Track and field: Area athletes compete in Orange County

Championship

Joseph Boo

MISSION VIEJO - A scheduling quirk will force some top county

athletes to choose between the Mt. San Antonio College Relays and the

Orange County Championships today, but as far as Newport-Mesa entries are

concerned, Trabuco Hills High is the place to be as the Orange County

Championships unfold, starting at 8:30 a.m.

Newport Harbor High’s boys track and field team is the defending team

champion, and the Sailors are one of the favorites this year. They’re led

by senior Trevor Jones, who has the county’s fastest times in the

110-meter high hurdles (14.21) and the 300 intermediate hurdles (37.16).

His top competitor in the hurdles will be Katella’s Kenny Vinh, who has

the county’s second fastest time in both events. Jones also has the

county’s fourth fastest mark in the 100 and can run the 200, where he has

the second-best time.

The Sailors are dangerous in the distance events with senior Doug Dukes

and juniors John Peschelt and Chris McMillen. Peschelt has the fourth

fastest county time in the 800 (1:58.4). Dukes fastest time in the 3,200

this year is a 9:48.6.

Corona del Mar’s Travis Beardslee and Josh Yelsey are capable of winning

all the boys distance races. They rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in

the 1,600. Yelsey will run the 800, where he has the county’s eighth

fastest time (1:59.92), while Beardslee is in the 3,200.

Estancia’s Eagles, whose boys cross country shared this year’s Pacific

Coast League title with CdM, are deep in the distance events, led by

freshmen Humberto Rojas and Luis Segoviano. Costa Mesa’s Greg Stewart,

the defending PCL champion in the 100 and 200, is battling a sore ankle.

An intriguing battle will take place in the boys shot put and discus,

where defending PCL champion Robert Hulliger of Costa Mesa will face

CdM’s Sean Fenton for the first time this year. They have the same

personal record in the shot put with a 52-9, fourth best in the county.

Fenton has the better mark in the discus with a 163-4, while Hulliger has

yet to break the 160 mark.

The Sailors go in as Orange County’s top-ranked girls team, but CdM is a

strong contender. Both schools fill up the event with the most local

interest, the girls 800. CdM’s Liz Morse has the nation’s best time with

a 2:09.40, and teammate Jenny Cummins has the county’s third fastest time

with a 2:20.28. Newport Harbor’s Amber Steen has the county’s second

fastest time (2:17.53), and teammate Lynn Rinek ran a 2:24.5 this year.

Steen has the only sub-5:00 minute time in the 1,600 in Saturday’s field,

and she is the prohibitive favorite. Steen is also one of the favorites

in the 3,200. CdM’s Diana Hossfeld’s PR of 5:16.97 is one of the 1,600’s

best time. Morse (56.18) and Cummins (59.07) rank one-two in the 400.

Another intriguing event is the girls high jump, where Newport’s April

Ross and CdM’s Allison Brawner both bring 5-6 marks this year. Only

Edison’s Ziemann sisters, Breanna and Rachel, have better PRs. Costa

Mesa’s Sharon Day set the school record in this event (5-4) Thursday.

Newport’s Krista Dill boasts the county’s top mark in the shot put (41-10

1/2) and the second-best in the discus (131-1). Newport freshman Amy

Burlingham is a threat in both the 100 and 200 races. Estancia distance

runner Liz Huipe, who finished 10th in the CIF state cross country meet,

is strong in both the 1,600 and 3,200.