Girls track and field: Morse wins four events

Joseph Boo

MISSION VIEJO - After winning the 400- and 800-meter events in

Saturday’s Orange County Track and Field Championship at Trabuco Hills

High, Corona del Mar’s Liz Morse thought she could sit down for some down

time before the 1,600 relay. But her coach, Bill Sumner, had other ideas.

“An hour after the 800,” Morse said, “Coach came up to me and said, ‘you

know Liz, we could use some more team points.’ So I said, ‘OK, I’ll run

the 200.’ ”

Morse not only ran the 200, but she surprisingly turned in the county’s

best time of 24.5 to capture her third individual event. She also

anchored CdM’s 1,600 relay to victory, and was named the meet’s top

sprinter/hurdler.

Before the 200, Morse won two the 800 and 400 in workman-like fashion.

She coasted to the 800 in a 2:14.18, five seconds slower than her

national best set at the Arcadia Invitational. And she ran a

‘disappointing’ 56.54 in the 400, still giving her an easy win, but not

in the 54 range that she set out for. “For me and Liz, the 200 was a race

we actually got excited about,” Sumner said. “It got her adrenaline

going. She’s a competitive runner, and she couldn’t get nervous for the

competition in the 800 or 400. She needs that nervousness. She needs to

be chasing somebody, or have someone chasing her.”

“I was really scared about that race because I didn’t have a lot of

adrenaline (Saturday),” Morse said. “I guess I need a couple of races to

get me going.”

The tough-luck runner-up in the 200 was Newport Harbor freshman Amy

Burlingham, who turned in a 25.44. But she was more than happy about her

finish.

“Liz Morse is Liz Morse,” she said. “I wasn’t going to catch her.”

But she can take solace in beating the rest of a crowded 200 field with

the county’s second fastest time this year.

“I’m very happy about my time in the 200,” Burlingham said. “That’s a

major personal record for me.”

Both Burlingham and Morse turned in fast times in their legs of the 1,600

relay. Morse reached the 54-second mark in her second attempt, with a

54.9 as the anchor, and CdM’s relay team of Morse, Becky and Jenny

Cummins, and Karolina Libuda won. CdM almost failed to have a team in

this relay because it didn’t submit a time during meet registration.

“Our main goal for the 1,600 relay was to be in it,” Morse joked.

Burlingham ran the opening leg for the Sailors in about 59.0, a 2.5

second improvement. Newport’s team of Burlingham, Laura Kauth, Lynn Rinek

and Natalie St. Andre was 10th in the relay.

Despite Morse being called to action, the Sea Kings couldn’t overcome

Mater Dei and Esperanza. They finished in a third-place tie with Edison

with 52 points, just three shy of the second-place Monarchs. CdM moved

into third after collecting 18 points in the 800 with Morse winning and

Jenny Cumins finishing second.

Although Cummins had the county’s second-fastest time in the 400, she did

not run in that event to focus on the 800. It paid off with a PR that was

over three seconds better then her previous best.

“I’m glad I didn’t run the 400 over the 800,” Cummins said. “I just

focused on getting a great time in the 800.”

“She’s only a junior, and running the 400, 800 and the 1,600 relay is a heavy load for her,” Sumner said. “She could have either had two good

times or one great time. We decided to go for the PR.”

The Sailors finished fifth as a team with 43 points. Burlingham added a

fifth place finish in the 100. Amber Steen posted her third sub-5:00 time

of her life with a winning time of 4:58.77 in the 1,600. She is still the

only county athlete with a sub-5:00 time this year. CdM’s Diana Hossfeld

was fifth with a PR (5:10.62).

Steen was also fourth in the 3,200 (11:04.93), and CdM’s Season Meservey

placed in fifth (11:29.64).

Newport got major team points from its two field stars, April Ross and

Krista Dill. Dill was second in the discus with a throw of 125-6, and

fourth in the shotput with a 39-0, seven inches behind winner Matalia

Cuacamaga of Santa Ana.

