Athletes peak at right time
BURBANK -- Track and field coaches have a difficult task getting
their athletes to peak at just the right time.
The coaches try and get their athletes to perform at their best
toward the end of the season, so they can be ready for CIF Southern
Section competition.
Burroughs High Coaches John Peebles and Tony Novoa and Burbank
Coach Darin Wolf have a group of runners who are performing well and
setting their sites on a section championship.
Friday, Indian and Bulldog athletes took part in the CIF Southern
Section Division II preliminaries at Mount San Antonio College in
Walnut, and four did well enough to move on to the final.
The final will take place Saturday at Cerritos College.
The best effort of the meet was turned in by Burbank senior Kyle
Ivie. Ivie had the fifth-fastest time of the day in the boys’ 1,600
meters, as he finished in 4 minutes 15.23 seconds.
“I think Kyle is peaking right now,” Wolf said. “He is running his
best of the season right now.
“The only thing is that he might have to run two seconds better
than his personal best to make it to [the Master’s Meet]. The
competition is just so tough in Division II. The fastest times in
that race are coming out of [Division II].”
Last season, Ivie finished sixth in the 1,600 final in 4:26.19.
For Burroughs, three athletes have made the cut with some
outstanding marks.
Perennial qualifier Carolyn Brown makes her fourth straight trip
to the elite meet. Brown -- a senior who won the division 800 crown
as a freshman -- ran well in the girls’ 800, finishing in 2:18.68.
In 2002, Brown finished second in the division in 2:15.71 to
advance to the Master’s Meet. She went on to qualify for the
CIF-State Track and Field Preliminaries for the second time in her
career.
In the state meet, Brown set a new Indian school record with a
2:13.99 in the preliminaries and placed eighth in the final.
After helping the Indian football team to the postseason in 2002,
senior David Brooks has put himself in the finals. Brooks, who will
be attending Weber State on a football scholarship, qualified in the
boys’ 300 hurdles in 39.54.
Joining her teammates will be junior Tulyah Gaines, who is best
known for her exploits on the basketball court as a sharp-shooting
Indian point guard. Gaines earned a trip to the finals with a
36-feet-8 mark in the girls’ triple jump.
“We are very happy to have three kids qualify for CIF finals,”
Peoples said. “Competition [this] week will be tough, but Carolyn,
David and Tulyah are all ready to get after it.”
The lone qualifier from Bellarmine-Jefferson is senior Camille
Napolitano, who advanced in the shot put with a 33-11 effort in
Division V.
In the 2002 final, Napolitano placed fifth with a 35-6 1/2 mark.
Although she didn’t make it to the final, one of the biggest
efforts from a local athlete was turned in by freshman Carolyn
Chrzan. Chrzan came into the girls’ long jump seeded 27th. However,
on her final attempt, she uncorked a leap of 16-11 1/4, to place 10th, just missing the cut, as only the top nine finishers move on.
“This is just an amazing effort for Carolyn,” Wolf said. “I think
her mark was something like eight inches better than her best-ever
jump.
“She will be an alternate for the race, so we’re hoping one if the
runners scratches so she will get a chance to run. Some of the other
girls in the race are competing in other events.”
Also missing the cut by one place was Burroughs’ Evan Gomez, who
placed 11th in the long jump (21-9 1/4).
Two others who just missed qualifying were Burroughs’ Aaron Floyd
and Vanessa Brooks, who both finished 10th -- Floyd in the boys’
triple jump (43-7 1/4) and Brooks in the girls’ 100 (12.5).
Burbank’s Stratos Christianakis finished 13th in the 3,200
(9:30.18).
“These kids came oh so close,” Peoples said. “However, they have
nothing to hang their heads about. They put it all out there, but
unfortunately came up a tad bit short.”