Valley’s Clarke Loses Only to Injury in State Track Meet

Melanie Clarke of Valley College is human after all.

The sophomore from El Camino Real High entered the state junior college track and field championships at Sacramento City College intent on competing in six events. But after winning the heptathlon and the women’s 400 meters Friday, she had to withdraw from the final three events on her itinerary because of a strained right hamstring.

“I’m a little disappointed because I feel like I let down the team a little bit, especially in the 1,600 relay,” Clarke said. “But my leg just wasn’t up to it.”

Despite the injury, Clarke was named the female performer of the meet. She won the heptathlon with a wind-aided total of 5,352 points, won the 400 in 54.34 seconds, then ran the third leg on Valley’s 400 relay team, which finished third in a season-best 48.92.

Antelope Valley’s Larry Johnston and Angela Arrington and Valley’s Jennifer Stewart also were victorious on the second day of the two-day meet, winning the men’s hammer, the women’s discus and the women’s high jump, respectively.

In the team races Valley, powered by Clarke, finished fourth with 42 points.

In the men’s standings, Glendale was the top Valley-area team, finishing 11th with 18 points.

Clarke, who scored 3,290 points in the first four events of the heptathlon Thursday, had marks of 17 feet 8 inches in the long jump, 111-4 in the javelin and 2:18.40 in the 800 on Friday to win her second consecutive state title.

Johnston, who started throwing the hammer just last year, had the best series of his career, throwing 188-3, 186-9 and 184-0 in addition to his winning effort.

Throwing last in the 12-man field, Johnston trailed Chris Mezich of San Diego Mesa (184-3) by three inches after the first round, but hit 186-9 in the second round, 188-3 in the third and 199-1 on his sixth and final throw.

“I just let it all out on that last throw,” Johnston said. “All the pressure was off me, so I was able to just relax and throw it.”

The rain, which twice interrupted afternoon competition, did not seem to bother Johnston.

“If your footwork is good, the rain doesn’t bother you,” said Johnston, Antelope Valley’s second state champion and the first in 20 years.

Arrington, who posted her victory a couple of hours after Johnston, never trailed in the discus, throwing 142-0 in the first round during a light drizzle before uncorking her winning toss of 143-0 in the final round after the competition was stopped for about 45 minutes because of the weather.

Stewart’s winning high jump of 5-6 came shortly before 11 p.m., long after most of the athletes had gone home, and it boosted Valley two places in the team standings.

Noelle Righter of Moorpark, a recent covert from the 200 and 400, ran like a veteran to place second in the women’s 1,500 and third in the 800.

Fourth in the 1,500 with 400 meters left, Righter took the lead briefly by passing the leaders on the inside of lane one with 270 meters to go, but she couldn’t hold off El Camino’s Lotoya Polk, who won in 4:41.62.

Righter, who finished fourth in the Southern California championships last week, timed 4:43.65.

She ran a personal-best 2:15.79 to place third in the 800 after finishing fifth in that event in the Southern California meet.

In other events, Robert Scott of Valley was second in the long jump at 24-4 1/2, and Obed Aguirre of Glendale was third in the 5,000 in a personal best of 14:37.16.