SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Track & Field

East County track leaders starting to take shape

By Phillip Brents
Posted April 3, 2004

The early season high school track and field leaders in the San Diego Section are starting to take shape. Several East County athletes are once again among those vying for top marks, as evidenced by their performances at the annual Elmer Runge Classic April 1 at Patrick Henry High School.

Granite Hills, Grossmont, El Cajon Valley, Vahalla and West Hills competed at the county-wide invitational. Names of old reliables as well as many new faces dotted this year’s leader board.

Mt. Miguel’s Karlin Stewart was the meet’s spotlight performer by winning both the boys long jump and triple jump competitions. A returning state meet qualifier in the both events, Stewart flew to a distances of 43 feet, 4.5 inches in the triple jump and 20 feet, 11 inches in the long jump. The Matador standout out-jumped Granite Hills’ Brandon Pride (20-6.5) in the long jump and Eastlake’s Robert McKinney (42-6) in the triple jump.

For good measure, Stewart finished third in the boys high jump at 6-0.

At last year’s section championship meet, Stewart finished second in the long jump (22-6-5) and fourth in the triple jump (45-9.5). When final scratches were taken into consideration, the Mt. Miguel jumper advanced to the state championship meet in both events.

Other East County event winners at this year’s Runge Classic included Granite Hills Aaron McCalmont (boys high jump) and Valhalla’s Leslie Noiseaux (girls high jump).

McCalmont and Eagles teammate Clark Gordon placed first and second, respectively, in the boys high jump with heights of 6-2 while Noiseaux won a jump-off against Point Loma’s Tori Anderson and Coronado’s Sarah Player, all of whom cleared 5-2.

Noiseaux also placed fourth in the girls long jump with a jump of 15-5.25.

West Hills senior Dan Gonia appears back in top form this spring. The West Hills distance runner clocked the 10th fastest time in the 3,200-meter run at last spring’s section championship meet. He looks to improve that finish this year after placing second in the boys 1,600-meter run in a nip-and-tuck battle against Patrick Henry’s Ian LaForm at this year's Runge Classic. Gonia, who said his goal this season is to break 4:20 in the event, had the lead halfway through the race before finishing three seconds behind LaForm. The Wolf Pack runner timed 4:24.84; La Form won in 4:21.89.

“My goal this year is to try to make it to the state meet, and trying to get 9:15 in the 3,200,” said Gonia, a four-year member of the West Hills track and field team.

Patrick Henry’s LaForm came back to win the 3,200 in 9:55. Early season times should quickly fall.

Granite Hills’ Ben Maypole led a strong East County contingent in the boys 400-meter dash with a second-place finish in 49.74. El Cajon Valley’s Jeremy Young finished third in 50.42 while Valhalla’s Ryan Denton turned in the fourth-best time of 51.28. Granite Hills’ Tom Lussenden had the sixth-best time of 51.78, giving East County runners four of the top six times in the event’s four heats. Eastlake’s Dante Franks won in 49.66, winning by a lean against Maypole at the finish line.

In statistics compiled through March 30, Maypole had ranked second in the section to Helix's Dax Danns with a time of 49.82.

Valhalla’s Sarah Laine finished second in both the girls 200- and 400-meter dashes. Laine sped to a time of 26.17 seconds in the 200, placing behind Hoover’s Vanessa Houston (25.7), and clocked 59.9 in the 400 behind Poway’s Megan Williams (59.57). Laine and Williams were the only runners to clock below 60 seconds in the 400 distance.

Granite Hills’ Erica Gove turned in the second-best time in the girls 1,600-meter run at 5:28.17, finishing behind Patrick Henry’s Emily Osga (5:23.34). West Hills’ Kristen Peters, another high profile East County distance runner, placed second in the girls 3,200-meter run with a time of 12:16.54 behind race winner Julia Hernandez of Castle Park (12:06.68).

Valhalla’s Kaitlen Laine (48.43) finished second in the girls 300-meter hurdles while Granite Hills’ Monique Neely placed second in both the girls shot put (35-7.75) and discus throw (99-0). Lane finished behind Coronado’s Sarah Player (48.22) in the hurdles while Neely finished runner-up to Mira Mesa’s Alisha Misiaita in both the shot put (37-9.5) and discus throw (123-10).

Besides finishing second in the boys long jump, Granite Hills’ Pride placed third overall in the boys 200-meter dash (22.45) and fourth overall in the boys 100-meter dash (11.41).

The Granite Hills speedster finished behind 200 event champion Franks of Eastlake (22.21) and runner-up Michael Lynch of St. Augustine (22.35). El Cajon Valley’s Young was fourth in 22.86 while Granite Hills’ Elton Bottom placed seventh in 23.29 among the 42 runners in the five heats.

Pride placed behind 100 dash event champion Dustin Driscoll of St. Augusitne (10.92), runner-up Joseph Tanner of Sweetwater (11.37) and third-place finisher Charles Parker of Eastlake (11.39). Granite Hills’ Bottom was seventh in 11.57 and West Hills’ Eric Fiege (11.70) was ninth among the 39 runners in the five heats.

Granite Hills’ Molly Hildenbrand finished third overall in both the girls long jump (15-5.75) and triple jump (30-10) and also placed fourth in the shot out (32-8.5) and sixth in the discus throw (93-3) to highlight a showcase individual performance. Hildenbrand finished behind Montgomery’s Jasmine Hutchinson (16-4.5) and Mira Mesa’s Kaycee Clark (15-7) in the long jump and Clark (33-1) and Poway’s Ennie Jose (32-4.25) in the triple jump.

