Track & Field: A ‘Tsu-per’ discus record
The violin family possesses some of the more delicate musical instruments.
Marina’s Kyle Tsu plays the viola. Due to a concert, the senior thrower nearly missed Wednesday’s dual meet against Newport Harbor in its entirety.
When his orchestra had finished its performance at Long Beach Millikan High, Tsu was rushed back to Marina High by a friend’s mom. He then changed out of his suit and into his uniform in his car before racing out to the field.
Tsu arrived just as warmups were taking place for the discus. He had already missed the shot put.
With Newport Harbor’s Cole Smith traveling to Hawaii for an invitational this weekend, the highly anticipated league matchup had lost some of its luster.
Smith (59 feet, 5 inches) and Tsu (58 feet, 9 inches) came into the day ranked fourth and fifth in the state for the shot put.
Tsu had not been quite as proficient in the discus, but he provided the highlight of the meet with a virtuoso performance in the event upon his arrival.
The senior unleashed a throw of 176 feet, 8 inches to set a school record in the discus. It surpassed the previous top mark of 168-11, set by teammate Jake Arnold at the Sunset League Finals last year.
“We started, and I opened up with a 162,” Tsu said. “I’ve never done that before. My warmup is usually like a 140.”
The beginning was a sign of things to come. After a couple more throws, he uncorked the big one.
He spun through his motion, and he knew he had gotten it all. Still, Tsu was modest in his expectations.
“‘It’s probably like a 168, maybe a new PR,’” Tsu thought. “I back out, and I look at the throw. They’re pulling the tape, and it just kept on going. It said 177, and I was like, ‘Oh, they got to pull it tight because it’s bent.’
“They pull it tight, so it’s going to go less. It goes to 176. I still didn’t believe it until he said, ‘176-8.’ That’s when I realized I just broke the record.”
Tsu is garnering interest from several colleges, a list that includes Cal Poly Pomona, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, Cal State San Marcos, and Long Beach State.
Arnold may soon rejoin him in the throwing rings. Vikings Coach Carlos Castellanos said the team was waiting to hear if he had been cleared by a doctor on Wednesday to resume throwing.
The senior could return as soon as the Beach Cities Invitational this weekend. The meet will be held at Huntington Beach High.
Wind readings were off the charts, which affected much of the meet. Sprints were run in winds as high as 6.8 meters per second (15.2 miles per hour). In order for a time/mark to stand for record purposes, the wind cannot exceed 2.0 meters per second.
Note that the throws are not subject to wind readings.
The other marquee matchup came in the pole vault, where Marina’s Mike Magula faced off with Newport Harbor’s Ryan Fegan.
Magula won the contest on total jumps, as each conquered the height of 15 feet, 1 inch.
The mark places the two in a four-way tie for eighth in the state. Edison’s Michael Chadwick has also achieved that mark, making the pole vault a fun event to watch for the duration of the Sunset League.
“I think we have a very good chance of making it to state this year, all three of us,” Fegan said.
The Sailors senior came close to clearing 15-7 on his third attempt. It was his best showing since his pole broke his nose at the Mt. Carmel Invite on March 4.
Magula has seen stiff competition before, especially within the Vikings’ practices. He spent the last three years training with last year’s state champion Jett Gordon.
“The bungees are always up for him at practice, so you’re always reaching higher,” Magula said of training with Gordon. “The bungee isn’t at your PR. It’s always a couple of feet higher.
“It’s something to reach for. You’re not just trying to make the same height over and over again.”
Newport Harbor swept the meet. The Sailors’ boys clinched the meet, 67-61, with a victory in the 1,600 relay.
On the girls’ side, Newport defeated Marina, 78-38. Helen Coyne won the 200 and the 400 for the Sailors, with Mia Matsunami adding a sweep of the distance races.
