O’Bric Leads Edison to Victory

LONG BEACH — The rivalry between Kerry O’Bric of Edison and Kelly O’Connor of Esperanza brought out the best in both athletes at the Sunset League finals track and field meet Thursday.

The seniors split the long and triple jump events. O’Bric won the long jump in a personal best of 19 feet 9 inches on her final attempt and O’Connor broke the Orange County record in the triple jump with a winning mark of 40-11 3/4.

“There’s no question that I wouldn’t have jumped 19 feet without her,” said O’Bric, who won the long jump by a quarter inch over O’Connor.

O’Connor responded to the loss in the long jump with a monumental breakthrough in the triple jump.

“The long jump made me jump 40-11 3/4,” said O’Connor, who bested her county mark by 5 1/4 inches. “It’s just all coming together right now.”

O’Connor also won the 100 meters in a personal-best 12.55 seconds.

O’Bric opened the afternoon with a victory in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, running 44.76, the county’s fastest clocking to date.

“I was most happy with the 300 hurdles,” O’Bric said. “I didn’t expect to run that fast.”

O’Bric, Marie Philman and Kelly Marshall led the Chargers to the team title with 181 points, ahead of second-place Marina (134).

Philman won the high jump (5-2), the shot put (40-0 1/4) and finished second in the discus (135-8) while Marshall won the 200 (25.4), and was the runner-up in the 100 (12.79) and 400 (58.36) meters.

Angie Winkler of Fountain Valley won the 1,600 and 3,200 meter races in impressive fashion, besting the league record in the longer race with a time of 10:57.4.

Winkler’s time in the 1,600 was 5:10.61, beating second-place Heather Cuthbertson of Marina (5:16.38).

Ray Bardone won the 100 (11.42) and 200 (22.65 wind-aided) to lead the Charger boys to the team title.

The Chargers scored 148.5 points, just ahead of Esperanza (131) and Huntington Beach (82).

Esperanza senior Pat Swanson won the 110-meter high hurdles (14.79) and the 300-meter intermediate hurdles (38.45).

.

Huntington Beach’s Jess Strutzel had victories in the 400 (49.90) and 800 (1:55.70) and a second-place finish in the 200 (22.78).