Athletes gearing up for CIF

Steve Virgen

At this time of year in track and field, it’s all about moving on to

the next level. Such is the case for a slew of athletes from high

schools in the Newport-Mesa area. They will be competing in the CIF

Southern Section preliminaries today and Saturday with the intent of

advancing to the CIF finals the following week, the Masters Meet the

week after and eventually the state meet.

CIF Division III, which features Corona del Mar High, Costa Mesa

and Estancia, will be at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach, while

Division II, which includes Newport Harbor, will be at Mt. San

Antonio College today. Sage Hill School in Division IV will compete

there Saturday.

The Lightning will be represented by two athletes, one boy, Braden

Barnett, Academy League champion in the shot put (44 feet, 5 inches)

and discus (123-3 1/2), and one girl, sophomore Laura Gordon, the

Academy League champion in the 300 hurdles (51.0) and the triple jump

(33-6 3/4).

The top nine in each event will advance to the CIF finals.

Many Newport-Mesa area athletes will be making their debut in CIF

competition, including CdM freshman Anne St. Geme.

St. Geme, the Pacific Coast League champion in the 1,600, enters

the CIF prelims with the No. 3-seeded time, 5:14.0, yet her personal

best is 5:07.0. Costa Mesa’s Christine Bjelland, the Golden West

League champion in the 1,600 (5:24.50), will also race in the event.

Costa Mesa senior Sharon Day, who is seeking to win her fourth

straight CIF Southern Section title in the high jump, is the Orange

County-record holder with a clearance of 6-2.

Estancia will be represented by two athletes, senior Ludi Valdez,

who won the Golden West League title in the 300 hurdles and will also

compete in the 400, and senior Diana Rosete, who will compete in the

3,200.

St. Geme, who won the PCL title in the 800, will also race in that

event today. For the Newport girls, Amy Burlingham, Jillianne

Whitfield, Elizabeth Clayton and Courtney Marshall have solid chances

of advancing to the CIF finals in their respective events. Whitfield

won the Sea View League title in the discus (124-9) and she will also

compete in the shot put, while Marshall will race in the 1,600 and

3,200.

In CIF Division III boys competition, Estancia senior Humberto

Rojas is the top seed in the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:18.33,

which won the Golden West League title and broke the league record.

The 1,600 also includes CdM junior Kevin Artz, who won the PCL title

in 4:36.70.

Rojas will also compete in the 800, in which he won the league

title in the 800 in 1:55.56, the second-seeded time in Division III,

just behind Pacifica’s Daniel Kor at 1:55.46. The Eagles will also be

represented by CIF-newcomer Jason Johnston, a junior who will compete

in three events, the 110 hurdles, the long jump and the triple jump.

Estancia’s Zack Novak is one inch off the top seed’s mark in the high

jump. He had a clearance of 6-4, which won a league title last week.

League individual champions Zach Powell (300 intermediate hurdles)

and Luke Sapolu (discus) will also be on hand at the CIF prelims.

Junior Chris Ringstrom leads the CdM boys squad, which will also

feature Artz. Ringstrom won PCL titles in the 200 (22.57) and the 400

(50.32), while Artz won league titles in the 800 (2:01.51) and 1,600

(4:3.72).

The Newport boys squad will have senior Alec Urtusuastegui making

his return to CIF competition in Division II. Urtusuastegui will

compete in the 800 and 1,600.

Junior Nick Miller, the Sea View champion in the 3,200 (10:03.35),

as well as sophomore Jon Szecsi (shot put) and senior Jack Skahen

(shot put) will also represent the Sailors.