Marina Runner Takes a Fast Track at Sunkist : Winkelman Finishes Surprising Third Against Tough Competition in Two-Mile

It took Shanon Winkelman of Marina High School just 9 minutes and 23.8 seconds Friday night at the Sunkist Invitational to run what may have been the best race of his life.

It may take him nine days to recover. Not physically, but emotionally.

Running in one of the greatest high school two-mile fields in the Sunkist’s 29-year history, Winkelman scored a coup by placing third in the field of nine.

Winkelman was seeded second from last.

“I thought I did great, so great,” said Winkelman, speaking as fast as he ran. “It’s incredible. It’s, whoa! I had no sense of time. Or pace, or distance, or laps . . . I didn’t know where I was or who I was near. I’m so psyched. I’m wired. I have a headache. It’s so intense.”

As was the race. Winkelman went out conservatively, staying in seventh and eighth for the first half mile. After another quarter-mile, he moved to fifth, about 15 yards behind the leaders, Ian Alsen of Granada Hills and Rob Kennedy of Westerville (Ohio).

Alsen, the Kinney West Regional cross-country champion, and Kennedy, the Kinney national champion, were considered race favorites, and ran shoulder for shoulder through 1 1/2 miles.

Alsen and Kennedy finished with the same time (9:16.6), but Kennedy was declared the winner.

Running third was Albuquerque Sandia’s Chip Smith, the country’s fastest returning miler, and fourth, Palos Verdes’ David Scudamore, the Southern Section 4-A champion.

It was a tight pack. The runners jostled back and forth along the banked 160-yard track, vying for position. Winkelman managed a perfect inside lane position, just off Scudamore’s shoulder.

With two laps to go, Alsen and Kennedy, running shoulder to shoulder, began a frantic final sprint, leaving the others 30 yards behind in the race for third. Winkelman, not known for a tremendous finishing kick, found one and outleaned Scudamore (also 9:23.8) at the finish.

“It was a perfect race,” Winkelman said. “Strategically, I can’t see matching it for a long time.”

Corona del Mar had an exceptional showing in the distance events.

Juniors Eddie Lavelle and Greg Shryock and senior Jim Robbins, the core of the Sea King cross-country team last season, surprised most of their competitors as well as themselves.

Lavelle and Shryock, running in the seeded mile, started out in sixth and ninth, respectively. But with six laps to go, both runners began a surge to the finish. Lavelle finished second (4:24.1), just missing Chip Smith of Sandia, who won in 4:23.

Shryock, who was in last place half way through the race, placed a close fourth (4:24.9).

“I gave it everything,” Lavelle said. “I knew there were a lot of good runners in this, so I’m very pleased.”

Robbins, running the half-mile, also started slowly, but worked his way around the field for second place (1:58.8), behind Joe Amendt of San Jose Lick (1:57.2).

Corona del Mar’s Leslie Cashion placed second (5:23.4) in the rated mile. Santa Ana’s Maria Mendoza was third (5:26).

Sunkist Notes

In race one of the girls’ 880, Savanna’s Erika Lovett (2:23.9) finished second to Walnut Creek Las Lomas’ Courtney Clark (2:22.3). Lovett would have been third, but late race leader Althea Moses of Inglewood Morningside was disqualified for pushing a runner off the track. Capistrano Valley’s Laurinda Mulhaupt placed fourth (2:25.5) . . . El Modena recorded the fastest county time in the boys’ two-mile relay (8:29), placing fifth . . . Charlie Tyler of Edison placed fourth in the long jump (21 feet 6 inches) . . . Santa Ana Valley’s Jimmy Rodriguez was fifth (4:31.1) in the boys’ rated mile, and Mission Viejo’s Greg Lamb was seventh (4:36).