SOUTHERN SECTION TRACK AND FIELD : Athletes Seek to Qualify for Master’s

Orange County athletes will compete at the Southern Section track and field finals Saturday at Cerritos College.

The top nine athletes in each event will advance to the Master’s Meet May 26 at Cerritos College.

Here’s a look at the key teams and competitors in each of the event’s four divisions. Field events start at 11 a.m.; running events start at 1 p.m.

Division I: County champion Esperanza boys’ and girls’ teams will battle perennial powers Long Beach Poly and Pasadena Muir for the team titles. Esperanza seniors Carrie Caulkins (800 and 1,600 meters) and Courtney Pugmire (1,600 and 3,200) are among the favorites in the distance races. Kristy Kierulff is the defending State champion in the high jump, and Kelly O’Conner is the state leader in the triple jump.

The Esperanza boys had the leading qualifying time in the 400 relay, running a county-best 42.00 seconds.

Division II: The Woodbridge girls’ 400-meter relay won the qualifying round with a county-record 47.25. Arroyo Grande, Riverside J.W. North and Moreno Valley Canyon Springs should battle for both team titles.

Meisha Wilson (200 and 400 meters) and Erin Stovall (100-meter high hurdles, 100 and long jump) lead Woodbridge.

Dana Hills sophomore Bryan Harrison is among the leaders in the 100 and 200 meters. Capistrano Valley senior Adalberto Sanchez (3,200) and Tustin sophomore Dominique Degrammont (110 high hurdles and 300 intermediate hurdles) will battle in their events.

Division III: Inglewood Morningside is the clear favorite to win both team titles, but there are several outstanding individual representatives from Orange County.

Sunny Hills’ Garrett Jensen led all qualifiers in the 1,600 meters and Garden Grove senior Mike Balderas led all 800-meter runners.

Garden Grove junior Kevin Griswold is entered in the 100, 200 and 1,600 relay. Anaheim junior Reuben Droughns is the county’s long-jump leader.

Laguna Hills senior Tiffany Boykin was a State meet finalist in the 800 meters last season and is the defending division champion.

Division IV: Brethren Christian, led by Steve Michels and Brandon Pacheco, has a legitimate shot at the boys’ team title.

Michels, a junior, is the county leader in the pole vault at 15 feet 8 inches and is the division record holder. Pacheco, the county champion in the 800 and 1,500 meters this spring, will run the 800, 1,600, 3,200- and 1,600-meter relay.