CIF prelims today

Since they’d already won the Pacific Coast League championship seven straight times, the Corona del Mar girls’ track team went after a new benchmark.

For the first time in United States history — according to CdM coach Bill Sumner — four girls from one team ran the 1,600 meter event in less than five minutes, all on the same night.

“It wasn’t anything we planned, it just happened,” Sumner said of Shelby Buckley (4:58.6), Alison Damon (4:58.7), Sarah Cummings (4:59.0), and Hilary May (4:59.1)

“We were trying to get six girls under 5:10 (the qualifying mark for CIF finals),” Sumner said. “Two were 5:13 and 5:15, so they just missed it.”

Today isn’t so much about making history as it is making the CIF Southern Section Division III finals, which the CdM girls have won for the past two years. In 2005, they shared the title with John Muir High.

Costa Mesa, Estancia, and Corona del Mar will meet at Warren High today in Downey for the CIF Southern Section Division III preliminaries. Field events begin at 11 a.m. and track events start at noon.

The team did even better in the 800, where five girls had qualifying times.

“That will be another place where we can absolutely get some points,” Sumner said.

Tiffany Liu won four events at the PCL finals: the 100 and 300 hurdles, the long jump, and the triple jump.

Buckley also won the 800, which included four other CdM girls who also qualified for CIF: Damon, Cummings, May, and Kim Condino. Cummings won the 3,200, and Buckley and Damon also qualified.

“The harder we work, the luckier we get,” Sumner said. “I’m confident we’ll be lucky because we’ve done the preparation.”

Expectations weren’t as high for the boys’ team, athletes that Sumner said are “just trying to get to the next level.” The boys finished second at the PCL finals behind Laguna Hills.

“Our boys’ team will get to the top 10, but that might be it,” he said.

That may leave some wiggle room for Antwon Byrd of Costa Mesa, who won the 100 meter dash at the Orange Coast league finals and Estancia’s Ryan Whites, who won the 300 and the 110 hurdles.

Whites will be facing Spencer Aguilar, who won the 110 hurdles at the PCL finals.

Tim Scott qualified in the 1,600 and 800, where he took first place in both events. Thomas Dialynas won the 3,200 with a time of 10:02.

Even with the preliminaries nearer on the horizon, Sumner was already thinking ahead to the CIF finals.

“You know that that Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks will bring a busload of sprinters,” he said. “I pick John Muir to be hot. They’re just playing competitive every year. John Muir is good every single year. They may not win it, but you’ll see them in the top every single year.”

Newport Harbor will be competing at the Division II CIF preliminaries at Moorpark High. Jessica Robson won the long jump at the Sunset League finals last week with a leap of 18 feet, 1 1/2 inches. She broke the 30-year old school record of 18 feet, one inch and also won the high jump in 5-4 and the 100 mete hurdles in 15.81 seconds.

Allison Stokke won the pole vault (12-8) and Laura Clayton won the triple jump (36-11 1/2 ) to qualify as well.

Sage Hill will compete in the Division IV preliminaries at Carpinteria High today.

The Sage Hill boys’ and girls’ team finished second to St. Margaret’s in the Academy League finals last week.

Connor Rose won the 800 meters in 2:2.81 seconds, and the 1,600 in 4:43.44. Tyler Ellis won the 400 in 51.94 seconds and Sean McElroy won the 3,200 in 10:31.44.

Cait Williamson won the 800 meters in 2:27.41, the 1,600 meters (5:28.85), and the 3,200 in 13:13.22. McKenzie Muhonen won the pole vault (8-6), long jump (16-4 1/2 ), and triple jump (37-7 1/2 ).

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at [email protected].