Myers, Sutton Finish Sixth, Seventh in Elite Mile Races

The boys seeded mile didn’t start or end well for Westlake High’s Paul Myers at Friday night’s Sunkist Invitational at the Sports Arena.

But in between, the Warrior senior ran a solid race, finished sixth, and was happy about his first indoor track experience before a boisterous sellout crowd of 13,702.

Newbury Park High’s Melissa Sutton, who ran in the girls seeded mile, finished seventh in a field of eight.

The boys seeded mile started ominously for Myers. The Southern Section 4-A cross-country champ got no more than 25 yards before catching a runner’s heel and falling. Since the spill occurred so close to the start of the race, officials restarted the event, and Myers got off without incident the second time.

“I was in the second lane and everyone drops inside on the second quarter (of the track),” Myers said. “They dove in and I wasn’t ready for it and I caught the bottom of someone’s shoe.”

Seattle’s John Quade won the race in 4:22.0. Myers clocked an unofficial 4:29.9. His best is 4:24.

Sutton, the Southern Section 4-A girls cross-country champion, settled into seventh place on the first lap of her race and stayed there, never passing a runner. She did not receive a time.

Shannon Clark of Mountain View High in Northern California won the race with an unofficial time of 5:01.9.