Southern Section Divisional Track and Field Finals : Muir’s Girls Start Slowly, Win 4-A Title

The Pasadena Muir High School girls’ track team showed its character after a slow start Saturday in winning the 4-A division at the Southern Section Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College.

Although the Mustangs were favored in the meet’s first running event, the 400-meter relay, they finished second by three-hundredths of a second to Hawthorne, which was timed in 47.11 seconds.

It did not seem to be Muir’s day as its anchor, Inger Miller, made up a 15-meter deficit but still finished second. It was Hawthorne’s first loss in the event this season.

However, Muir Coach Jim Brownfield remained undaunted. He reminded his team of its goal--the 4-A title.

“We knew what we had to do, and that was to build as the meet goes on,” Brownfield said. “It was a matter of us battling Hawthorne and Santa Monica on the track, and hoping not to lose too much ground to Mission Viejo with their field event people.”

Brownfield’s hopes were realized, Muir gaining momentum as the meet went on to win with 69 points. Then came Santa Monica with 38 and Mission Viejo with 37.

The Mustangs were led by Miller, who won the 100- and 200-meter dashes. But Muir also received key points from unheralded runners Staci Moore, who finished third in the 400 meters, and Axelle Crawford, who was fourth in the 300-meter low hurdles.

“We always talk about competitive toughness on this team, and we had two unsung heroes in Crawford and Moore, who kept getting us those backup points and ran great legs on that (1,600-meter) relay team,” Brownfield said.

The Mustangs peaked in their last running event, the 1,600-meter relay, as they outlasted Hawthorne to win by 0.31 of a second in 3 minutes 47.47 seconds.

“We really wanted to win that relay,” said Brownfield, whose team benefited from Miller’s inspired, come-from-behind anchor leg. “The girls did not want to lose to Hawthorne in both relays.”

Even though the Cougars did not win the longer relay, Hawthorne Coach Kye Courtney was pleased.

“We unloaded on them in the 400 relay,” he said. “I am glad because we have been taking a back seat to everyone all year.”

Hawthorne’s title hopes were hurt when star sprinter Keesha Adams failed to run in last week’s preliminary meet.

In the boys’ competition, Hawthorne dominated the 4-A division, starting with a Southern Section record-breaking performance in the 400 relay and finishing with 80 points to take the team title. Long Beach Wilson was second with 40 points, and Long Beach Poly was third with 39.

Hawthorne came close but failed in its attempt to break the national high school 400-meter relay record, being timed in 40.36, the seventh-fastest all-time national prep mark.

Senior Curtis Conway led the Cougars, anchoring both winning relay teams and winning both the 100 (10.44) and 200 (21.25).

Prep Notes

Other standouts in the meet were Angela Burnham of Oxnard Rio Mesa, the two-time definding state champion in the 100 and 200 meters, who won her specialties in the 3-A division, along with anchoring Rio Mesa to two relay victories; Russell White of Encino Crespi, who won the 100 and 200 meters, along with winning the long and triple jumps in the 2-A division, and Coley Candaele of Carpinteria, who won the 1-A division 800 and 1,500 meters.