Boys and girls track and field: Jones, boys teammates in prime

position.

Barry Faulkner

IRVINE - By being true to form at Monday’s Sea View League track

and field preliminaries, the Newport Harbor High boys team positioned

itself to win its first league championship since 1979.

But the central figure behind that positioning, senior Trevor Jones, may

be on the verge of matching a league finals feat which has had an even

longer shelf life.

The UCLA-bound Jones, reigning league champion in the 110-meter high

hurdles and 300 intermediate hurdles, qualified first in both hurdles

races Monday. He also posted the top qualifying time in the 100 and will

anchor the Tars’ 1,600 relay quartet, which has the fastest time on

Orange County this spring.

Should Jones, who was second in the 200 at last year’s Sea View finals,

pull off the four victories, he would be the first Sailor since Brian

Theriot in 1974 to do so.

Theriot, who also went on to run at UCLA, won the 100-yard dash, the 220,

the 440 and anchored the winning mile relay at the 1974 Sunset League

Finals.

“It was a routine day, which is what you want in the prelims,” Barry said

after qualifying was held for five events at Irvine High. The Tars went

4-0 in league dual meets.

The Newport Harbor girls also performed to expectations in six events and

Coach Eric Tweit said his squad is ready to make a run at Woodbridge and

Laguna Hills for the league crown.

“We’ll take a shot at them,” Tweit said.

Jones went 14.85 in the 110-meter hurdles, 11.13 in the 100 and 38.46 in the 300 hurdles Monday.

Harbor junior John Peschelt, who along with Richard Weber and Dan Moyer

will join Jones on the long relay Thursday, qualified first in the 800

with a time of 1:58.99. He will also attempt to defend his league title

in the high jump.

Junior Chris McMillen qualified third in the 800 (1:59.47), where senior

teammate Doug Dukes qualified fifth (2:02.64).

Jones will have two teammates in each hurdles final. Moyer, Sean Tuppy

and Brad Rothwell qualified third, fourth and sixth, respectively, in the

110s, while Moyer and Tupy qualified fifth and sixth in the 300s.

Barry termed Rothwell advancing in the 110s a nice surprise.

“Anything can happen in the hurdles, so it’s nice to have another body

out there,” Barry said.

Freshman sprinter Amy Burlingham qualified in the 100 and 200, while

teammates Valerie Day and Breonna Tiffany qualified in both hurdles

races.

Junior Amber Steen, who won league titles in the 1,600 and 3,200 as a

sophomore, qualified in the 800 Monday. She is also scheduled to run the

1,600 and the long relay Thursday.

Nadja Topalovic, Natalie Standre and Lauren Hanson qualified sixth,

seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 400, while Heather McKibbin and

Lynn Rinek will join Steen in the 800 final.

Times and places were not available for most girls events Monday, due to

computer problems.

Field-event competitors do not compete in the preliminaries and it may be

difficult for the rest of the league to compete with Newport senior

Krista Dill in the shot put and discus. The reigning league champion in

each event, Dill has thrown 23 feet farther than her closest discus rival

and more than three feet better than the next-best mark in the shot put

field.

Field events begin at 2:30 p.m. Thursday. Running events start at 4 p.m.