Dashing Performance Completes Burnham’s Stay at Rio Mesa High

Rio Mesa High fell short in its bid to win a share of its second consecutive girls’ title, but the Spartans’ Angela Burnham reaffirmed her status as the No. 1 sprinter in the nation at the state track and field championships at Cerritos College on Saturday.

Burnham, Track and Field News’ female athlete of the year as a junior, won the 100 and 200 meters for the second consecutive year to lead Rio Mesa to a second-place finish behind Pasadena Muir. The Spartans scored 26 points behind Muir’s 36.

Bakersfield, the pre-meet favorite and defending co-champion with Rio Mesa, tied for fifth with 20 points.

Burnham concluded her illustrious high school career with impressive wins over Pasadena Muir’s Inger Miller, who beat Burnham in the 100 at the Northridge-Alemany Relays in March and at the Arcadia Invitational in April.

The two wins--combined with last year’s double and her state 100 title as a freshman in 1986--set a series of firsts for Burnham.

She is the first girl to win five state sprint titles during her career and the first to win three 100 titles. She is also the first girl to turn the 100-200 double in consecutive seasons.

“She’s exceeded everything I ever dreamed of,” Rio Mesa co-coach Brian FitzGerald said. “I never thought she would win the 100 title as a freshman. I never thought she would qualify for the Olympic Trials as a junior and I never thought she would run 11.28.

“I could not have imagined her winning five state titles three years ago.”

In addition to her victories in the 100 (wind-aided 11.31 seconds) and 200 (23.56), Burnham teamed with sophomore Stacy Rosemeyer, senior Shannon Wiebelhaus and freshman Danielle Tanner to place fourth in the 400 relay (47.53) and fifth in the 1,600 relay (3:52.14).

Wiebelhaus, who has signed a letter of intent with Cal State Northridge, ran a personal best of 44.32 to place seventh in the 300 low hurdles.

Charles Brown of Channel Islands stormed the final 100 of the boys’ 300 intermediate hurdles to place third in a personal best of 37.60.

Brown, runner-up in the Southern Section 4-A Division championships, was fifth after six hurdles, but finished strong.

Mike Williamson of Thousand Oaks placed third in the boys’ 3,200 after setting the pace for the first 2,400 meters.

Williamson, runner-up in the State Division I cross-country championships, led the field through the 1,600 in 4:27.8 before David Welsh of Sacramento Jesuit and Bryan Dameworth of Agoura passed him with 600 meters left.

Welsh surged away from Dameworth in the final 200 to win in a state-leading 8:58.08, while the Charger junior clocked 9:00.27 in second. Williamson was third in a personal best of 9:04.91.

Though their high school careers officially ended with the state meet, Burnham will run in the 100 and 200 at The Athletics Congress junior championships in Columbus, Ohio and Williamson will compete in the 3,000 at the Golden West Invitational in Sacramento.

If Burnham finishes in the top three she will qualify for the Pan American Junior Games.