Otay Ranch, Eastlake get fast jump-start

By Phillip Brents

Posted March 21, 2005

Otay Ranch and Eastlake jump-started the 2005 high school track and field season on an optimistic note by placing first and second in their respective divisions at last Saturday’s Sweetwater High School Relays. Otay Ranch finished first in the Division II team standings while Eastlake placed second (behind Morse) in the Division I team standings.

The meet is a combination of traditional events (pole vault, long jump, triple jump, discus and shot put) as well as non-traditional events (sprint, mid-distance, distance and shuttle relays that often involve coed participation and non-traditional distances).

Overall, it is designed as a fun event. The weather also cooperated this year.

On an individual basis, junior pole vaulter Luc Ruiz captured his event with a vault of 12 feet, 0 inches, while Titan teammate Marcus Yarbrough placed second in both the boys discus and shot put with distances of 134-3 and 46-2, respectively.

Bonita Vista’s Patrick Leopold followed Ruiz in the pole vault in second place while Eastlake freshman Jeremiah Andujo finished in third place, both with heights of 11-0.

Ruiz cleared 13-0 last year and is taking aim this year at the school record of 14-6 held by Alex Doria.

Sweetwater’s Ernest Pierce, the reigning Mesa League champion in the boys long jump, placed second in the event to Mt. Miguel’s Karlin Stewart. Pierce recorded a jump of 20-7; Stewart beat that distance by one inch.

Hilltop’s B.J. Hunt finished third in the boys discus with a throw of 132-1 while Sweetwater’s Donald Groves was third in the boys shot put with a distance of 44-11.Morse’s Darius Savage set meet records in both events with efforts of 175-2 in the discus and 56-4.5 in the shot put.

Groves is the reigning Mesa League shot put champion while Hunt is the reigning South Bay League discus champion.

Many of the Metro Conference’s top athletes were seen on the Sweetwater course, including Hilltop’s Selena Munoz, Castle Park’s Vero Gonzales and Julia Hernandez and Otay Ranch’s Britney Bennett.

Munoz is the reigning South Bay League champion in both the 800- and 1,600-meter runs while Gonzales is the South Bay League’s returning 3,200-meter champion. Gonzales was second to Munoz in both the 800 and 1,600 distances.

Bennett won the 100- and 200-meter dashes as well as the long jump as a triple individual winner at last year’s South Bay League championships.

Otay Ranch finished second in the girls 440-yard relay with a time of 52.6 while Marian Catholic was second in the girls mile relay in 4:24.7.

Morse’s Jameena Hunt won both the girls shot put and discus events with distances of 37-3 and 122-6, respectively.

Steele Canyon, led by Carrie Wick’s top girls pole vault of 10-0, finished third in the Division I team standings. Madison, keyed by Nakisha Jones’ wining girls high jump of 5-2, finished second in the Division II team standings to Otay Ranch while Imperial was third.

Desert Relays

Otay Ranch’s Charay Savage earned Athlete of the Meet honors at the March 12 event at Southwest El Centro High School. Savage timed first in the 100 hurdles (15.22) while the Mustangs also finished first in the 3,200 distance and sprint medley relay.