SD Prep Sports

www.geocities.com/sdprepsports

Home Page

 

Hilltop's Davila, Sanders set the pace in Metro finals

By Phillip Brents

CHULA VISTA, May 11, 2001 -- Hilltop High’s Desiree Davila and Nadia Sanders both issued stiff challenges to future South Bay League track and field competitors, going where few have gone before by capturing championship titles in three events at last Friday’s league finals at Eastlake High School.

Davila capped her senior season by tripling in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter running events, setting new league records in each event, while Sanders posted the fastest times on the day in winning the 100-, 200- and 400-meter sprints.

Sweetwater senior Trandon Harvey and Bonita Vista senior Dustin Whitson both helped set the pace in the Mesa League championship finals with outstanding individual performances while Sweetwater’s Erin Asay and Aigamarie Taumua both set new conference meet records to highlight competition in girls field events.

Davila clocked 4:56.5 in the 1,600 and 11:08.5 in the 3,200 — two events in which she leads the San Diego Section this season — while posting a 2:14.3 time in the 800 meters, an event in which she ranks second in the section. Davila’s time in the 800 broke the old record in the event, set in 1979, by 3.6 seconds. She bettered the previous conference meet marks in the 1,600 by 8.4 seconds (a record that had stood since 1994) and finished 7.9 seconds ahead of the standing 3,200 record (set in 1981).

The Hilltop distance queen won individual titles in three events last year after reigning supreme in four events two years ago. She finishes her Metro career as a four-time champion in both the 800 and 1,600 events and a three-time champion in the 3,200 meters.

Sanders posted the top times on the day in both the 200 and 400 dashes, topping Chula Vista’s Merla Mason for the best time in the 200 (25.7 seconds) and Chula Vista’s Jackie Mandy for the top clocking in the 400 (1:00.0). Both Sanders (South Bay League) and Mason (Mesa League) timed 12.6 in winning the 100 dash in their respective league heats. Mason captured the Mesa League title in the 200 in 26.2 ahead of Mandy (26.6) while Mandy earned the 400 Mesa League title with a 1:00.7 finish.

In Mesa League races, Chula Vista’s Camille Robinson remained undefeated in the 800 in league competition with a winning time of 2:21.9 while Spartan teammate Sophia Marquez concluded a likewise undefeated league season with the 1,600 title in 5:24.6. Bonita Vista’s Kate Branson won the league 3,200 title in 12:03.6.

Harvey, who tripled in winning the Mesa League long jump, triple jump and 110-meter high hurdles, set a league record in the triple jump, an event in which he leads the section and ranks second in the state. The SuHi standout flew to 47 feet in the triple jump, erasing the old mark of 46-7, set in 1993 by Red Devil graduate Reggie Mitchell. Harvey recorded conference best marks of 22-53/4 in the long jump (in which he ranks second in the section) and 14.6 in the hurdles.

Whitson led from wire-to-wire in winning the 1,600 meters, setting the pace ahead of a trailing pack of four runners. His time of 4:34.4 was a season best in the event. He clocked 9:58.8 in winning the 3,200 meters — an event in which he plans to specialize in at today’s divisional prelims at Escondido High School in an effort to qualify for the state meet in Sacramento. Whitson’s best time on the year of 9:52 in the 3,200 was set at the Orange Glen Invitational in April.

"At Orange Glen, after I did so well and since I was All-CIF during cross country, I feel I have the endurance. I just let my faith guide me," said the deeply devout Whitson, who finished among the section’s top 10 milers last season.

Mar Vista sophomore Troy Swier set the pace in the conference in both distance events, crossing the finish line in 4:29.3 in the 1,600 and 9:52.9 in the 3,200 to win South Bay League titles.

Asay tied her personal record mark of 10-6 to set a new meet record in the girls pole vault, eclipsing the previous mark of 9-6 set last year by Eastlake graduate Beatrice Guapo. Taumua, who leads the section in the girls shot put, broke a longer-standing record in the event with a finals distance of 41-6 to surpass the old mark of 40-5, set by Southwest alumna Tracy Crawford in 1986.

Sweetwater’s Allen Thompson swept the 100 and 200 Mesa League sprints, clocking times of 10.8 in the 100 and 22.0 in the 200, edging Chula Vista’s Alvin DuBose (22.9) in the longer distance. Montgomery’s Jeff McNeal made a triumphant return from injury in winning the Mesa League 400 dash (51.2) while Bonita Vista sophomore Ian Ritchie recorded the top time on the evening in the 800 (2:02.4).

Eastlake’s Ryan Bartsch won South Bay League championships in sweeping both hurdles events, timing 15.0 in the 110 high and 41.2 in the 300 intermediate hurdles. Bonita Vista’s Angelo Vargas led the combined conference field in the 300 event with a 40.4 time.

In relay events, Eastlake swept the boys South Bay League 4x100 and 4x400 events with winning time of 44.0 and 3:31.2 while Castle Park swept the girls South Bay League 4x100 and 4x400 races with top conference times of 50.1 and 4:05.5, respectively. Sweet-water’s boys won the 4x100 Mesa League race in a conference best 43.0 while Chula Vista’s boys claimed the Mesa League title in the 4x400 race in 3:32.0. Chula Vista (50.1) and Southwest (4:14.1) won the girls Mesa League 4x100 and 4x400 races, respectively.

Rounding out the girls running events, Chula Vista’s Alexandra Sims (16.3) and Bonita Vista’s Kayleigh Knudson (a school record 46.9) won respective Mesa League titles in the 100 and 300 hurdles events while Eastlake’s Lisa Malchow (16.4) and Castle Park’s Brianne Martinez (49.9) emerged with top times among South Bay League hurdlers.

In boys field events, Eastlake’s Wade Curry (6-51/2 in the high jump), Devon Aleman (14-0 in the pole vault) and Moses Rangel (167-6 in the discus) all established top conference marks in winning their South Bay League finals. Rangel doubled as the league champion in the shot put (50-7). Jeremy Driggs won the Mesa League discus title with a throw of 157-3 while Bonita Vista’s Jensen Cayas captured the Mesa League shot put title with a conference best 53-11. Doubling as South Bay League champion in the long jump (20-91/4) and triple jump (41-31/2) was Hilltop’s James Wessel (20-91/4 and 41-31/2, respectively). Bonita Vista’s Austin Neudecker, who stands as the section runner-up to Harvey in the triple jump, placed second overall in the event with a jump of 43-9.

In girls field events, Mesa League titles went to Chula Vista’s Kate Bartkiewiecz (5-0, high jump); and Bonita Vista’s Joy Hannibal (15-8, long jump; 35-53/4, triple jump) and Heather Bolles (113-11, discus) while South Bay league titles were captured by Eastlake’s Megan Wilkinson (9-6, pole vault), Shannon Young (124-0, discus), B. J. Hayes (16-41/4, long jump) and Soledad Gonzalez (33-61/2, shot put); and Hilltop’s Nadiyah Salahuddin (34-6, triple jump); and Aundrea Johnson (4-8, high jump).

The boys divisional prelims are tonight at Escondido High, starting at 4 p.m., followed on Saturday by the girls divisional prelims, beginning at 2 p.m. at the same site.

The division finals are scheduled Friday, May 25 at Poway High, with qualifiers advancing to the state prelims on June 1 in Sacramento. The state finals are June 2.

Davila (South Bay League), Bartsch and Castle Park’s Jesus Macias (South Bay League), Mason (Mesa League), Harvey and Thompson (Mesa League) were named Athletes of the Year for their respective leagues.

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1