Loyola Outdistances Crespi Despite Kieling’s Four Wins

Crespi High’s hopes of winning its third Del Rey League track title in four years were wheeled away on a stretcher Thursday in the Celts’ league opener against Loyola.

Pole vaulter Chris Green landed behind the pit during a warmup drill at Crespi and was taken by ambulance to Tarzana Medical Center, where he was treated for minor hip and back injuries and released.

With Green--who has vaulted 13 feet, 6 inches--out of the lineup, Loyola swept the event and went on to win the meet, 73-54.

Loyola’s Felipe Fuentes won the vault with a 12-6 effort.

“We counted on him to win the pole vault,” Crespi Coach Jim Benkert said. “The meet was tight to begin with, so we had to make some changes. They swept and it was a big point differential.

“(Green) was just practicing, hit the back of the pit, bounced off (and) landed weird on his back.”

While Loyola, the defending league champion, exercised its dominance by sweeping five of 15 events--including all three distance races--Ryan Kieling was helping to keep the Celts (1-2, 0-1 in league meets) in the running.

Kieling, a junior, won the 100-meter dash (11.4 seconds), the 220-yard dash (23.3), the 330 intermediate hurdles (41.6) and the 120 high hurdles. His 14.7 (14.6 metric conversion) in the high hurdles is the fastest in the Valley this season.

Despite his own heroics in a meet that traditionally has decided the Del Rey championship, Kieling admitted Green’s absence played a big role in the outcome.

“It would have been a totally different meet . . . but I guess that’s the breaks,” he said.

After seven events, Crespi led, 33-26, but Loyola (3-0, 1-0) swept the 440, the mile and the pole vault to take a commanding 53-33 advantage.

“The sweeps were psychologically huge,” said Jon Mack, Loyola’s first-year coach.

Benkert got help from the Celt baseball team in the sprints. Baseball players Mike Peters, Joe Ruggiero and Mark Venturine, grouped with Ken Kuras, bolted to a Valley-leading 43.6 clocking (43.3 metric conversion) in the 440 relay.

Ruggiero added second-place finishes in the 100 (11.6), the 220 (23.4) and the long jump (19-6 3/4).

Zach Rayner led a Crespi sweep in the long jump at 20-9.

Mike Allard paced Loyola’s distance runners with a win in the mile (4:46.8) and a second-place effort in the two-mile (10:32). Rene Rigal finished second in the 880 (2:06.1) and in the mile (4:47.0).