BOYS’ TRACK AND FIELD
Sunset League
Newport Harbor 67, Marina 61
100 – 1. Malerstein (Marina) 11.03; 2. Parker (Marina) 11.06; 3. Hedendahl (Newport Harbor) 11.26
200 – 1. Malerstein (Marina) 22.56; 2. Parker (Marina) 22.60; 3. Hedendahl (Newport Harbor) 22.84
400 – 1. Field (Newport Harbor) 54.38; 2. Geo. Delorie (Marina) 55.09; 3. Ger. Delorie (Marina) 55.30
800 – 1. Sutherland (Marina) 2:03.02; 2. Field (Newport Harbor) 2:03.82; 3. Perales (Marina) 2:06
1,600 – 1. Garcia (Newport Harbor) 4:48.07; 2. Wilson (Newport Harbor) 4:48.45; 3. Davey (Newport Harbor) 4:50
3,200 – 1. Field (Newport Harbor) 11:23; 2. Davey (Newport Harbor) 11:41; 3. Campo (Newport Harbor) 11:41
110HH – 1. Campos (Newport Harbor) 17.50; 2. Zubkoff (Marina) 19.71
300IH – 1. Campos (Newport Harbor) 46.48; 2. Zamora (Marina) 50.92
400 relay – 1. Marina 45.13; 2. Newport Harbor DQ
1,600 relay – 1. Newport Harbor 3:51.21
HJ – 1. Geo. Delorie (Marina) 5-8; 2. Lippman (Newport Harbor) 5-2; 3. Zubkoff (Marina) 5-0
LJ – 1. Geo. Delorie (Marina) 20-4J; 2. Pickrell (Marina) 20-4; 3. Hedendahl (Newport Harbor) 19-5
TJ – 1. T. Campos (Newport Harbor) 37-2; 2. D. Campos (Newport Harbor) 35-7
PV – 1. Magula (Marina) 15-1J; 2. Fegan (Newport Harbor) 15-1; 3. Ward (Newport Harbor) 13-6
SP – 1. Blake (Newport Harbor) 48-7; 2. O’Neil (Newport Harbor) 48-1; 3. Elbettar (Newport Harbor) 44-5
DT – 1. Tsu (Marina) 176-8; 2. O’Neil (Newport Harbor) 149-10; 3. Blake (Newport Harbor) 148-0
GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD
Sunset League
Newport Harbor 78, Marina 38
100 – 1. Trijo (Newport Harbor) 13.02; 2. Armstrong (Marina) 13.13; 3. Johnson (Newport Harbor) 13.43
200 – 1. Coyne (Newport Harbor) 28.22; 2. Alverado (Marina) 28.93; 3. Gruber (Marina) 29.62
400 – 1. Coyne (Newport Harbor) 1:05.39; 2. Alverado (Marina) 1:06.31; 3. Newland (Newport Harbor) 1:08.48
800 – 1. Peters (Newport Harbor) 2:40; 2. Hines (Marina) 2:42
1,600 – 1. Matsunami (Newport Harbor) 5:36; 2. Ellis (Marina) 5:42; 3. Bacon (Newport Harbor) 6:05
3,200 – 1. Matsunami (Newport Harbor) 13:04; 2. Bacon (Newport Harbor) 13:09
100HH – 1. MacNeish (Newport Harbor) 18.84
300IH – 1. MacNeish (Newport Harbor) 57.10; 2. Jones (Marina) 58.50
400 relay – 1. Newport Harbor 53.04; 2. Marina 56.27
1,600 relay – 1. Newport Harbor 4:37.66; 2. Marina 4:47.38
HJ – 1. Mariano (Newport Harbor) 4-10; 2. Gruber (Marina) 4-9; 3. Newland (Newport Harbor) 4-6
LJ – 1. Gruber (Marina) 15-3.5; 2. Mariano (Newport Harbor) 14-4; 3. Trigo (Newport Harbor) 13-10
TJ – 1. Trigo (Newport Harbor) 29-0; 2. Mariano (Newport Harbor) 28-9; 3. Dodelson (Newport Harbor) 27-0
PV – 1. Wessels (Marina) 9-0; 2. Esquivel (Newport Harbor) 8-6; 3. Trinh (Marina) 7-6
SP – 1. Rayburn (Marina) 27-7
DT – N/A
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