Bethel, Diablos Cruise to Victory

The Mission Viejo girls’ track and field team turned the South Coast League finals into another race for second place.

The Diablos won their 19th consecutive league title Friday at Trabuco Hills High, scoring 149 points. El Toro and Trabuco Hills tied for second with 76 points and Dana Hills was fourth with 73.

Mission Viejo’s only victories came from senior Dana Bethel, who finished first in the 100 hurdles in a season-best 14.21 seconds, won the long jump with a mark of 19 feet 2 inches and won the high jump by clearing 5-4 1/2, her best mark in a high school meet. Bethel also ran a season-best 12.53 to finish second in the 100.

“What a way to finish her South Coast League career,” said Mission Viejo Coach Fred Almond, who has been at Mission Viejo during the entire winning streak.

Mission Viejo also got a key performance from junior Katie Hill, who finished second in the pole vault after clearing a lifetime-best 10 feet, finished second in the 400 in 1:00.05 and ran a lifetime best of 47.20 to finish third in the 300 hurdles.

“She’s going to be our main weapon next season,” Almond said.

Marquita Taylor of San Clemente set meet records in the 100 and 200 meters. Taylor, who won both events at the Orange County Championships April 28, won the 100 in 12.16 and the 200 in 24.75.

Capistrano Valley sophomore Britney Webster, the league champion in cross-country last fall, added league titles in the 1,600 and 3,200. Webster won the 1,600 in 5:13.38 and the 3,200 in 11:23.00.

El Toro junior Danielle de Beaubien improved her season-best time in the 300 hurdles by nearly a second, winning in 46.55.

El Toro’s Heather Quinn won the shotput at 38-9 1/4, but failed to qualify for next week’s Southern Section preliminaries in the discus. Quinn, who had the county’s fourth-best mark in the event this season (131-1), finished sixth at 105-0.

“She was having a lot of trouble with the footing,” said Brett Paton, who coaches the shotput and discus for El Toro.

Mission Viejo also posted a big victory in the boys’ competition, totaling 266.5 points. El Toro and Dana Hills tied for second with 67 points and Trabuco Hills had 65.

Tom Rodriguez was the biggest star for the Diablos, winning the 400 in 49.98, the 300 hurdles in 39.98 and running a leg on the winning 400 relay team (43.16).