Track and field: Richmond is the first girl this season to clear 5-10

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Tara Richmond, a sophomore from Long Beach Poly, became the first girl in the state this year to clear 5 feet 10 inches in the high jump.

Richmond’s effort easily gave her the Division I title at the Southern Section-Toyota Championships Saturday at Mt. SAC. Her previous best this season was 5-9.

She is still two inches short of the section’s Division I record and four inches shy of the section mark set by Sharon Day of Costa Mesa in 2003.

Other high jump division champions were Latijera Avery of Culver City in Division II, whose 5-8 was the only other mark over 5-6; Tayler Johnson of Oak Park in Division III, and Meagen Moiola of Morro Bay in Division IV.

Girls’ high jump participants advancing to Friday’s Masters meet:

1. Tara Richmond, L.B. Poly, Div. I, 5-10
2. Latijera Avery, Culver City, Div. II, 5-8
3. Ashley Smith, Millikan, Div. I, 5-6
4. Tayler Johnson, Oak Park, Div. III, 5-6
5. Karen Han, Arcadia, Div. I, 5-6
6. Shanice Stewart, Carter, Div. I, 5-6
7. Ashley Henry, Rancho Cucamonga, Div. I, 5-6
8. Meagen Moiola, Morro Bay, Div. IV, 5-6
9. Megan Johnson, Mission Viejo, Div. I, 5-4
10. Cara Vernacchia, San Luis Obispo, Div. III, 5-4
11. Katrina Graves-Johnson, Monrovia, Div. III, 5-4
12. Camilla Dencer, West Valley Christian, Div. IV, 5-4

-- Martin Henderson

-- Editor Bob: For complete Southern Section divisonal championship results, check here.