Red-Hot Cooksey Melts Field in Masters 800

Travis Cooksey of Rio Mesa High had two goals before this track season.

“I wanted to win the state title and run under 1:50,” Cooksey said after winning the 800 meters (1:53.37) at Friday night’s Southern Section Masters meet at Cerritos College.

Cooksey’s preseason goals may seem farfetched. Cooksey, a junior, had failed to qualify for last year’s Southern Section 4-A finals with a best of 1:58.

But Cooksey had no doubts.

“I felt that if I worked hard I could achieve my goals,” Cooksey said. “Actually, I expected to be running faster at this stage of the season.”

Although Cooksey has yet to break 1:50, he’s probably the hottest 800 runner in the state.

Last Saturday, he won the 4-A title with a personal best of 1:52.05, the state’s fastest time.

On Friday he used his typical front-running tactics to win again. Cooksey led the field through a 52.3 opening 400 and held his lead to the finish. Morgan Bateman of Crescenta Valley placed second (1:53.94).

Cooksey was pleased with his victory but a little disappointed with the time.

“I felt stronger this week,” Cooksey said. “I expected the time to be a little faster.”

Cooksey wasn’t the only Valley-area athlete to win Friday. Dave Bultman of Royal, Tom Parker of Notre Dame and Russell White of Crespi all turned in first-place efforts.

Bultman, who hasn’t lost to a California high school athlete this season, won the shotput (61-9 3/4) and the discus (184-8).

Parker rebounded from last week’s disappointing second-place finish in the 2-A championships to win the pole vault (15-0). It was the 14th meet this season that Parker has cleared 15 feet.

Teammate Erich Reinhart, winner of the last two 2-A titles, placed fourth with a personal best of 14-8.

White bounded 48-7 to win the triple jump.

The top five finishers in each event qualify for next week’s state championships at Sacramento.

Thousand Oaks teammates Staci Leach and Sharon Manship each qualified in three events.

Leach placed second in the 100-meter low hurdles with a personal best of 13.73; third in the 300-meter low hurdles (43.87) and ran the third leg on the Lancers’ 1,600-meter relay, which placed fifth with a season-best of 3:53.52.

Leach’s clocking in the 100 hurdles just missed the Valley-area record of 13.71, which was set by former Thousand Oaks runner Marlene Harmon in 1980.

Janeen Vickers of Pomona won both hurdle races in times of 13.40 and 41.01. Both clockings are Southern Section records. The 300 effort ranks Vickers second on the all-time high school list.

Manship placed second in the 300 hurdles (42.88), third in the triple jump (37-6) and anchored the 1,600 relay.

It marks the third straight year that Manship has qualified for the state championships. The versatile Thousand Oaks senior placed seventh in the 800 meters in 1985 and seventh in the 300 hurdles last year.

Robert Harris of Simi Valley also earned a return trip to the state finals. Harris placed fifth in the 200 (21.81), ran the third leg on Simi Valley’s 400 relay (41.47) and the anchor leg on the 1,600 relay (3:14.94). The relay clockings, which are school records, placed Simi Valley third in each event.

The Simi Valley 400 relay consists of Danny Cross, Ron Bradley, Harris and Mike Carnes.

Kevin Hatcher, Cross, Bradley and Harris teamed up in the 1,600 relay to run this year’s fastest time in the Valley.

Agoura freshman Bryan Dameworth and Hart senior Frank Flores qualified in the 3,200 meters with personal bests.

Dameworth placed second (9:09.78) and Flores placed fifth (9:12.84). Dameworth’s clocking was the fastest in the Valley-area this season.

Stacy Gibson of Royal (22-8) and Mitchell Butler of Oakwood (22-5) placed fourth and fifth in the long jump.

In the high jump, Dave Swanson of Alemany tied for third and Canyon’s Kurt Fethke placed fifth, both with jumps of 6-6.

Melissa Sutton of Newbury Park placed third in the girls 1,600 meters with a personal best of 4:55.21 and Christy Farrell of Thousand Oaks placed fifth in the 3,200 (10:39.22).

Stacia Pollock of Westlake and freshman Crissy Mills of Campbell Hall tied for third in the high jump with 5-6 efforts.