Hupalo, Crespi Hurdle Notre Dame, 76-50

Crespi Coach Jim Benkert rated Thursday’s Del Rey League dual meet between his track team and Notre Dame as a toss-up.

“I’ve got us doped out to win, 64-63,” he said before the meet. “But it could go either way. The key to the meet will be whether we get some come-through performances from unexpected people.”

Benkert received two such performances from senior hurdler Rodney Hupalo, and Crespi defeated Notre Dame at Crespi, 76-50.

Hupalo won the 330-yard intermediate hurdles and the 120-yard high hurdles and finished third in the long jump. Benkert had picked Hupalo to place second behind Brendan Cowles of Notre Dame in the hurdle races.

But it was Cowles who played second fiddle. In the intermediates, Hupalo passed a fading Cowles in the final 40 yards to win in 40.7. In the highs, he surged into the lead at the fifth hurdle and finished in 14.9. Cowles ran 15.0.

“I’ve been looking forward to these races for a long time,” Hupalo said. “Cowles beat me every time we raced last year so I’m very happy. The personal bests are just icing on the cake.”

Even though Hupalo was the most surprising Crespi performer, several other athletes had a hand in the victory for Crespi (3-0, 2-0 in league), particularly Russell White.

The sophomore, who is well-known for his running on the football field, won four events. He ran a wind-aided 10.9 in the 100 meters, 22.6 in the 220 and 50.9 in the 440. He also won the triple jump at 45-11 3/4.

Steve Puryear, another member of Crespi’s football team, won the shotput with a season-best of 53-9 1/2.

Juniors Mike Glaze and Tommy Parker led Notre Dame (2-1 in league). Glaze won the 880 (2:04.3), mile (4:41.0) and two-mile (10:16.0), and Parker won the pole vault (15-0).

In the girls meet, Katrina Posta won three events as Louisville defeated Notre Dame, 60-58, in a San Fernando Valley League contest.

Posta timed 16.2 in the 110-yard low hurdles, 51.4 in the 330-yard low hurdles and bounded 33-2 in the triple jump. Norte Dame’s Jenny Fitzgerald won the 100 meters (12.6) and the 220 (26.5).