Laguna Hills Boys Run Off With Title at Dana Hills Meet

Steve Frisone won the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs to lead Laguna Hills High School to the boys’ team championship in the Dana Hills Invitational track and field meet Saturday at Dana Hills.

Frisone outran Hawk teammate Tony Gibney in the final two laps of the 3,200 to win in a meet-record 9:34.53.

Gibney finished second in 9:51.52, and Whittier Christian’s Tony Bergman placed third in 9:53.42.

The previous record of 9:34.84 was set by John Trafecanty of Cathedral High in 1986.

“I figured that it was going to be either me or Tony in the end,” Frisone said. “I started feeling confident after six laps and just decided to go for it.”

Said Gibney: “He (Frisone) had a great last two laps. I thought I had it in me to keep up with him, but I just didn’t.”

Later, Frisone won the 1,600 meters in 4:28.37. Gibney finished second in 4:33.42 and Bergman placed third in 4:33.97.

The Hawks, who also got a victory from Mike Allison in the 200 meters (23.11), finished with 84 points in getting their first track and field invitational championship in 10 years. Marshall Fundamental placed second with 72 points, Kamehameha High of Honolulu was third with 67 points and Whittier Christian was fourth with 44 points.

In the girls’ competition, St. Andrews Priory of Honolulu was first with 55 points. Costa Mesa and Trabuco Hills were tied for second with 43 points.

Jason Neben of Orange Lutheran, who earlier finished third in the triple jump with a 41-8 effort, established a meet record in the long jump with a best of 21-5 1/2.

Chris Hadjis of Temecula Valley finished second at 19-11 1/2, and Agenhart Ellis of Kamehameha High wound up third at 19-8 1/2.

Brentwood’s Derek Woodward held the old meet record with a 21-2 jump last year.

In other events, Trabuco Hills’ Brian Zeller tied the meet pole vault record set in 1986 by John Scott of Carlsbad Army-Navy by winning his event with a 13-6 effort.

Zeller’s vault also broke the Trabuco Hills school record of 12 feet set by Eric Eurquhart in 1986.

Other Orange County winners were Gene Rivera of Orange Lutheran, who edged Trabuco Hills’ Jim Farbaniec in the discus with a toss of 144-3; Mike Allison of Laguna Hills in the 200 meters (23.11); and Cassandra Barnett of Costa Mesa, who took the girls’ long jump with a school record-setting 16-6 1/2 leap.

Farbaniec, who earlier came in second in the shot put with a toss of 46-9, threw the discus 141-9.