Morningside Takes Aim at Masters Title

The Morningside High girls’ track and field team is expected to be among the title contenders at the Southern Section Masters Meet tonight at Cerritos College in Norwalk.

Field events start at 5:30 and running events at 7. The top five finishers in each event qualify for the State meet next week at Cerritos.

Morningside, which won the 2-A Division title last week, has the most qualifiers among girls’ teams with 10, including both of its relay teams. Long Beach Poly, which won the 4-A Division title, is second with nine, including one relay team.

The Monarchs are led by sprinters Tai-Ne Gibson, Santisha Arnold and Jaronda White and hurdler Sanoma Nickson. Gibson and Arnold qualified in the 100 and 200 meters, White in the 400 and Nickson in the 100 and 100 hurdles.

Nickson, a senior, had the second-best qualifying time of 14.43 seconds in the 100 hurdles last week. The Monarchs also had the top time of 46.65 seconds in the 400 relay and the second-best qualifying time of 3 minutes, 51.36 seconds in the 1,600 relay.

Morningside also qualified Shirena Harris in the triple jump.

After Morningside, Torrance will have the most competitors in the meet among South Bay teams. The Tartars have four qualifiers, including Kim Blankenship in the high jump, Wendy McCamish in the 400 and Brittany Mounger in the shotput.

Blankenship, a junior, was impressive in clearing 5 feet, 6 inches in the high jump to finish first in 2-A last week. Her leap was second among qualifiers. Torrance’s 400 relay team, which ran 48.15 to finish second to Morningside in the 2-A meet, also qualified.

Other area qualifiers include Peninsula senior Maya Muneno in the 3,200 and Bishop Montgomery senior Nicole Haynes in the long jump.

In the boys’ division, Morningside leads area teams with four qualifiers and Hawthorne and Peninsula each have three.

Morningside’s best opportunity for victory appears to be in the 1,600 relay. The Monarchs had the second-fastest qualifying time of 3:16.29. Morningside will also have Edward Turner in the 400, Travion Harris in the 200 and the 400 relay team.

Hawthorne is led by senior Demond Smith, who ran 37.48 to become the top qualifier in the 300 hurdles. Smith also will run the 110 hurdles and is a member of the 1,600 relay team that qualified in 3:18.52.

Peninsula’s qualifiers are Brian Steip in the 800, Goss Lindsey in the 1,600 and Dan Minami in the 3,200. Lindsey, a senior, ran 4:13.40 in the 1,600 last week.