SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Track & Field

2005 South Bay League championships

Mustangs run over, past league rivals
By Phillip Brents
Posted May 15, 2005

Clearly, there was no “sophomore jinx” where the Otay Ranch High School track and field team was concerned this spring.

The second-year Mustangs, competing without a senior class, swept both the boys and girls dual meet titles in the South Bay League this season. Otay Ranch put an exclamation mark on both those championships by literally running away with the team titles at this year’s league finals May 13 on campus. The Mustangs nearly tripled the team score against runner-up Hilltop and Marian Catholic in the girls meet and more than doubled the score against runner-up Castle Park in the boys meet.

Britney Bennett, a force in the sprints along with teammate Kandy Wilmore, earned the South Bay League’s girls Athlete of the Meet award for the second consecutive year after winning the girls 100- and 200-meter dashes and also finishing first in the long jump. Bennett timed 12.65 seconds in the 100 dash and 25.68 in the 200 dash. She posted a winning mark of 17-5 in the long jump that set a new school record.

Charay Savage won the 100 hurdles (15.32) and finished second in the 300 hurdles (50.42) while winning the triple jump (33-7.5). Savage led the 300 hurdles heading around the turn before tripping and falling to the ground. Despite being passed by the field after tumbling, she got up and ran to a second-place finish in the event.
It was that kind of amazing performance that defined the day for the Mustangs. There would also be no Friday the 13th jinx.

Ranee Woods, who shared the boys Athlete of the Meet award with Castle Park’s Matt Goodsell, doubled in winning the boys 110 high hurdles (15.58) and 300 intermediate hurdles (41.51).

Otay Ranch also picked up league championship performances from Kim Baumgardner in the girls pole vault (8-0), Ciara Burton in the girls high jump (4-6), Jerome Winston in the boys 100 dash (11.55), Conrad Isaac in the boys 200 dash (23.36), Ricky Pimentel in the boys 1,600 run (4:36.33), Rob Perry in the boys high jump (5-10), Jeff Smith in the boys pole vault (11-6), Mark McPherson in the boys triple jump (39-11.5), Julian Samson (42-9) in the boys shot put and Mike Poole (148-3) in the boys discus throw.

Samson is just a freshman while Baumgardner is a sophomore.

Wilmore finished second to Bennett in both the girls 100 dash (12.97) and long jump (15-7.5) and runner-up to Savage in the triple jump (33-5). Isaac also finished second in the 100 dash (11.57) while Lisi Martinez finished second to Savage in the 100 hurdles (17.55) and Jazmine Schoonmaker finished second in the girls 3,200 run (12:36.30). Perry also took a second in the boys triple jump (37-0). Marc Corrales was second in the boys 800 run (2:01.79). Robert Williams was second in the shotput (42-3).

Other standout performances were turned in by Estafania Fregoso, who finished third in the girls 1,600 meters in 5:28.61, and Ivan Dallet, who placed third in the boys 1,600 run in 4:39.54. Shauna Stevenson was third in the girls 400 meters in 1:03.51 while Rafael Cuadras, another freshman, was third in the boys 400 dash in 54.20. Jasmine Leija finished third in the girls 800 run (2:24.75) while Ryan Matias was third in the boys 800 run (2:04.32).

Besides placing second in the girls 100 hurdles, Martinez was third in the 300 hurdles (50.80) and third in the triple jump (30-11). Luci Rangel was third in the girls shot put (31-3.5) while Burton was fourth in the girls long jump (14-2). McPherson also finished third in the boys long jump (20-1).

The Mustangs made it a 1-2-3 sweep in the boys 300 hurdles as Woods led teammates Niko Salazar (43.31) and Smith (44.33) across the finish line. Ricky Daniels was third in the boys 200 dash (23.55).

Otay Ranch went second and third in the girls discus event.

In relay events, the Mustangs set a new school record in winning the girls 4x100 relay in 49.83 and also won the boys 4x100 relay in 44.17.

Smith, a sophomore, won the boys pole vault after failing to clear the varsity height of 9-0 last year. Teammate Joe Respicio finished second in the event at this year’s league finals with a vault of 11-0. The Mustangs also took third place in the event as Brian Bauman cleared 10-6.

“It’s really awesome to be out here. We’re competing great as a team and don’t have seniors. We’re out here dominating every week with 100 points,” Smith said.

High achievers
•Castle Park’s Goodsell won the boys 400-meter dash in 51.97 while also running a leg on the Trojans’ victorious 4x400 relay team (3:30.81) and placing second in the long jump (20-4).

•Hilltop’s Selina Munoz ended her high school career by doubling in the 800 and 1,600 runs. The outcome of the longer distance remained in doubt until the final 20 yards when she pulled ahead of Castle Park’s Veronica Gonzales to win by 0.58 second. Munoz timed 5:21.33 to Gonzales’ 5:21.91. Another photo finish occurred in the 800 when Munoz (2:23.2) edged Marian Catholic’s Shanice Howard (2:23.39).

Fantastic finishes
•Several close finishes highlighted this year’s South Bay League Finals. Besides the duals in the girls 800 and 1,600 runs, the boys 1,600 meters also was in doubt until the final stride across the finish line as Otay Ranch’s Ricky Pimentel (4:36.33) held off Castle Park’s Diego Martinez (4:36.45).