Meet boasts record breakers

NEWPORT BEACH ? If you are a young runner, jumper or thrower, you probably showed up at the Newport Beach Recreation and Senior Services Department and Newport-Balboa Rotary Club’s Youth Track and Field Championship at Newport Harbor High on Friday night.

The event attracted more than 200 participants from around Orange County, including two who ended up breaking meet records.

In fact, Davidson Stadium was littered with record breakers past and present. Even public address announcer Scott Williamson is a former record holder in the meet, which just completed its 41st year. Williamson set the record in the 400-yard run in 1974 with a time of 1:02.3, a mark that has since been broken.

“This meet is great because they’ve kept track of all these old records,” said Williamson, who went on to become a track and cross-country star at Corona del Mar High.

The two records broken on Friday both came in the girls’ 100. Angelisa Cortez, competing in the girls’ Division 94 (12 years and younger), ran the 100 in 13.9 seconds, beating the old record of 14.3 set by Christina Twicken in 2004.

Molly Keasey, competing in the girls’ Division 96 (10 years and younger), ran the 100 in 15.1 seconds, passing the previous mark of 15.2 set by Laura Gardner in 1994.

“It’s amazing the number of years it takes for some of these records to get broken,” said Newport Beach Recreation Manager Sean Levins, who added that this year’s participation was about 20 more than last year.

The meet included standout performances by 14-year-old Paula Verkuylen, an eighth-grader from Orange, and 13-year-old Hailu Hitchman, a seventh-grader from Tustin.

Hitchman blew the field away in the boys’ Division 92 (14 years and younger) 1,600 run, striding away from the competition early and maintaining a large lead. Hitchman finished with a first-place time of 5:06.3, more than 43 seconds ahead of second-place Anthony Duarte and more than 49 seconds ahead of third-place Christopher Powers, not that he was pleased with his standout performance.

“I was kind of disappointed because my goal was a five-minute mile,” said Hitchman, who plans to go to Mater Dei High.

Hitchman, not short on confidence, said he wasn’t surprised he blew by the field and added that he would probably beat the meet record of 4:55.1 next year as an eighth grader.

“I’m on a club team [the Tustin-based Equalizers]. We go to Rhode Island and stuff to compete,” said Hitchman, who also won the 800 run.

Verkuylen broke the meet record in the high jump last year in the girls’ Division 92 with a height of 4 feet, 7 inches. So even though she won the high jump again ? this time with a height of 4-6 in the girls’ Division 91 (15 years and younger) ? she felt she could have done better.

“I was disappointed, I was under my personal best,” Verkuylen said. “But it’s only my second meet, so it’s a good warm-up for the rest of the season.”