A Giant Leap for Sanford

Woodbridge freshman Michelle Sanford gave the Warriors a big push in the Sea View League girls’ track and field finals Thursday at Irvine High.

Sanford set school and meet records in the long jump, winning the opening event in a county-leading 19 feet 3 inches. Sanford established the mark on her first attempt, breaking Erin Stovall’s school record of 19-2 and meet record of 18-10, both set in 1995. Sanford’s jump is also the fourth-best in the state this season.

Sanford scored a bundle of other points in winning the triple jump and the 100- and 200-meter dashes, helping the Warriors finish 26 points ahead of Newport Harbor.

Sanford compared her feat in the long jump to her county-leading effort in the triple jump last month, when she went 39-7 3/4 on her first attempt at the FloJo Memorial Arcadia Invitational to finish second.

“My first one was a big one and I thought I had a second big one, but I scratched,” Sanford said. “My coach said it was over 20 feet and I was like, ‘Wow.’ ”

Sanford was just getting started, however. She came back to set another meet record in the triple jump (37-9) and took first in the 100 (12.65) and the 200 (26.24).

Newport Harbor’s Amber Steen won the 800 (2:17.14), 1,600 (5:03.66) and 3,200 (11:26.19), and Krista Dill won the shotput (40-5) and discus (133-1). Teammate April Ross was fifth in the long jump, but came back to win the high jump (5-2) and finish second in triple jump (35-3).