Felix Loses Twice but Gains Ground

WALNUT —  Sophomore Allyson Felix of L.A. Baptist High lost her first outdoor races of the season in the girls’ 100- and 200-meter dashes in the Mt. San Antonio College Relays on Saturday, but her stature among the nation’s top sprinters grew larger.

Particularly in the 200, where her second-place time of 23.31 was a career best and the second-fastest in the nation this year behind the 23.16 of winner Monique Henderson of San Diego Morse.

Henderson was selected as Track & Field News’ girls’ national athlete of the year last year after winning the 200 and 400 in the state championships, setting a national high school record of 50.74 in the 400.

Felix actually made up ground on Henderson in the second half of the 200.

“There’s nobody that [Allyson is] not going to run down,” said Jonathan Patton, an L.A. Baptist assistant. “It’s just a matter of staying close enough to them during the start of the race.”

A great start by Henderson was the difference in the 200 as the three-time defending state 400 champion had a four-meter lead on Felix coming off the turn after the first 100 meters.

Felix’s 23.31 clocking, which cut .17 seconds off her previous best and moved her into fourth on the all-time region performer list, was doubly impressive because it came in her fourth race of the day.

Previously, she ran the second leg on a 400 relay team that placed fifth in its heat in 49.04, finished third in the 100 in 11.87 and ran a 24.0-second first leg on an 800 relay team that finished third in its heat in 1:44.03.

Henderson won the 100 in 11.68 and junior Angel Perkins of Gahr finished second in 11.78, but Felix didn’t let that get her down.

“I think I got out decent,” she said of the 100. “I just wasn’t gaining on them. I knew I still had the 200 so I tried not to get too discouraged about it.”

Athletes from the region won eight events in the high school portion of the meet, topped by Canyon’s victory in the boys’ 6,400 relay team.

Luke Llamas (4:25.5), Ryan Morgan (4:30.8), Jameson Mora (4:24.0) and Nick Zoetewey (4:23.8) of Canyon clocked 17:44.06, second fastest time in the nation behind a 17:40.71 clocking by The Woodlands, Texas.

“They’re really happy about the way they ran,” co-coach Dave DeLong said. “That’s nice to see. It makes all the work worthwhile.”

Peiman Lahsaei, Paul Pratt, Chris Morgan and Noah Smith of Taft won the boys’ 800 relay in 1:26.44.

Junior Randy Bundy of Cleveland won the boys’ 400 in 48.84.

Senior Makisi Haleck of Thousand Oaks won the boys’ pole vault in 15-7 to tie the Ventura County record set by Chuck Houde of Simi Valley in 1984.

Senior Schquay Brignac of Taft, state champion in the girls’ high jump, won that event for the second time in four years at 5-6 on fewer misses.

Senior Melissa Astete of Birmingham won the girls’ pole vault in 12-8.

Senior Jamie Kolar of Long Beach Poly cleared the same height, but Astete won because she had fewer misses.

Hoover won the girls’ distance medley relay in 12:25.61 as senior Anita Siraki ran a 4:49.1 1,600-meter anchor leg to bring the Tornadoes from sixth to first place.

Canyon won the girls’ sprint medley relay in 4:08.72 as freshman Alysia Johnson ran a 2:14.7 800-meter anchor leg to bring the Cowboys from second to first.