Crespi’s White Bows Out a Winner : Senior Garners 4 Titles in 2-A Finals to Put Finishing Touch on His Track Season

As last hurrahs go, it would be difficult to write a better ending to Russell White’s high school athletic career than what transpired at the Southern Section track and field finals at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday.

Competing in the 2-A Division, White won four events to almost single-handedly lead Crespi to a second-place finish in the boys’ team standings.

White scored all but two of Crespi’s 42 points as the Celts finished behind Arroyo Grande (70).

The defending 2-A champion in the 100-meter sprint, White won that event as well as the 200, long jump and triple jump.

He set personal bests in the 100 (10.78) and 200 (21.47), leaped a wind-aided 23 feet, 3 1/2 inches in the long jump and bounded a season best of 48-11 in the triple jump.

Although he set a 2-A meet record in the 200 and qualified for Friday’s Masters meet in three events, White said that he won’t compete in the meet because of a scheduling conflict with Crespi’s graduation ceremonies. Because the Masters meet is the Southern Section qualifying event, that also knocks him out of the state championships June 2-3.

“If I left right after graduation, I might be able to make it down here for the 200,” White said. “But I’d really be pushing it.”

Always a fierce competitor, White was doubly tough Saturday, knowing it was the last meet of his high school career.

“That gave me some added incentive,” White said. “I just wanted to go out with my head held high and I feel like I did that. I ran great times--at least for me--in the 100 and 200. I was really pleased with those races.”

His four victories gave him six 2-A titles during his career. In addition to winning the 100 last year, White won the triple jump as a sophomore.

Angela Burnham of Rio Mesa did not set any personal bests in the 3-A meet, but she did lead the Spartans (46 points) to a second-place finish behind Upland (50).

Burnham, the defending state champion in the 100 and 200, won those events with wind-aided times of 11.31 and 23.68, the fastest times of the meet.

She also anchored the Spartans’ victorious 400- (47.40) and 1,600-meter relay (3:51.84) teams.

Burnham qualified in all four events for the Masters meet, in which she will renew her rivalry with Inger Miller of Muir, who won the 4-A 100 and 200.

Appearing completely recovered from a virus that hampered her at last week’s 3-A prelims, Burnham’s time in the 100 was the third fastest of her career under any conditions and her fastest ever in a high school race.

Burnham, Track and Field News magazine’s female high school athlete of the year as a junior, ran a wind-aided 11.26 and a legitimate 11.28 at the Olympic Trials last year.

In the team competition, Agoura won boys’ and girls’ 1-A titles.

The Chargers, led by Bryan Dameworth and Jeff Ingalls, unseated defending-champion Oak Park, 67-47, in the boys’ meet, and Deena Drossin and Julie Tingle led the girls to a 71-70 victory over Atascadero.

Dameworth finished second (4 minutes, 15.75 seconds) in the 1,600 and won his third consecutive title in the 3,200 (9:11.42), Ingalls won the 400 (48.27), placed second in the 200 (22.27), and anchored the Chargers to second in the 1,600 relay (3:23.12).

Drossin won the 1,600 in a personal best of 4:59.90 and the 3,200 in 10:58.33.

Tingle won the 300 low hurdles (in a personal best of 45.14), placed second in the 100 low hurdles (wind-aided 14.81), and anchored the Chargers to third in the 400 relay (50.28) and second in the 1,600 relay (4:03.77).

Other Valley-area winners included Todd Lewis of Burbank in the 3-A 1,600 (4:11.44) and Mike Williamson of Thousand Oaks in the 4-A 1,600 (4:14.17) and 3,200 (9:08.12)--both personal bests for Williamson.

Morgan Bateman of Crescenta Valley was unable to retain his 4-A 800 title, but he did set a personal best of 1:52.37 to place third.

Shannon Wiebelhaus of Rio Mesa also set a personal best, clocking 44.56 to place third in the 3-A girls’ 300 low hurdles.