SOUTHERN SECTION 2-A TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS : Woodbridge in Control Despite Injury

Despite the fact that he just watched one of his best athletes twist an ankle in mid-jump, Woodbridge High School Coach George Varvas was relatively calm Friday night at the Southern Section 2-A track and field preliminaries at Gahr High School.

“Oh, everything’s fine,” Varvas said. “(Kristina) Lockwood just sprained her ankle in the triple jump. . . . The trainer says it might be broken. I’m sure it will be OK, though. We’re doing well.”

Though Varvas is known as one of the ultimate optimists in Orange County track and field, his assessment certainly wasn’t unreasonable. Woodbridge, the two-time defending champion of the 2-A division, qualified 11 athletes and two relay teams for Friday’s Southern Section championships at Cerritos College.

Seven of those Warriors qualified in two events. They were: Amy Robles (1,600 and 800), Cathi Peck (1,600 and 3,200), Katie Durham (1,600 and 800), Helen Ho (discus and shotput), Kristina Lockwood (100 hurdles and triple jump), Nikki Bemis (long jump and high jump) and Kaci Keffer (300 hurdles and 400).

Morningside, the team expected to give Woodbridge its greatest challenge next week, qualified eight individuals and two relay teams. Three Morningside athletes qualified in more than one event, including standout basketball player Lisa Leslie, who qualified in the long, high and triple jumps.

For Orange County athletes, there were no tremendous surprises in Friday’s meet. Most who were expected to qualify for the finals did so in conservative fashion, saving their best efforts for the next three weeks of competition.

Magnolia’s Phouphet Singbandith, the nation’s leader in the triple jump, advanced in that event with a 2-A record of 49 feet 11 1/4 inches--far from his personal best of 51- 3/4. His only triple jump of the day broke the record of 49-1 1/4 held by Billy Ivey of Edgewood in 1988. Earlier, Singbandith qualified in the long jump with a mark of 23-5 1/4, second only to the 24-3 1/4 jump by Lompoc’s Napoleon Kaufman.

Casie Lozano of Sonora qualified in three events: the 100, 200 and long jump.

Double qualifiers among Orange County’s girls were: La Quinta freshman Elinor Tolson, who ran the fastest time of the day in the 100 hurdles (15.03), and the third-fastest in the 300 hurdles (46.31); Heather Killeen of Valencia qualified in the 1,600 (5:18.41) and the 3,200 (11:20.05), and Danielle Brown of Sunny Hills in the long jump (16-0) and triple jump (35-1 1/4). Costa Mesa’s Katy Jaglowski qualified in the shotput (33-7 1/2) and discus (98-4 1/2).

In the boys’ competition, double qualifiers were: Trabuco Hills’ Jim Farbaniec (shotput and discus), Kennedy’s Vince Church (long and triple jump), La Habra’s Tim Mahon (1,600 and 3,200), Savanna’s Vince Flores (300 hurdles and 400), and Woodbridge’s Frank Smith (long jump and 100).