Tsu saves his best throw for last at Mt. SAC Relays

By Andrew TurnerStaff Writer

April 15, 2017 10:50 PM PT

TORRANCE — A sterling senior season to this point has provided Marina’s Kyle Tsu with many new opportunities.

The Vikings thrower has found himself on the biggest and brightest stages, and although he has not been devoid of nerves, he certainly isn’t complaining.

This is what he wanted all along. He never wastes any time in complimenting the efforts of the competitors around him.

Lately, there has been plenty of competition. Vikings throws coach Mike Giron described Tsu as “very nervous” during his first night meet appearance at the Arcadia Invitational last week.

Those nerves remained as he planted his feet in the throwing ring at El Camino College to compete in the Mt. SAC Relays.

He fouled two of his first three attempts, but his one legal throw was enough to advance to the shot put finals.

Tsu stunned the field with his last throw, uncorking a toss of 60 feet, 5 inches that stood up as the winning mark in the invitational heat.

“There is a change of pace from the warmups to the actual meet,” Tsu said. “The nerves come in a little bit. I feel like the better throwers are the ones that can always suppress it the best.

“The first two (sectors) worried me a bit, but I knew that I got that 16 (meters) in there, so I knew I made finals. I just had to calm myself down. I knew I had three more (throws).”

Giron said it was just the challenge that Tsu, who signed with UC Irvine on Wednesday, needed to make his second-half surge.

He needed a little adversity to fight through and grow, and it showed today.

— Mike Giron, Marina throws coach.

“As the season progresses, the meets will only get bigger and more pressure-packed,” Giron said. “He needed a little adversity to fight through and grow, and it showed today.

“He had a couple of good throws technique-wise that slipped out of his hand, but he was able to gather himself for that last throw.”

The week before Arcadia, Newport Harbor’s Cole Smith swept the throws at the Trabuco Hills Invitational, despite Tsu surpassing the 60-foot mark for the first time in his career.

Smith returned to action after missing the Arcadia national meet due to illness. He placed fourth at 54 feet, 7 1/4 inches.

The Sailors senior was clearly not back to full strength. Still, his presence, along with that of others in the field, make these invitationals exciting for Tsu.

Something had been missing for Tsu through the first half of the year. Teammate Jake Arnold had missed significant time with a foot injury. Arnold has also started throwing again, giving Tsu someone to push him in practice.

“Competition brings the best out of both of us,” Tsu said. “To win an invitational feels really good because the best of the best is against you.”

Coming into the meet, all the hype was geared toward the pole vault with Armand Duplantis (Lafayette, LA) set to star in the event.

The multiple world junior record-holder did not enter the competition until every other competitor had been eliminated.

He came in at the height of 17 feet, and he finished with a final clearance of 18 feet, 3 inches. It was announced that the 18-3 matched the best jump by a high school vaulter on California soil.

Not to be lost in Duplantis’ stardom, Newport Harbor’s Ryan Fegan had a banner day. The senior vaulted two new personal-record bars in placing second with a mark of 16 feet, 6 inches.

Duplantis approached Fegan on the runway after the Sailors senior converted his second lifetime best mark of the day.

“That was probably the highlight of the meet. (Forget) the PR,” a starstruck Fegan said. “It was brief, but it was probably what made me close to 17 feet.”

Fegan’s performance may have given hope to a field of pole vaulters that saw little chance to contend for a state title. He matched the height of state leader Tate Curran (Redondo Union), who had gone undefeated until Saturday. Fegan took second place on total misses.

The Newport Harbor standout was sidelined for Arcadia with a hamstring strain and an illness.

“It’s crazy, especially that I made 16-6 on that (first) attempt,” Fegan said. “I’ve just been waiting for these poles, and when I got them, it was just game time.

“I was just ready. It was time to go.”

Newport Harbor’s Mikael Campo, Ben Wilson, Alexis Garcia, and Mark Field combined to go 18:01.99 in the invitational 4xMile relay, which was good for seventh.

The Huntington Beach quartet of Josh McFarland, Alekos Mitchel, Lars Mitchel, and Hunter Smith ran 8:13.21 in the 4x800-meter seeded relay to place sixth.

BOYS’ TRACK AND FIELD

Mt. SAC Relays

At El Camino College

4xMile relay — 7. Newport Harbor 18:01.99

PV — 2. Fegan (Newport Harbor) 16-6; 6. M. Magula 15-6; 7. Escalera (Sage Hill) 15-0

SP — 1. Tsu (Marina) 60-5; 4. Smith (Newport Harbor) 54-7.25; 11. O’Neil (Newport Harbor) 46-3.5

DT — 6. Tsu (Marina) 166-0; 7. Smith (Newport Harbor) 164-3

DT seeded — 5. O’Neil (Newport Harbor) 150-11; 10. Blake (Newport Harbor) 137-9

Ocean View Invitational

At Ocean View High

200 — 2. Tran-Nguyen (Costa Mesa) 23.94

400 — 2. Zeferino (Los Amigos) 52.29; 3. Tran-Nguyen (Costa Mesa) 53.13