Rio Mesa’s Carroll Has Her Coming-Out Party

Porchea Carroll of Rio Mesa High burst onto the national high school track and field scene in a big way in the Mt. San Antonio College Relays on Saturday.

Carroll, a sophomore, won the girls’ 100 and 200 in the Southern Section Division II championships last year, but she dwarfed those performances Saturday in winning the 100 meters in a career-best 11.70 and the long jump with a school-record 19-2 and placing second in the 200 in a wind-aided 23.80.

“I knew today was going to be great,” sprint coach Brian FitzGerald of Rio Mesa said. “I told her earlier this week that today was going to be her coming-out party where she really made a name for herself.”

Carroll did that by winning the long jump with a mark that moved her into a tie for fifth this year on the national high school outdoor list and into ninth on the all-time time region list.

Her time in the 100 was the second-fastest in the nation this year and moved her into a tie for fourth on the all-time region list.

Carroll was one of five athletes from the region to win invitational events in the meet, in which temperatures soared into the 90s.

The others were junior Oliver Jackson of Royal, who leaped a school-record and nation-leading 24-4 3/4 in the boys’ long jump, junior Jerrick Holmes of Palmdale, who cleared a school-record of 6-10 in the boys’ high jump, junior Josh Spiker of Ventura, who ran 8:41.83 in the boys’ 3,000, and senior Annmarie Turpin of Simi Valley, who cleared 5-8 in the girls’ high jump.

Jackson’s effort topped his nation-leading 24-3 1/4 effort from the Arcadia Invitational on April 10 and moved him to sixth on the all-time region list.

“It was kind of hot,” Jackson said. “So I felt tired at times. But I just had to rely on my focus and not let the heat bother me.”

Jackson, who ran on Royal’s 1,600 relay team that won its heat in a season-best 3:22.78, leaped 23-4 1/4 on his first attempt, but trailed the 23-10 1/4 career best of junior Tony Allmond of St. Paul.

Jackson unleashed his winning jump in the next round, had a 23-8 effort in the third round and a 23-0 1/2 jump in the sixth.

Holmes was the only high jumper left in the boys’ competition after clearing 6-8 on his first attempt and he followed that with a third-attempt clearance of 6-10.

Spiker took the lead after the first three laps of the 3,000 and didn’t relinquish it.

He led the field through 1,600 meters in 4:38.4 before clocking 5:48.3 at 2,000 meters, 7:00.1 at 2,400, 8:10.5 at 2,800 and 8:41.83 at the finish.

Senior Matt Swaney, also of Ventura, finished second in 8:46.20 after being in seventh place with 1,000 meters left.

Spiker later ran a 4:17.7 anchor leg to help Ventura finish sixth in 18:14.10 in the 6,400 relay.

Turpin, who had a career best of 5-10 in the high jump against Royal on Thursday, cleared 4-10, 5-0, 5-2, 5-4, 5-6 and 5-8 on her first attempts Saturday before missing three times at 5-10.

Senior Lauren Fleshman of Canyon won the second heat of the invitational 800 in 2:14.23, but finished second overall behind junior Liz Morse of Corona del Mar, who won the first heat in 2:13.29.

Sophomore Anita Siraki of Hoover placed second in Fleshman’s heat in a school-record 2:15.61.

Siraki came back to run a 4:55.9 anchor leg in the 6,400 relay to help Hoover finish fifth in 22:05.15, while Fleshman ran a 4:56.3 anchor leg as Canyon placed 19th in 22:36.30.

There were several other noteworthy performances by athletes from the region.

Senior Becky Rauth of Harvard-Westlake ran a school record 43.49 to finish second in the second invitational heat of the girls’ 300 low hurdles, moving into eighth on the all-time region list.

Senior Jerome Stevens of Rio Mesa won the open section of the boys’ discus with a school-record throw of 183-1 that erased his previous best of 162-11.

Taft finished second in the girls’ invitational 1,600 relay in 3:50.94 to move to ninth on the all-time region list.