In other top performances:

Granite Hills’ Jessica Owens placed third overall in the girls 100-meter hurdles (17:38) and fifth in the 300-meter hurdles (50.12).

Grossmont’s Janae Mack (13.31) and El Cajon Valley’s Sheraina Moon (13.39) and Taniya Patros (13.41) finished third, fourth and fifth in the girls 100 dash.

Grossmont’s La Kenya Simon-West (1:00.44) and West Hills’ Brittany Blocksom (1:02.18) finished third and fourth, respectively, in the girls 400 dash.

El Cajon Valley’s Neiko Alexis (2:03.87), Granite Hills’ Walter Bueno (2:04.68) and ECV’s Ricky Gilbert (2:05.06) finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in the boys 800-meter run.

Grossmont’s Michael Lakis finished third in the boys triple jump (41-0) while Granite Hills’ Kevin Jenkins (40-11.75) finished fifth.

West Hills’ E.J. Brown finished fourth in the boys long jump (20-2) and sixth in the triple jump (40-3).

Granite Hills’ Jason Jackson was fourth in the boys discus throw (133-2) and sixth in the shot put (41-6.5). West Hills’ Kyle Hamann and Granite Hills’ Luke Simpson finished fifth and sixth with heights of 5-10 in the boys high jump.

Granite Hills’ Gabriella Black (2:30.47) and West Hills’ Johana Fiserova (2:30.80) and Samantha Timanus (2:33.99) finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in the girls 800 run.

Granite Hills’ Allison Vaupel (4-8) was fourth in the girls high jump while Eagles teammate Dayna Moyer was fifth in the girls long jump (15-2.5).

West Hills’ Jeremy Root finished fifth in the boys 300-meter intermediate hurdles (41.15) and sixth in 110 high hurdles (16.20).

El Cajon Valley’s Leena Norwarekar (12:33.72) finished fifth in the girls 3,200 run while West Hills’ Samantha Espindola (5:38.29) placed sixth in the girls 1,600 run.

West Hills’ Braelynn Ochs was fifth in the girls pole vault (9-0) and sixth in the girls long jump (14-10.75).

El Cajon Valley’s Christopher Jackson was seventh in the boys 110 high hurdles (16.27) and was 10th overall in the 300 distance (43.47). Braves teammate Kiana Brooks timed 43.27 for the eighth-best time in the girls 300 hurdles. West Hills’ Christina Glutz was seventh in the girls 100 hurdles (17.57).

El Cajon Valley’s Alexis (4:42.56) and Granite Hills’ Andrew Joslyn (4:44.51) finished eighth and ninth, respectively, in the 35-runner field in the boys 1,600.

In boys relay events, Granite Hills (3:32.30), El Cajon Valley (3:32.46) and Mount Miguel (3:33.09) swept the top three times in the 4x400 relay while Granite Hills (43.94) placed second in the 4x100 relay.

Bottom, Bueno, Maypole and Lussenden each ran 400-meter legs for Granite Hills in the 4x400 relay while Young, Alexis, Jackson and Brooks ran legs for El Cajon Valley.

Granite Hills, with Bottom, Pride, Maypole, and Jared Francis running 100-meter legs in the 4x100, flew down the track’s all-weather surface. The Eagles finished just over a half-second behind St. Augustine (42.36) for the lead and edged Eastlake (43.95) by 0.01 second.

El Cajon Valley, with Young, Jackson, Brooks and Tommy Kendricks each running legs, finished fourth in 44.33, followed by Mount Miguel in 44.72 and West Hills in 45.15. Fiege, Raleigh Sevier, Root and E.J. Brown completed legs for the Wolf Pack.

In girls relay events, El Cajon Valley won the 4x400 relay in 4:19.59 while Grossmont finished third in the 4x100 relay in 52.01. Mt. Miguel was fourth in the 4x400 relay in 4:32.58.

Markeshia Gilbert, DeDe Spinler, Sheraina Moon and Patros each ran one lap in combining to win the 4x400 relay ahead of Patrick Henry (second, 4:21.53) and Chula Vista (third, 4:25.29).

Notepad
Mt. Miguel’s E. Foster finished second in the boys discus throw (136-2) and fifth in the boys shot put (42-8) at the Runge Classic.

Section leaders
Helix’s Dax Danns owns the section’s top marks in both the 100 dash (10.68) and 400 dash (49.07), both set in winning the events at the Mt. Carmel/New Balance Invitational March 25 at Mt. Carmel High School.

Monte Vista’s Roberto Archibald ranks first in the section in the boys 300 hurdles (38.90) and second in the 110 hurdles (15.38).

In statistics compiled through March 30, Granite Hills' Ben Maypole ranked second in the section to Helix's Danns in the 400 dash with a time of 49.82.

Christian’s Mandy Ross ranked first in the section in the girls 100 dash (12.30) while Helix’s Janie Janes ranks first in the section in the girls 200 dash (25.36) and first in the section in the girls 400 dash (57.33). Ross ranks second in the 200 dash (25.50).

Helix’s Sharika Thompson ranks second in the section in both the girls 100 hurdles (15.25) and 300 hurdles (45.99).

Valhalla’s Leslie Noiseaux owns a share of the section’s top girls high jump mark at 5-4 while Monte Vista’s Danielle Thu ranks second in the section in the girls discus (134-3).