Bruin Girls Cruise to Title

The Southern Section Division I girls’ track and field finals Saturday at Cerritos College were supposed to be a preview of the state championships in two weeks, with Long Beach Wilson and Long Beach Poly expected to duel again for the team title in Sacramento.

But the meet melted into a runaway victory for the Bruins, thanks to dominant efforts in the sprints, hurdles and relays and a season-ending injury to Poly junior Shana Woods, the defending state champion in the long jump and runner-up in the 300-meter hurdles.

The Bruins totaled 105 points to win their first section title since winning consecutive championships in 1998-99. Rancho Cucamonga and the Jackrabbits tied for second, each with 76 points.

The top competitor for the Bruins was sophomore Ebony Collins, who posted victories in the 100-meter dash and 300 hurdles and finished second in the 100 hurdles and the 200. Collins said her lifetime best in the 200, the event following the 300 hurdles, was her proudest accomplishment.

“It was a big victory, even though I didn’t come in first,” Collins said. “I know if I didn’t have the hurdles before, I would be even faster.”

Collins was edged by teammate DeAna Carson in her first event, the 100 hurdles. Collins won the 100 in 11.72, one spot ahead of teammate Tiana Hood, and followed her victory in the 300 hurdles (42.37) with the second-place finish in the 200 in 23.64, one place in front of Hood.

The Bruins also won both relays, holding off a late-charging Sa’de Williams of Rancho Cucamonga in both events. Williams was the only other double winner in the Division I girls’ competition, taking the 200 in 23.38 and the 400 in 53.03.

Woods irritated a nerve in her right leg on her first long jump and was forced to scratch from that event, both hurdle events and the 1,600 relay.

“That’s 30 points, gone,” said Poly Coach Don Norford. “There’s no way we can pick that up.”

Leslie Mercado of Pomona Diamond Ranch won the Division III 100 hurdles race in 14.08, breaking the seven-year-old division record of 14.33 and earning top qualifying honors for the Masters meet Friday at Cerritos College. Mercado also won the 100 in 11.94. Anne St. Geme of Corona del Mar was another double winner in Division III, posting the top qualifying time in the 800 (2:12.52) and winning the 1,600.

Long Beach Poly won the Division I boys’ title for the fifth consecutive season and seventh in the last eight. Bryshon Nellum anchored the 400 relay to victory in 41.11 and came back to win the 400 in 47.28. The Jackrabbits also took three of the top five spots in the high jump.

Justin Woods of Los Alamitos was the top sprinter in all divisions, winning the 100 in 10.48 and the 200 in 21.01, both in Division I. In the Division I weight events, Danny Rohr of Arroyo Valley won the discus (188-5) and shotput (60-1 1/2 ).