Tuimoloau Puts Competition Away

Dolores Tuimoloau of Channel Islands High had had enough.

After going more than a month without breaking the 47-foot barrier in the girls’ shotput, the Raider senior unloaded a toss of 49 feet 1/2 inch Friday in the qualifying round of the state track and field championships before 6,567 at Cerritos College.

Tuimoloau, the state’s leading shotputter all season, nailed a personal best of 49-2 in the Ventura County championships April 29, but her winning marks had ranged between 45-1 3/4 and 46-7 1/2 in four meets since.

It looked as if the trend might continue Friday. Her first two throws measured 43-5 1/2 and 43-1 1/2, but on her third--and final--attempt she unleashed a put that “felt like it was about 47 feet,” but measured two feet further.

“I just said to myself, ‘It’s time to get out of this rut. Let’s put one out there,’ ” said Tuimoloau, who had a cushion of nearly five feet over No. 2 qualifier Soozie Shanley (44-1) of Tulare.

With the shotput qualifying over, Tuimoloau proceeded to the discus competition, and grabbed the ninth--and last--qualifying spot for the finals with a throw of 131-6.

“(The discus) is not really my event,” she said. “It’s just something to keep me busy between the shotput.”

Although Tuimoloau did not want to make any predictions about today’s shotput finals, she hinted that a bigger effort was possible. “I’ve just got this feeling about a 50-footer,” she said. “Something tells me that that could happen.”

Tuimoloau was one of four athletes from the region who qualified for the finals in two events.

The others were Jason Medearis of Hart, Jamaal Chase of Quartz Hill and Danny Haag of Granada Hills. Medearis won his heats of the 110 high hurdles and the 300 intermediates in 14.23 seconds and 38.26.

Chase qualified second in the triple jump with a personal best of 49 feet 4 3/4 inches and was third in the long jump at 22-11.

Haag was the No. 2 qualifier in the long jump at 22-11 3/4 and ran a personal best of 14.62 to finish third in the second heat of the high hurdles behind Medearis and Gerimi Burleigh (14.26) of Upland.

Jeremy Fischer of Camarillo, Esa Sallinen of Burroughs and Brett Strahan of Hart easily qualified for the finals of their respective events.

Fischer, the national high school outdoor leader in the high jump at 7-4, was one of four jumpers to clear 6-9.

Sallinen, second on the state list at 16-4 3/4 in the pole vault, was one of four athletes to clear 15-4.

Strahan, who ranks third on the state list in the 1,600 at 4 minutes 9.71 seconds, finished third in his heat with a time of 4:16.63.

Ramsey Jay of Ventura and Andre DeSaussure of Taft qualified for the finals of the boys’ 400 by finishing second and third in their heat with times of 47.62 and 47.70.

Other region-leading efforts went to Canyon’s Mike Wenz, who timed 1:53.22 to finish third in his heat of the 800, and Andrea Wasden of Rio Mesa, who ran 14.37 to finish second in her heat of the girls’ 100 hurdles.

Cathy Prater of Agoura and Stacy Hebert of Buena each qualified for the finals of the girls’ 300 low hurdles.

Prater, third in last year’s state championships, looked ragged for the first half of her race--hitting the fourth hurdle so hard that she almost fell down--but finished strong to place third in 44.47.

Hebert, a sophomore, ran the second-best time of her career (44.56) to finish third in Heat 3.

James Lincoln of Birmingham was a notable non-qualifier as he finished 15th in the high jump at 6-4, 19th in the triple jump at 44-2, and 23rd in the long jump at 21-4.

Lincoln, fifth in the high jump in last year’s state meet, cleared 6-8 to win the City Section title last week and came close to clearing 7-0 on two efforts, but his legs lacked zip Friday.