Torrey Lets Her Legs Do Talking at Mt. SAC

Deneeka Torrey of Taft High is as laid-back and soft-spoken off the track as she is explosive on it.

That’s why she didn’t jump up and down or pump her fists after running a school-record 13.99 to win the girls’ 100-meter high hurdles in the Mt. San Antonio College Relays on Saturday.

Torrey’s time obliterated her previous best of 14.26 set in the Pasadena Games last month, was the fifth fastest time in the nation this year and moved her to third on the all-time region list.

“That’s the cleanest race I’ve run,” she said. “And I got off to a good start.”

Torrey, who signed a letter of intent with Colorado on Monday, had a clear lead after skimming the first of 10 33-inch hurdles and never relinquished it.

Junior Dana Bethel of Mission Viejo, runner-up in the state championships last year, pulled to within a couple of feet of Torrey midway through the race but faded to third in 14.30.

Senior Nicole Ireland of Mohave High in Las Vegas finished second in 14.20.

Porchea Carroll of Rio Mesa, Clark Goodwin of Ventura, Chris Morgan of Taft and Chadd Smith of Camarillo also won individual events.

Carroll, a junior, won the girls’ 100 in a career-best and state-leading 11.60, won the long jump in 18-4 1/2, placed fourth in the 200 in a wind-aided 24.16 and ran the first leg on Rio Mesa’s 400 relay team that won its heat in a season-best 48.36.

Carroll’s time in the 100 moved her to third on the all-time region list.

Goodwin, a senior, won the boys’ 400 in a career-best 47.98 after finishing a disappointing eighth in 49.71 in the Flo Jo Memorial Invitational at Citrus College a week earlier.

Morgan won the boys’ 110 high hurdles in 14.04 to defeat fellow junior Marcus Raines of Littlerock by .07 seconds.

Smith, a junior, has a partially torn patellar tendon in his left knee, but won the boys’ high jump in a career-best 6-10.

In other events, Cleveland won the boys’ 400 relay in 41.97 and finished second in the 1,600 relay in 3:16.25.

Junior Anita Siraki of Hoover set school records while finishing second in the girls’ 1,500 in 4:32.30 and fourth in the 800 in 2:15.41.

Junior Chris Wells-Anders of El Camino Real placed second in the boys’ 800 in a career-best 1:53.46 and senior Fred Williams of Taft placed second in the boys’ 100 and 200 with career bests of 10.68 and 21.23.

Josh Spiker of Ventura, who had a superb senior cross-country season cut short by a stress fracture just below his right knee, made a stunning return to competition by running 4:12.9 on the second leg of the 6,400 relay.