Girls track: JV call-ups propel Eagles to victory

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - As a means of bridging the points gap, veteran

Estancia High girls track and field coach Joan Carlisle dipped into the

JV wellspring Thursday and reeled in two big surprises.

Distance standout Liz Huipe captured three individual events to lead

the Eagles, while sisters Jasmine Geider and Hanni Geider dominated the

sprints.

But Estancia’s trump cards were sophomores Katie McLane and Amanda

Abbott, both of whom were promoted from JV to varsity for the host

Eagles’ Pacific Coast League dual meet against crosstown rival Costa

Mesa, an eventual 71-55 victory for Estancia.

With Carlisle staring at holes in the triple jump and long jump,

Abbott and McLane, though somewhat hesitantly, filled in to give Estancia

a 13-point boost.

“They just want to play, they don’t want any (varsity) pressure,”

Carlisle said of Abbott and McLane, who won the triple jump and long

jump, respectively. “But that’s the way it should be, to have fun.”

Abbott won the triple at 29 feet, 8 1/2 inches for five unexpected

team points, then McLane finished first in the long jump at 14-1 1/2.

McLane was also second in the triple jump (29-2) for three extra points.

“That’s a big difference,” said Carlisle, whose team (2-0, 1-0 in PCL)

featured another strong outing from Huipe.

Huipe won the 800 meters (2:31.93), 1,600 (5:35.34) and 3,200

(12:11.82), while the Eagles’ 400 relay team of Hanni Geider, Crystal

Rincon, Sarah Marks and Jasmine Geider placed first in 55.49 to get the

ball rolling.

Jasmine Geider, a junior, crossed first in the 100 (13.10), followed by her sister, Hanni, also a junior, who ran 13.11. They flipped positions in the 200.

For Costa Mesa, sophomore Sharon Day, who finished fifth in the state

last year in the high jump with a school-record 5-9, posted two wins: In

the high jump (5-2) and 400 (1:03.08).

In the shot put, Mesa sophomore Beverly Aina heaved a 33-4 1/2 to sew

up first place, while her sister, senior Rachael Aina, competed in the

event for the first time and grabbed second (30-4 1/2).

“(Beverly) said she wanted to see me beat her,” Rachael said of her

newfound sport.

And, will Rachael eventually beat her more experienced sister? “Yep,”

she said. “Give me two more meets.”

While Beverly might have encouraged her sister to go out for track, it

doesn’t appear she’s ready to relinquish family, as well as school,

throwing honors any time soon.

“I’m not going to let her beat my marks,” Beverly Aina said. “She

might be my sister, but there’s no way.”

Mesa junior Lisa Dunn finished first in the 300 low hurdles (53.85).