Wygant Helps Camarillo Tear Up Rio Mesa, 76-51

Tearing one’s sweat pants while trying to pull them on over a pair of track spikes would usually elicit a choice word or two from the owner of the sweats.

But Lisa Wygant of Camarillo High broke into a broad smile after doing that during a Pacific View League track and field meet against visiting Rio Mesa on Thursday.

“Great,” Wygant said with a laugh. “I think I just ripped my pants.”

Wygant, a junior, was feeling pretty good about things at that point because she had won the 300-meter low hurdles in a school-record 46.9 seconds a few minutes earlier.

The time cut four-tenths of a second off Wygant’s previous best, gave Camarillo an important 1-2 finish in the event and was her fourth victory of the meet.

It also gave the Scorpions a 21-point lead on their way to a 76-51 victory.

Camarillo (3-0, 2-0 in league meets) was favored to win the meet between the two best teams in the league, but the Scorpions won by more than expected by outscoring Rio Mesa, 40-19, in the final seven events.

Camarillo led, 36-32, after eight events, but the Scorpions won the next three events to take a 58-37 lead with four events remaining in the meet in which the first three finishers in each individual event were awarded points on a 5-3-1 basis.

Freshman Marianne Gerry started the Camarillo run by winning the 800 in 2:31.4, a half-second ahead of favored junior Michelle Villa of Rio Mesa.

Wygant then bounded 32-7 in the triple jump to lead Camarillo to a 1-2-3 finish before setting the school record in the 300 hurdles.

Wygant, defending Southern Section Division I champion in the high jump, had won that event at 5 feet and the 100 high hurdles in 15.5 earlier in the meet.

“I took as few jumps as possible in the high jump and triple jump because my back has been bothering me,” Wygant said.

“But I’m happy with my times in the hurdles.”

Senior Jeanene Gerry, Marianne’s sister, clinched the meet for Camarillo by winning the 3,200 in 12:03.6. Earlier she won the 1,600 in 5:36.4.

Sophomore Porchea Carroll of Rio Mesa (3-1, 1-1) turned in a superb triple victory, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Spartans from losing.

Carroll, defending Southern Section Division II champion in the 100 and 200, won the 100 in 11.7, the 200 in 24.6 and the long jump at 18-7 1/2.

She also gave Rio Mesa a commanding lead on the first leg of the 400 relay--the first event of the meet--but a bad pass on the final exchange allowed Camarillo to post a come-from-behind victory in 49.8.

“That was real exciting for us,” Wygant said.

“Winning the relay was a big plus.”

Rio Mesa, led by double individual winners John Coleman and Jerome Stevens, defeated Camarillo, 75-52, in the boys’ meet.

Coleman, a senior, won the 100 in 11.0 and the 200 in 22.4 for the Spartans (4-0, 2-0). He also ran the second legs on foursomes that won the 400 relay in 43.7 and the 1,600 relay in 3:28.2.

Stevens, a senior, won the shotput at 48-10 1/2 and the discus with a career best of 162-11.

Camarillo (1-2, 1-1) got double victories from seniors Greg Brown and Daniel Kuhmann.

Brown won the 110 high hurdles in 15.1 and the 300 intermediates in 41.6.

Kuhmann took the 1,600 in 4:36.0 and the 3,200 in 10:11.3.