Gregory Heats Up for Finals, Wins Twice in Preliminaries

Wait until Tara Gregory gets airborne again.

The Crescenta Valley High senior continued a long, arduous comeback from an ankle injury by leading from start to finish in her 1,600- and 800-meter heats at the Southern Section preliminaries on Saturday at Veterans Stadium.

Her times of 5:13.71 in the 1,600 and 2:18.66 in the 800 edge her ever closer to liftoff.

“I ran 2:14 as a sophomore--that’s flying,” she said. “That’s what I need to get back to. I’m about 85% back. Now most of it’s mental.”

It’s amazing she has returned this far. Gregory, an All-Southern Section basketball player, tore ankle ligaments during a playoff game her junior year and ran in only one race last season, clocking a discouraging 2:29 in the 800.

“That’s not exactly the time you want to have,” she said.

Gregory began a long rehabilitation program that had her looking at the ground with every step, afraid she would turn her tender ankle.

“I wanted to hold back, just make sure I wouldn’t hurt it again,” she said. “I think I’m finally past that.”

Junior Lauren Fleshman of Canyon was one of two runners with better 1,600 times than Gregory, clocking 5:13.22.

The winners of each heat, plus non-winners who finished among the top nine overall, will advance to the Southern Section Championships next Saturday at Cerritos College.

Another comeback story is being scripted by Ryan Meuse of Simi Valley, a senior who finished second in the 800 at the Division I championships last year but has struggled this season. He finished third at the Ventura County championships two weeks ago while recovering from strep throat.

Meuse, who will attend Stanford on an academic scholarship, won his heat in 1:58.46. He was fourth overall and the runners ahead of him all ran under 1:57.

“A lot of my problems were from being sick and on how much the rain disrupted our schedule,” he said.

“I want a state title, but there isn’t any pressure because I know where I am going to school.”

Senior Matt Lea of Camarillo kept alive his streak of not losing a race this season by winning his heat in the 400 in 48.73. Lea, who has been hobbled by a sore quadriceps, dropped out of the 200.

Senior Ray Carmel of Channel Islands breezed in the long jump with a leap of 23-1 3/4 on his first jump. Royal sophomore Oliver Jackson was second at 22-9.

Joining Gregory as multiple qualifiers among area girls were Fleshman, who qualified in the 3,200 meters, and senior Jenny Kenyon of Newbury Park, who qualified in the 100 meters, the 200 meters and the long jump.

Newbury Park, Marmonte League boys’ champion, had several qualifiers, including junior Patrick Dolan, who rode a strong start to a career-record 39.37 in the 300 hurdles.

“I usually go out slow--it’s a habit--but today my strategy was different,” Dolan said.

Five runners from the area qualified in the girls’ 1,600. Besides Fleshman and Gregory, sophomore Rosanna Kirkendall of Lancaster was fourth in 5:15.96, senior Danielle Day of Quartz Hill was fifth in 5:16.26 and freshman Jennifer Turk of Newbury Park was ninth in 5:17.91.

Defending state champion Bridget Pierson of Hoover, Lisa Rugenstein of Camarillo and Danielle Wenz of Canyon cleared 10 feet in the pole vault to qualify for the finals.

Heather Sickler of Camarillo, defending section champion in Division I, passed until the bar reached 10 feet and then missed three times.