Bellarmine-Jefferson track produces three league champions
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BURBANK — Even though the Bellarmine-Jefferson boys’ and girls’ track and field teams did not capture a Santa Fe League team title this past season, several found redemption at the league’s individual finals at Memorial Field on Wednesday.
Three Guards won individual championships, while several others clinched berths to the CIF Southern Section Division IV preliminaries at Carpinteria High on May 16.
“I think we received a good number of efforts tonight,” said Bell-Jeff Coach Jim Couch, whose boys’ and girls’ teams placed fourth in the Santa Fe League this year. “We’re still improving and now we’ll get ready for prelims.”
PHOTOS: Trio of Bell-Jeff runners crowned individual league champions
Freshman Valerie Zavala towered over her teammates Wednesday afternoon.
The cross-country runner captured one championship and qualified in three others to prelims.
“I didn’t expect to win,” Zavala said. “I’m just trying to do my best.”
Arguably the event that Zavala most struggled with was the one she cruised to victory in as the freshman claimed the 3,200-meter run in a time of 13 minutes, 30.81 seconds, which was well off her seeded time of 12:17.
Previous to her 3,200 victory, Zavala qualified in two more events with a pair of silver-medal performances in the 800-meter run in 2:33.89 and in the 1,600 in 5:41.42.
Bell-Jeff’s other two victories came on the boys’ side and were turned in by seniors John Anulat and Nick Bacerra.
Anulat raced to victory in the 100-meter dash in a personal-record time of 11.47.
“I just wanted to get a good, fast start,” Anulat said. “It’s great to get a win.”
Anulat also competed and advanced in the 200-meter dash as he took second in 23.14, ahead of teammate London Webster, who also advanced by taking third in 23.30.
Anulat earlier teamed with Chris Posis, Webster and Jeff Zhang to take third in the 400-meter relay run. The squad earned advancement to the prelims with a time of 46.90.
As for Bacerra, the long-distance runner clipped his personal record in the 1,600 by two seconds by posting a victory in 5:14.72.
“I was just focused on getting a PR,” Bacerra said. “I didn’t know if I was going to win, but I knew I could beat my PR.”
Like Anulat, Webster also advanced in three events.
The senior was second in the 400-meter run in 52.51 and easily surpassed the prelims qualifying mark of 54.34.
Freshman Caitlyn Couch had quite an eventful and productive Wednesday afternoon as she also qualified to Carpinteria in three events.
Couch finished second in the 300-meter hurdles in 52.76 and was third in the 1,600 in 5:54.21, which beat the automatic qualifying time of 5:55.14.
Couch was also a member of the Guards’ successful 1,600-meter relay squad that also included Danica De La Pena, Zavala and Vanessa Smith. The quartet took second in 4:36.60 and punched its ticket to Carpinteria.
The only spot of confusion and controversy came in the last race of the evening.
The Bell-Jeff boys’ 4x400-meter relay team appeared to earn advancement to Carpinteria by placing second in the event in 3:47.73, which was just under two seconds ahead of third-place St. Anthony (3:49.69).
Immediately after the race, the St. Anthony coaching staff protested the results directly to Couch, saying a Bell-Jeff runner illegally crossed into their running lane and should have been disqualified.
As of press time, a decision on the final race results had not been made.