PREP TRACK ROUNDUP : Sterlin’s Victories Help Mission Viejo Win Title

Heather Sterlin of Mission Viejo was smiling after winning the girls’ long jump and the 100-meter hurdles at the South Coast League finals Thursday night at Trabuco Hills High.

In fact, Sterlin nearly had a perfect day on the track. She set a meet record in the long jump at 18 feet 8 inches, defeating her nearest competitor by more than two feet. Sterlin broke the record of 18-2 1/2, set by Mission Viejo’s Allison Axtell in 1989.

After winning the long jump, Sterlin joined teammates Marie Santos, Kiki Price and Andrea Dean in the 400-meter relay. But Price and Dean dropped the baton on the final exchange. El Toro won the race, and Mission Viejo, which was favored, wound up fourth (53.2 seconds).

Sterlin, who ran the relay’s second leg, said it was something all four had to put out of their minds.

“I just looked across the track and said, ‘Oh, no,’ ” Sterlin said. “I was disappointed because we could have gone far in the relay. But then I had to get it off my mind. We all did.”

Sterlin put it out of her mind by coming back in the hurdles to run a personal best of 14.69 seconds.

“The hurdles are really coming for me,” Sterlin said.

Dean was doing some forgetting of her own. She placed third in the 100 hurdles (15.14) between winning the 100 (12.53) and 200 (26.09). Dean became a four-time winner of the sprints with the victory.

Dean, Sterlin and their teammates gave the Mission Viejo girls their 10th consecutive league title. Mission Viejo also won the boys’ title in a close race with Dana Hills. The boys’ title was decided by the 1,600 relay, and Mission Viejo placed third in 3:28.3; Dana Hills was fourth in 3:28.6.

“I feel totally exhausted, exhilarated and emotional,” Mission Viejo girls’ Coach Fred Almond said. “This has never happened before for me.”

Other top performances included:

--Dana Hills’ Ryan Crane won the 400 (48.7), the 110 high hurdles (14.76) and the 200 (22.33). Crane also placed second in the 300 intermediate hurdles in 39.2, which was won by Irvine’s Jon Peck (39.0).

--El Toro’s Andy Frogue attempted a tough double in the 800 and 1,600. Frogue won the 800 in a personal best of 1:57.51, then came back 30 minutes later to place second in the 1,600 (4:32.2). Mission Viejo’s David Cullum won the 1,600 (4:31.2) and 3,200.

--El Toro’s Bree Frigo won the girls’ 3,200 in 11:07.08, and was second in the 1,600.

In the Freeway League boys’ finals:

La Habra wins--Brendan Malm won the 800 in 2:03.6 and the 1,600 in 4:26.3 to help the Highlanders amass 129 points at Fullerton College. Sonora was second with 116.

Gerald Williams of Buena Park won the 100 in 10.9 and the 200 in 22.6 and Rueben Hernandez won the long jump (21-3 3/4) and the triple jump (41-8 1/2).

In the Garden Grove League boys’ finals:

Garden Grove leads qualifiers--The Argonauts will be represented 13 times in next week’s Southern Section 2-A prelims. Rancho Alamitos had the second most qualifiers (10) in the non-scoring meet at Bolsa Grande High.

Fidel Zavala of Santiago High won the mile and two-mile, Jarryd Gonzales of Pacifica took the 100 and 220 and Jesse Fausto of Los Amigos captured the 440 and 330 hurdles.

In the Freeway League girls’ finals:

Sonora wins--Casie Lozano and Lisa Knott each won two events for the Raiders at Fullerton College.

Lozano won the 100 (12.3) and 200 (25.8) and Knott won the 100 and 300 hurdles as Sonora finished with 137 points. Sunny Hills was second with 86.

Sunny Hills’ Carrie Garritson won the 1,600 (5:23.5) and the 3,200 (11:23.3) and finished third in the 800. Fullerton’s Marie Pritchett won the shot (34-6) and the discus (104-9).

In the Garden Grove League girls’ finals:

Garden Grove tops qualifiers--Rosemary Chavez of Kennedy was the individual star, winning four events, but the Argonauts will be sending 15 entrants to next week’s Southern Section 2-A prelims.

Chavez took the 100 (12.63), 220 (27.45), long jump (16-4 3/4) and triple jump (34-10 3/4) in the non-scoring meet at Bolsa Grande High.

Grace Fu of Pacifica won the 110 hurdles (16.22) and 330 hurdles (49.37).