Del Soldato Takes Switch to 800 Meters in Smooth Strides

Janelle Del Soldato of Crescenta Valley High has finally found a track and field event to call her own.

Del Soldato, a senior headed to UC Irvine, ran the 100 and 200 meters during her first two seasons at Crescenta Valley and ran a career-best 59.16 to win the 400 in the Pacific League final last year. But she always knew she “wasn’t going to go anywhere” in those events.

So she took up the 800 this year and the results have been noteworthy.

Del Soldato ran 2:36 in her first 800 against Burbank, then clocked 2:23.27 to finish second in the Channel Coast Invitational at Camarillo High on March 18 and 2:19.62 to win an open heat of the Pasadena Games at Pasadena City College on March 25.

That was followed by a 2:17.62 to win an open heat of the Flo Jo Memorial Arcadia Invitational at Citrus College on April 8, a 2:17.23 to place seventh in an invitational heat of the Mt. San Antonio College Relays on April 15 and a 2:18.2 performance in the 880-yard run that defeated junior Anita Siraki of Hoover in a dual meet on April 20.

“It was exciting,” Del Soldato said of her victory over Siraki. “It was something that I had wanted to do since the start of the season. I know she ran the [440] about 10 minutes before the 880 and that obviously she can go faster than [the 2:19.9 she ran].

“But it was still exciting. I think it will make me more confident the next time I race her.”

The next time should be in the league final at Arcadia High next Friday.

Siraki, who has the fastest time in the nation in the 3,200 this year at 10:18.61, finished ahead of Del Soldato in the 800 in the Mt. SAC Relays.

Siraki is defending league champion in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, but Del Soldato figures she has a chance at beating her if she can run with her for the first 650 meters of the 800.

“If I can stay with her until that point, I can just push it from there,” Del Soldato said.

Coach Mark Evans of Crescenta Valley deserves some of the credit for Del Soldato’s success for he talked to her about the 800 after she finished second in the league cross-country final in November.

“He mentioned it,” Del Soldato said. “But he didn’t force it. He let me make the decision.”

Evans was surprised how quickly Del Soldato broke the 2:20 barrier, but says she’s capable of challenging the school record of 2:13.57 set by Tara Gregory in 1998.

“She’s just such a hard worker and so mentally tough and she really wants to excel in the 800,” Evans said. “She has a great capacity for work . . . and she’s feisty. You need that type of personality in the 800.”

Said Del Soldato: “I don’t remember ever being this excited about the 400. There is something about the 800 that just gets me so excited and worked up.”

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Oliver Jackson of Royal was credited with setting a meet record of 24-3 1/2 in the boys’ long jump in the Santa Barbara Easter Relays at Santa Barbara College on March 25, but the statisticians who compile the year’s top marks in the state are listing that mark as wind-aided since no wind gauge was used during the competition.

As a result, Jackson ranks second on the state list with a season best of 23-11 1/2 heading into the Ventura County championships at Moorpark High today.

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Canyon isn’t ranked among the top 10 girls’ teams in the region, but no program has a longer dual-meet winning streak than the Cowboys, who defeated Burbank, 107-28, on Thursday to clinch their fifth consecutive Foothill League title and win their 37th consecutive meet.

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The Birmingham boys’ varsity is 81-3 in its last 84 dual meets, but the Patriots have never been beaten in a freshman-sophomore meet, compiling a 41-0 record since the division was formed in 1995.

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Taft can clinch its second consecutive outright boys’ West Valley League title with a victory in a home meet against Cleveland today. But a Cleveland victory, coupled with one by Birmingham against Granada Hills, would create a three-way tie for first.

The only losses this season for the Cleveland and Taft girls’ teams have been to Birmingham.

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Track Top 10

Rankings of teams from the region

BOYS

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RK LW School (League) 1 1 Taft (West Valley) 2 2 Birmingham (West Valley) 3 3 Cleveland (West Valley) 4 4 Notre Dame (Mission) 5 5 Palmdale (Golden) 6 6 Rio Mesa (Pacific View) 7 7 Royal (Marmonte) 8 8 Hueneme (Pacific View) 9 9 Oak Park (Tri-Valley) 10 NR Ventura (Channel)

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GIRLS

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RK LW School (League) 1 1 Birmingham (West Valley) 2 2 Taft (West Valley) 3 3 Rio Mesa (Pacific View) 4 4 Cleveland (West Valley) 5 5 Thousand Oaks (Marmonte) 6 6 Notre Dame (Mission) 7 7 Camarillo (Pacific View) 8 8 Westlake (Marmonte) 9 9 Crescenta Valley (Pacific) 10 10 Highland (Golden)

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