Burnham Races to National Bests in 100, 400 Meters at Mt. SAC Relays

Angela Burnham had her mind set on one event Saturday at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut.

But the single-minded Rio Mesa High sprint star outdid herself--setting national high school bests this year in two races.

Burnham, the defending state champion in the 100- and 200-meters, not only ran 54.09 in the 400--the event for which she prepared--she ran 11.57 seconds in the 100 for another national best.

“I came into this meet ready for the 400,” Burnham said. “The 100 was sort of a warm-up for the 400.”

The 100 was scheduled to be a showdown between Burnham and Muir’s Inger Miller, who has twice upstaged Burnham this season at that distance, in the Arcadia and Northridge Invitationals. But the main event turned into a walkover for Burnham when Miller decided not to run because of fatigue.

“We didn’t know Inger wasn’t going to run today,” Rio Mesa co-Coach Brian FitzGerald said. “(Burnham) was going to run the 100 the best she could and if Inger won the 100, then Inger won the 100.

In the 400, Burnham gained a meter on Cheryl Allen of Canada--second in 54.40--in the final stretch after a neck-and-neck battle to snuff the nation-leading time of 54.39 set in the previous race by Dorsey’s Angela Rolfe, the defending state champion.

“I thought she was going to hang with me all the way to the end,” Burnham said. “I wasn’t expecting to run 54.09 in the 400. I was just hoping to break 57.”

And break 57 she did. In fact, Burnham lopped 3.31 seconds off her season best of 57.4, which she set a week ago in a dual meet.

Four other nation-leading marks were also cut. Francis O’Neill (3:53.78) of Escondido San Pasqual and Rebecca Spies (4:31.59) of Livermore topped the national list in the 1,500.

The girls’ 1,600-relay team from Mountain View St. Francis clocked 3:49.83 for the nation’s top ranking and Friday, David Welsh (8:23.11) of Carmichael Jesuit ran to the top of the 3,000 list while outrunning Mexico’s Jorge Ibarri (8:25.97) and defending state Division I cross-country champion Bryan Dameworth of Agoura (8:29.02).

Dameworth returned Saturday to run 1:58.3 on the second leg of the Chargers’ 4 x 800 relay team, which finished sixth in 8:04.12. The junior also came back in the 1,500, where he placed 15th in 4:02.1.

“My first lap felt like my last lap. I was dying,” Dameworth said. “I should have gone for the 800 and got my P.R.”

Mike Williamson of Thousand Oaks was another casualty of intense racing.

Williamson, who ran a personal best 8:29.45 in the 3,000 and a 4:17 split on the Lancers’ 4 x 1,600 relay Friday night, was unable to make a strong effort in the 1,500, where he clocked 4:02.9.

“I wanted to go out in 3:06 for the first three laps, but that didn’t quite work out,” Williamson said.

Russell White of Crespi finished third in the 100 (11.12), fourth in the 200 (22.03) and fourth in the long jump (22-6 1/4).