Griswold’s Best Is Good Enough for Second Place

Garden Grove’s Kevin Griswold posted two personal bests, including the seventh-best 100-meter time in Orange County history, but it wasn’t enough to win at the Trabuco Hills Track and Field Invitational Saturday.

Griswold finished second in the 100 in 10.67 seconds, the county’s best this season. Miguel Fletcher of Mission Hills Alemany won in 10.47.

Fletcher also won the 200 in 21.44, 0.12 seconds ahead of second-place Griswold. Griswold’s 200 time is also a county best this season.

“I didn’t play soccer and it’s paying off,” Griswold said. “I’m in better shape, since we started working out earlier this season.”

Garden Grove also won the 400 relay in 42.82. Jason Bruce, Brian Jones and Jason Meyer led off and Griswold anchored. Alemany took second in 42.88.

Tayyiba Haneef shattered the meet record in the girls’ high jump clearing 5 feet 10 inches on her third attempt. The previous record of 5-6 was held by Laguna Hills’ Darcy Morrison and Long Beach Poly’s Pam Simpson.

Haneef, whose best jump this season was 5-2, moves into the top spot in the county. Mission Viejo’s Ashley Bethel jumped 5-6 earlier this year.

Bethel kept herself busy, running between the long jump and high jump pits and running a few races in between. She won the 100 hurdles in a wind-aided time of 14.61 and took third in the 200 in 25.98. She holds the county’s top time in the 200 at 25.7. Brianna Glenn of La Mirada won the event in 25.14; Long Beach Poly’s Zahalea Showe finishing second (25.46).

Bethel finished fifth in the long jump with a mark of 17-3 1/2 and fourth in the high jump (5-2).

Other notable county performances:

* Huntington Beach’s Jess Strutzel came from behind and passed Yucaipa’s Nathan Herbert in the final 500 meters, recording a county-best time of 1:57.9.

* Marie Philman, moved into second in the county in the shotput, winning in 41-1 1/2. Teammate Jenny Shutt took third at 39-11.

* Steve Michels of Brethren Christian, won the pole vault with a mark of 15-9.

* Los Amigos’ Carrie Axton, the county leader in the discus, won in 133-8. Woodbridge’s Wendy Dufresne was second (127-5) and Esperanza’s Kari DeSoto (125-8 1/2) third.

* Esperanza’s Kelly O’Conner, the county leader in the triple jump (40-5 1/4), won the event in a meet-record 39-4 1/2.

* Edison’s Kerry O’Bric won the long jump (18-2 1/2). O’Conner took second in 17-10 1/2.

* El Modena set a meet record in the girls’ 3,200 relay, winning in 9:50.48. Mission Viejo took third (9:58.09) behind Alemany (9:51.08).

* Orange County teams swept the girls’ 6,400 relay. Dana Hills (21.50.9) won, El Modena (21.53.10) was second and Esperanza (22:11.03) third.

In the Fullerton City boys’ championships:

1. Troy, 69; 2. Sunny Hills 62; Fullerton 21--J.D. Lawrence set two meet records as he led Troy to the championship. Lawrence won the 110 hurdles in 16.71 and the triple jump in 40-4.

In the Fullerton City girls’ championships:

1. Troy, 73; 2. Sunny Hills 67; Fullerton 19--Sunny Nicholas of Sunny Hills set a meet record in the 100 hurdles (17.11) and teammate Allyson Kulak set a meet record in the 1,600 (5:28.70).