On Any Stage, Bethel Is an Amazing Performer

It was another fascinating number for Mission Viejo sophomore Dana Bethel. The crowd in attendance stood and applauded and the school rang with chatter the next day. No, it wasn’t a measure of feet or seconds that brought the audience to its feet this time, but a stirring vocal performance at the school’s annual talent show.

“I was blown away,” said Mission Viejo girls’ track and field Coach Fred Almond. “Everyone at school said Dana was just awesome.”

Bethel sang “Angel of Mine” by music star Monica at the Evening of Pops talent show last Thursday and Friday night. Bethel’s performance so entertained Almond that he brought his family back the second night to see it again.

“The choral director came up to me and said, ‘She’s really good, she could be really special,’ ” Almond said. “I said, ‘No way buddy. She’s already special, she’s No. 3 in the country in the 100 hurdles.’ ”

Almond knows a prize when he sees one. In the 19 years coaching girls’ track at Mission Viejo, he has guided an athlete to the state finals 16 times. This season Almond followed Bethel to Sacramento and it was a trip he won’t soon forget.

“It was the creme de la creme,” Almond said. “That was another performance that will be forever etched in my mind.”

Bethel was runner-up in both the 100 hurdles and long jump at Sacramento City College, posting personal-best marks in each event on consecutive days. It was the final encore in a remarkable season that earned Bethel The Times Orange County Athlete of the Year in girls’ track and field.

“It was a great feeling,” Bethel said. “Last year I only made it in one and I did horrible in the hurdles.”

Right from the start Bethel was in peak form. During the preliminaries, Bethel posted the top qualifying mark and set a personal best with a wind-aided jump of 19 feet 4 3/4 inches, nearly three inches farther than her previous best this season.

Bethel then hustled over to the track and became only the second county athlete ever to run under 14 seconds in the 100 hurdles when she crossed the line in 13.87 seconds, which was the second-fastest qualifying time. Only her sister, Ashley, had gone faster (13.83 in 1997).

In the finals the next day, Bethel raised the bar again, jumping a wind-aided 19-5 1/4 and running a wind-aided 13.69 to finish second in both events.

A nationally ranked heptathlete, Bethel’s versatility was also unmatched in the county this season. She won the long jump and 100 hurdles at the Orange County Championships, placed second in the 300 hurdles and fourth in the 100. At the South Coast League finals, she won both hurdles, the long jump and placed second in the high jump (5-4).

“We’ve had some fine athletes at this school over the years,” Almond said. “But the heptathletes are always the best because you can move them all over the place.”

Even on a stage it seems.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

GIRLS’ TRACK AND FIELD

FIRST TEAM

*

100

Crystal Davis

Santa Ana Valley

So.

Time: 12.06w. Orange County and Division II champion, seventh at Masters.

*

200

Meryl Stone

Woodbridge

Sr.

Time: 24.65w. Orange County and Division II champion.

*

400

Raven Hebert

Santa Ana Valley

Sr.

Time: 57.24. Division II champion and state qualifier with fifth at Masters.

*

800

Liz Morse

Corona del Mar

Jr.

Time: 2:11.28. Finished third in state, first at Masters, second in Division II.

*

1,600

Amber Steen

Newport Harbor

So.

Time: 5:01.83. Finished first at Masters and county championships, second in Division II.

*

3,200

Allyson Marquand

University

Sr.

Time: 10:42.54. Won Orange County and Division III titles, third at Masters.

*

100 high hurdles

Dana Bethel

Mission Viejo

So.

Time: 13.69w. County champion finished second in state and Division I, third at Masters.

*

300 low hurdles

Amanda Shanklin

Santa Margarita

Sr.

Time: 43.41. Orange County, Mt. SAC and Division II champion, sixth at Masters.

*

400 relay

Santa Ana Valley

Time: 48.34. Crystal Davis (So.), Raven Hebert (Sr.), Jayette Hightower (Jr.) and Jamila Jones (Jr.). Won Division II title with county-leading time, finished seventh at Masters.

*

1,600 relay

Woodbridge

Time: 3:55.96. Meryl Stone (Sr.), Janelle Loudat (Jr.), Heather Simon (So.) and Ashley Lazarus (Fr.). Won Orange County and Division II titles, finished ninth at Masters.

*

High jump

Bianca Ziemann

Edison

Fr.

Height: 5-8. Finished second in state and Division I, first at Orange County Championships.

*

Long jump

Dana Bethel

Mission Viejo

So.

Length: 19-5 1/4w. Second in state, Division I and at Arcadia, first at Masters.

*

Triple jump

Tynisia Edwards

Foothill

Sr.

Length: 38-6 1/4. Orange County and Division II champion, second at Masters.

*

Pole vault

Caroline Rebello

Marina

Jr.

Height: 11-6. Orange County champion, fourth in Division I, seventh at Masters.

*

Shotput

Aprile Powell

Century

Sr.

Distance: 40-0 3/4. Orange County champion, second in Division II, ninth at Masters.

*

Discus

Kristen Thompson

Esperanza

Jr.

Distance: 136-9. Seventh in state, second in Division I, fifth at Masters.

*

SECOND TEAM

100

Meryl Stone

Woodbridge

Sr.

Time: 12.22. Second at county championships and Division II.

*

200

Crystal Davis

Santa Ana Valley

So.

Time: 24.73. Second at county championships and Division II.

*

400

Ashley Furst

Laguna Hills

Sr.

Time: 57.45. Second at county championships and Division III, sixth at Masters.

*

800

Maribeth Buche

Esperanza

So.

Time: 2:14.29. Third at Masters, Division I and county championships.

*

1,600

Allyson Marquand

University

Sr.

Time: 4:58.16. Only county runner to finish under five minutes this season.

*

3,200

Julia Allen

Fountain Valley

Fr.

Time: 10:52.14. Finished 11th in state, third in Division I.

*

100 high hurdles

Amanda Shanklin

Santa Margarita

Sr.

Time: 14.67w. Won Sea View and Division II titles, finished second at county championships.

*

300 low hurdles

Lindsay Wells

Mater Dei

Jr.

Time: 45.30. Had third-fastest time in county, finished second in Sunset League.

*

400 relay

Woodbridge

Time: 48.60. Meryl Stone (Sr.), Heather Simon (So.), Janelle Loudat (Jr.) and Ashley Lazarus (Fr.). Won Orange County title, finished second in Division II, ninth at Masters.

*

1,600 relay

Santa Margarita

Time: 3:55.13. Amanda Shanklin (Sr.), Meghan Atkinson (Jr.), Shannon Roy (Sr.) and Sommer Owen (Fr.). Had county’s leading time, finished second in Division II, eighth at Masters.

*

High jump

Rachael Ziemann

Edison

Fr.

Height: 5-8. Tied for fifth in state, won Division I title.

*

Long jump

Quiana Starr

Savanna

Sr.

Length: 18-1 1/2. Finished second Division II, had second-best mark in county.

*

Triple jump

Cortney Stafford

Katella

So.

Length: 37-9. State qualifier with fourth at Masters, finished third in Division II.

*

Pole vault

Michelle Noble

Irvine

Sr.

Height: 10-6. Finished second at county championships, had county’s second-best mark.

*

Shotput

Stephanie Sampson

Esperanza

Sr.

Distance: 40-9. Finished second at county championships, third in Division I.

*

Discus

Samantha Meredith

El Modena

Jr.

Distance: 133-5. State qualifier with fourth at Masters, fourth in Division II.

Coach of the Year: Gil Garcia, Santa Margarita