Track and field: CdM aims for girls team title

Joseph Boo

CERRITOS - Can Corona del Mar High’s girls track and field team win

the CIF Southern Section Division III title?

Whether the Sea Kings have enough to surpass favorites Mater Dei and

Santa Margarita in Saturday’s championship at Cerritos College remains in

question. CdM Coach Bill Sumner acknowledges it’s a long shot, but he

believes his team’s performance at the preliminaries gives CdM a chance.

CdM qualified for nine spots in the finals, and that puts it within range

of Mater Dei, which occupies 12 slots. Santa Margarita 10.

And any team with Liz Morse has a chance. CdM’s Princeton-bound senior,

who won a section title as a sophomore, is pretty much a sure thing in

the 400- and 800-meter runs. In fact, the only suspense could be whether

Morse can reach the 54-second mark in the 400, which she achieved in the

1,600 relay but never in an individual race.

The 200, with two runners who reached the 23- second mark, is the only

race Morse will have stiff competition in, although her prelim time of

24.80 is by far the best in Orange County.

The 1,600 relay could be a crucial race since Santa Margarita didn’t

field a team. And Mater Dei spectacularly lost to CdM, the top seed in

the finals, twice this year. Both times, the Monarchs had a big lead,

only to see Morse wipe out the deficit with 54.9 anchors.

Becky and Jenny Cummins join Morse on CdM’s 1,600 relay squad with the

other leg undecided. Karolina Libuda ran when CdM set Orange County’s

best mark of 3:57.01. But she was scratched at the prelims because of a

toe injury. Jaycee Mahler was solid as a replacement.

Jenny Cummins didn’t run the 400, even though she was the fourth-fastest

qualifier. She decided to hold out for the 800, a strategy employed by

her and Sumner at this year’s Orange County championship.

Cummins said she is close to qualifying for the Master’s in the 800 and

Sumner believes one great time will make up for two good times. Cummins

is the fifth seed, but she is capable of a top-three finish.

CdM sophomore Season Meservey, who transferred from Aliso Niguel earlier

this school year, is in a position to help her team immensely. She is the

third seed in the 3,200 behind Santa Margarita’s Lori Mann and Mater

Dei’s Jenny Sears.

CdM junior Diana Hossfeld was not in top form for the 1,600 prelims and

she squeezed in as the ninth qualifier. But with her illness passing,

Hossfeld is one of the favorites along with Mann and Sears.

Other CdM representatives include Mahler in the 300 low hurdles and

Allison Brawner in the high jump. Both are capable of top-three finishes.

Mesa freshman Sharon Day is the third seed in the 400. She and Santa

Margarita’s Meghan Atkinson are the two most likely to finish behind

Morse.

Day is a real threat to win the high jump. She already beat CdM’s Brawner

and University’s Erica Malouf and the Paulick sisters in the PCL finals.

Day will also anchor Mesa’s 1,600 relay team. In the PCL finals, the

Mustangs beat Uni for second place, giving CdM and the Trojans a tie.

Mesa’s squad of Day, Julie Kroening, Lisa Dunn and Ashley Schafer is the

seventh seed. Without Kroening, who’s a senior, the squad won the

frosh/soph finals at the Orange County championships.

After an ugly spill in the 100 low hurdles, Kroening came back with a

47.16 in the 300 low hurdles, a school record and the fourth-best time.

In the boys Division III finals, Costa Mesa’s Robert Hulliger and CdM’s

Sean Fenton will continue a beguiling rivalry. Hulliger won three of four

head-to-head matchups in the shot put and had the best mark at the

prelims. Fenton took three of four discus matchups and his PR of 171-7 is

easily the best in the field.

Mesa’s Greg Stewart will attempt to improve on last year’s sixth place

finish at the finals in spectacular fashion. His qualifying time of 22.28

made him the third seed, but he is aiming for the school record of 21.6,

which should give him a section title.

CdM’s Josh Yelsey is coming off a great prelim where he qualified for two

events. He is the second seed in the 1,600, but he came into the prelims

with the best time from the league finals. He is also the fifth seed in

the 800.

Mesa junior Rami Ghebrekidus has regularly sliced 10 seconds off his PR

this year. At the prelims, his 9:39.18 was a 12-second improvement. He is

the fifth seed.

Estancia senior Travis Chandler, who picked up track and field two weeks

before the dual meet season, qualified for the high jump after competing

in three prelim events. He jumped a PR of 6-2 at the prelims, one of

seven to post the top mark. The Eagles’ Humberto Rojas is the second

alternate in the 1,600.