlete of the Meet.

High achievers
•Eastlake’s girls team finished with 11 event champions. Joining McDowell and Dela Rosa with individual first-place finishes were Melanie DeSalvo (800 run, 2:27.75), Tania Andrade (3,200 run, 12:03.48), Shatori Dearman (discus, 106-9) and Paola Rodelas (pole vault, 8-6).

•Bonita Vista sophomore Eric Avila doubled in both the boys 1,600 and 3,200 runs. Avila (4:24.93) used a strong kick on the final lap in the 1,600 distance to silence an inspired challenge by Chula Vista’s Roberto Hernandez (4:28.16). The Baron distance sensation ran away with the title in the 3,200 by timing 9:40.67 — well ahead of runner-up Azael Gomez (9:58.36) of Sweetwater and third-place finisher Jeff Welch (10:07.62) of Eastlake.

Junior Varsity
Boys team scoring: 1. Eastlake 113; 2. Chula Vista 39.5; 3. Bonita Vista 39; 4. Castle Park 28.5; 5. Hilltop 14.
Girls team scoring: 1. Eastlake 86; 2. Hilltop 55; 3. Bonita Vista 32; 4. Chula Vista 24.5; 5. Castle Park 5.