ARCADIA TRACK INVITATIONAL : Engesser Is on the Upswing After Taking Second in 800

Christie Engesser of Ocean View was fairly relaxed after the girls’ 800-meter run Saturday night at the 26th Arcadia High Track Invitational.

Engesser, a senior, was able to keep a sense of humor about her after coming from behind to finish second behind Miesha Marzell of Oakland Bishop O’Dowd. Engesser was back in the pack at the start, moved to third by the bell lap and then second at 500 meters.

Although, Engesser didn’t run her best time at Arcadia--she has a best of 2 minutes 11.23 seconds, set at last year’s state meet and ran 2:12 as a freshman--she appears to be on track for a top performance at this year’s state meet in June.

Saturday, Engesser finished in 2:13.14, the second-best time in the nation outdoors this year. Marzell has the nation’s fastest (2:11.69).

Engesser’s time was more impressive because she hasn’t run in a real competitive race since March 13 at the Irvine Invitational, where she ran 2:17. Engesser said Saturday she would have liked to have run in another competitive race before Arcadia, but couldn’t schedule one.

“I’m sure she is really happy with her time tonight,” Ocean View Coach Beth Chilcott said. “She hasn’t really run since Irvine so I know (later on) she’s going to go under her best time.”

Engesser said she wished he had gotten a better start in the race, but wasn’t too disappointed.

“It’s good to be put in all different kind of situations,” she said. “I had trouble (breaking for the curb) on the first lap, but fortunately, I was able to get inside on the next lap.”

Engesser also joined Christy Bradshaw, Donna Garcia and Taryn Lawson in the distance medley. Ocean View finished sixth.

In the boys’ 800, Foothill’s Tad Heath ran his best ever, finishing fifth in 1:53.54.

In one of the invitational’s first events, Chad Peare of Trabuco Hills set a personal best in the discus throw at 191 feet 11 inches. Peare finished second behind Doug Reynolds of Greenway High of Phoenix, who threw 194-6. Peare’s mark was the fourth best in the nation this season and the fourth best in county history.

“On one hand, it’s promising because I know I have a lot left to throw,” Peare said. “On the other hand, it was disappointing because I wanted to win this meet.”

Other notable performers from the county:

--Tustin’s Liza Alexander, who was fifth in the 3,200, running a county-leading 10:57.33.

--Newport Harbor’s Gina Heads, who finished fifth in the discus (140-11).

Meet Notes

Other top county performers included Newport Harbor’s Tina Bowman, who finished second in the high jump (5-6); Cavetra Mitchell of Los Alamitos, who finished fifth in the 100 (12.12); Tara Oettinger of Foothill, who finished fifth in the seeded 200 (25.82), and Orange’s Jaime Martinez, who was eighth in the 3,200. . . . County athletes with notable marks in the morning open session included Esperanza’s Shawn Frack in the boys’ 1,600 (4:19.59), Huntington Beach’s Ben Flamm in 3,200 (9:28.77), La Habra’s Brendan Mahon (3,200, 9:40.40) and Esperanza’s Carrie Caulkins (girls’ 1,600, 5:10.80).