Ross earned points in three events. She was tied for fourth in the high

jump (5-4), finished fifth with a PR in the long jump (16-7), and sixth in the triple jump (35-3 3/4).

“April didn’t put up real big numbers, but she got points for us in three

different events,” Newport Harbor Coach Eric Tweit said. “She’s just a

real competitor.”

Estancia junior Liz Huipe was ninth in the 3,200 (11.53) and 11th in the

1,600 (5:27).

ORANGE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Team - 1. Mater Dei, 55; 2. Esperanza, 54; 3T. Edison, 52; 3T. Corona del

Mar, 52; 5. Newport Harbor, 43.

100 - 1. Sanford (Wb), 12.343; 2. Davis (SAV), 12.348; 3. Ross (Esp),

12.364; 5. Burlingham (NH), 12.62. 200 - 1. Morse (CdM), 25.40; 2.

Burlingham (NH), 25.44; 3. Atkinson (SM), 25.56; 30. Libuda (CdM), 28.64.

400 - 1. Morse (CdM), 56.54; 2. Stenglein (Mar), 59.77; 3. Adams (MD),

59.78; 11. B. Cummins (CdM), 61.96; 25. Kauth (NH), 64.73; 30. St. Andre

(NH), 65.95. 800 - 1. Morse (CdM), 2:14.18; 2. J. Cummins (CdM), 2:17.05;

3. Buche (Esp), 2:18.09; 11. Rinek (NH), 2:23.89 18. Inoue (NH), 2:29.37.

1,600 - 1. Steen (NH), 4:58.77; 2. Allen (FV), 5:01.97; 3. Sears (MD),

5:07.44; 5. Hossfeld (CdM), 5:10.62; 11. Huipe (Est), 5:27; 13. Yourman

(CdM), 5:13.19. 3,200 - 1. Allen (FV), 10:49.56; 2. Sears (MD), 10:59.40;

3. Mann (SM), 11:00.53; 4. Steen (NH), 11:04.93; 5. Meservey (CdM),

11:29.64; 9. Huipe (Est), 11:53; 10. Hossfeld (CdM), 11:58.58. 1,600

relay - 1. Corona del Mar (J. Cummins, B. Cummins, Libuda, Morse),

3:57.01; 2. Mater Dei, 4:00.71; 3. Esperanza, 4:01.08; 10. Newport

Harbor, 4:14.82. 300 LH - 1. Wells (MD), 45.68; 2. Fleskoski (MV), 46.56;

3. Parkinson (StM), 46.60; 13. Mahler (CdM), 49.06; 32. Dorfman (CdM),

54.73.

HJ - 1. B. Ziemann (Edi), 5-6; 2. R. Ziemann (Edi), 5-6; 3. Nicholas

(SH), 5-4; 4T. Ross (NH), 5-4; 9T. Brawner (CdM), 5-0. LJ - 1. 1. Sanford

(Wb), 18-2 3/4; 2. Starr (SAV), 17-3; 3. Jennings (Edi), 17-2 3/4; 5.

Ross (NH), 16-7; Canary (CdM), 14-9 1/4. TJ - 1. Sanford (Wb), 38-9 1/4;

2. Jennings (Edi), 38-2 3/4; 3. Stafford (Kat), 37-2; 6. Ross (NH), 35-3

3/4. SP - 1. Cuacamaga (SA), 39-7 1/2; 2. Weenig (LB), 39-6 1/2; 3. Quinn

(ET), 39-1; 4. Dill (NH), 39-0. DT - 1. Thompson (Esp), 142-2; 2. Dill

(NH), 125-6; 3. Martinez (SAV), 124-5; 18. Gerlach (NH), 104-2. PV - 1.

Rebello (Mar), 11-8; 2. Vonderahe (SM), 10-6; 3. Perkins (Edi), 10-6; 12.

Canary (CdM), 8-6.