Morningside Girls’ Team Finishes Second in State Track Meet

Saturday’s State Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College got off to the worst possible start for the Morningside High girls’ team.

The Monarchs were disqualified in the 400-meter relay after an improper baton exchange between senior Toneisha Hodges and sophomore anchor Santeshia Arnold, but Morningside regrouped to score 30 points and take second place. Morningside won the 1,600-meter relay (3:44.16) and got second-place finishes from Arnold in the 100 (11.96) and 200 (24.25).

Bakersfield, with 61 points, won the meet.

The Monarchs’ time in the 1,600 relay is the best in the state this year and the second-best in the nation.

In the 400 relay, Morningside was in a position to make a run at first when Hodges gave the baton to Arnold outside the legal handoff zone.

“I was mad because I thought we should have won that race,” Arnold said.

“We were down for a little while,” said sophomore Sanoma Nickson, a member of both Morningside relay teams. “But we all just focused on the next thing.”

In the 1,600 relay, lead-off runner Nickson and Arnold got the Monarchs off to an early lead, but Bakersfield looked like it was about to overtake Morningside when Hodges picked up the baton for the third leg.

“That’s what I was scared of,” said Hodges, who gave Morningside a big cushion over the field. “I was running scared.”

On the anchor leg, freshman LaShawn Stringer held off Hawthorne senior Kee-sha Adams. The Cougars, who took second in both relays, finished with 16 points, good for seventh place. Hawthorne’s second-place time in the 1,600 relay was 3:44.93.

Hawthorne and St. Bernard took second (46.59) and third (46.78), respectively, in the 400 relay.

If his first-place finish in the 110-meter high hurdles at the state meet is any indication, Carson senior Curtis Hawkins thrives on stress.

“I’ve never been this nervous,” Hawkins said after winning in 14.41. “I was nervous yesterday--before and after I ran (in the preliminary competition).

“I was nervous when I got up this morning, when I got here before the race and even after the race.”

Hawkins failed to qualify for the second day of competition at last year’s state meet and, prior to Saturday, had finished second at his three most important meets of 1990: the Arcadia Invitational, the Southern Pacific Conference final and the L.A. City final.

Still, Hawkins said he was confident Saturday. On Friday, he recorded the best qualifying mark (14.34).

“(On Friday), I ran a good race,” he said. “But I felt I made a lot of mistakes.

“I knew if I could run a good, clean race that I would have a good chance to win. I knew I just had to work on my technique, and that helped me win even though I didn’t get the time I wanted.”

Hawkins’ performance helped the Colts finish in a tie for third with 18 points. Carson’s 400-meter relay team finished second in 41.40.

Pasadena Muir, with 24 points, won the meet.

Hawthorne sophomore Demond Smith, who finished second in both hurdle races at the Masters meet, finished ninth in the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.99.

Later in the 300 intermediate hurdles, Smith finished fourth (37.90) Banning senior Terrence Campbell finished sixth in the 110 hurdles (14.70).