Southwest Sprinter Streaks to a Gold in Sunkist Track

San Diego high school track and field athletes have always had difficulty competing against their peers from the Los Angeles area.

They’ve gained a reputation of falling apart at big meets. The rest of Southern California has learned to ignore them.

Take the case of Southwest’s Riley Washington, who had the fastest 100-meter time in the state last year (10.5), but failed to receive an invitation to Friday night’s Sunkist Invitational at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

After some last-minute lobbying, Washington got in, and he led a group of San Diego athletes who went a long way in doing away with the Section’s reputation.

San Diego athletes came away with three firsts, two seconds, three thirds and a fifth.

Washington stood above them all, however, in the “football” 50 meters by coming within four-hundredths of the meet record and finishing first in 5.91 seconds.

Other top San Diego performers included: Mt. Carmel’s Allison Dring, who placed first in the girls’ 500 yards, Mt. Carmel’s Roque Balina, who was first in the long jump, Lincoln’s Scott Hammond, who was third in the long jump and second in the boys’ 50 meters, Mt. Carmel’s Susan Scott, who was third in the girls’ 880 yards, Eric Bell, who came in second in the boys 50-meter hurdles, and Teddy Lawrence, who was third in the boys’ 50 meters.

After Washington neared the meet record of 5.87, set last year by Hawthorne’s Chris Alexander, all he could talk about was how it felt to be overlooked.

“In a way, it was insulting,” Washington said. “It’s degrading to the school I come from. It’s not well known, so they don’t bother inviting me.”

Washington got in after his coach, Carl Parrick, made some phone calls to meet promoter Al Franken.

“It took three phone calls,” Parrick said. “The first time I called him and told him about Riley’s 10.5, he said, ‘He did what? And he’s not in the meet?’ (Franken) called back just before Christmas and said Riley was in.”

After his race, Washington said he intends to repeat his performance at the end of the high school track season.

“My goal,” he said, “is to win state (in the 100 meters).”

Dring, a junior at Mt. Carmel, didn’t say she expected to win a state title in the 400 meters, but her performance in the 500 yards did the talking for her.

Dring took the lead at the sound of the gun and spent the rest of the race running away from the pack--and from her past. Dring’s first-place time was 1:07.9.

Quite an improvement from the 1:11 she ran in the same race a year ago, when she finished third.

“I left myself room for a lot of improvement in that one,” Dring said about her first appearance at the Sunkist meet.

Dring also finished third in the 400 meters at state. “It’s a race I’d like to block out of my mind,” Dring said.

She said her Sunkist showing will allow her to do that.

And who knows? Maybe her race will again foreshadow the state finals.

“This meet has been in the back of my mind all year,” Dring said. “It’s been an absolute goal that keeps me going in soccer (workouts).”

Balina was the second Mt. Carmel athlete to win a gold medal at the meet when he sailed 23 feet 6 1/4 inches in the long jump.

Tyrone Edwards of Nogales was second at 23-4 and Hammond was third at 23-1.

It was a disappointing mark for Hammond, who last June went 24-2 to place second at the state finals.

Hammond knew it was going to be a tough evening even before the competition began. On one of his run-throughs, his momentum carried him out of the pit and onto the track where the girls’ rated mile was being run. He collided with one of the runners who was well behind the leader at the time.

“I just looked up and there she was,” Hammond said.

From that point on, Hammond could not get his step down.

Balina also gave himself a scare, scratching on his first two jumps and finally going 23-2 on his third to make the finals.

Balina would like to think that he has established himself as one of the top long jumpers in the state.

He already has been to the state meet twice. As a sophomore, he was seventh with a jump of 23-0 1/2. Last year as a junior, his mark of 23-11 was good for fifth place.

“I would like to hit 24 (feet) first, because I never have,” he said. “And then worry about everything else.”

Other San Diego athletes who came away with good marks at the meet included:

--Bell, who was second to Crespi’s Ryan Kieling in the 50-meter hurdles with a time of 7.08 to Kieling’s 6.98.

--Lawrence, who was third in the boys’ 50 meters at 6.04.

--Glusac, who placed fifth in the girls’ seeded mile at 5:14.3 (Sarah Schwald of Spokane Rogers was first at 4:59.7).

--Scott, whose 2:21.2 in the first race of the girls’ 880 yards was good for third (Nicole Teter of Cottonwood West Valley was first at 2:16.2).

--La Jolla senior Mailee Ferguson, who placed sixth in the girls’ rated mile at 5:21.3 (Lakewood’s Lucinda Reyes took first in 5:07.5).

--La Jolla’s Julie Schoene came in fourth in the second girls’ 880 with a time of 2:28.1.