Burbank track and field sweeps Crescenta Valley, Muir
LA CRESCENTA — It was easy to see the strength in depth the Burbank High track and field teams had in their Pacific League meet at Crescenta Valley High.
Unfortunately, because of technological issues at the scorers table, the final results of the meet were delayed, and everyone had to wait for their marks.
While eyes were fixated at a nearby concrete wall for updated results, the Bulldogs dominated the field events, and further flexed their muscles on the track with a number of individual and team wins.
As a result, the Burbank swept both the boys’ and girls’ portions of the meet Thursday.
In the boys’ competition, Burbank finished with 85, Crescenta Valley had 30 and Muir had 21. For the girls, the Bulldogs posted 70, with the Falcons recording 43 and Mustangs tallying 14.
“I think, right now, we’re pretty fit,” Burbank’s first-year coach David Card said. “I think we’ve built a pretty good baseline, it’s just, now, we’re going to be working on our speed and getting our spring better. It’s just now peaking and we’ve been trying to have the peaks at the right time, and if we can do that, I think we can win [league].”
The Bulldogs girls (4-0 in league) received a pair of individual wins from sophomore Stephana Powell in the 200-meter dash in 26.80 seconds and the 400 in 1:00.60.
“When I’m usually running with my teammates, we all support each other, so it can get a little bit nerve-wracking because it’s an individual event,” Powell said. “It’s not like a relay where there’s a team involved, but I just try to stay focused and just remind myself to dig out of those blocks, keep on pushing it and sprinting throughout the rest of the race.”
Powell also teamed up for 4x100 relay with sophomores Hannah Camacho, Tamryn Betts and Jayla Flowers to finish first in 47.15, and coupled with Camacho, Betts and junior Amira Ottoson for another first-placed finish in the 4x400 relay in 4:17.28.
Burbank swept the 100 races behind freshman Jack Sapyta’s first-place finish of 11.51 in the boys’ event and Jayla Flowers’ victory in 13.29.
In the girls’ competition for the Bulldogs, junior Sol Fernandez won the 3,200 (12:01.40), freshman Emma Cusumano took the 300 hurdles, freshman Paige Cizek won the high jump (4 feet, 6 inches) and the long jump (16-0), Flowers took the triple jump (35-7), senior Alisa Petrosyan won the pole vault (8-6) and junior Tiffany Safar finished first in the discus (83.4).
For the Burbank boys, Sapyta took the 200 (23.07), Alejandro Diaz-Infante won the 300 hurdles (43.18), Zion Chavez won the high jump (mark not available), the triple jump (41-4) and the long jump (19-0), James Smyth took the discus (129.2) and Dylan Brandon was first in the pole vault (11-6).
The Bulldogs boys (4-0 in league) saw Bryan David also win the 400 in 50.82. David also teamed up with Sapyta, Ian Miller and Dylan Brandon for the 4x400 relay to outlast Crescenta Valley and Muir with a 3:29.90 result.
The trio of Brandon, Miller and Sapyta combined with junior Cole Le’au for a win in the 4x100 relay (44.14).
For the Crescenta Valley boys (2-2 in league), Dylan Wilbur was a double winner in the 800 (1:59.96) and 1,600 (4:24.60), Vincent Lieberman took the 110 hurdles (15.64) and Grant Lauterback won the 3,200 (10:31.28).
“I think, overall, we looked pretty good. We did well,” said Crescenta Valley coach Mark Evans, the reigning All-Area Girls’ Coach of the Year. “Our distance runners scored well and had good, competitive races. Burbank’s kids have been running pretty well, but we matched up pretty well with them. They have a good, young group, we have a good, young group, and I think our groups came through.
“Sprints, they’re a tougher group than we are in the sprints, and that’s where they’re going to get us and same thing in the field events, but I thought our kids competed well and did a good job.
The the Falcons girls (2-2 in league), sophomore Sophia Atin claimed the 800 (2:31.43) and the 1,600 (5:24.36).
“I just really wanted to win,” Atin said. “Today wasn’t really about the time. It was more about winning and getting the points for my team. I really like dual meets because I’m not just racing for myself. I’m racing for the team, and so I think that responsibility really just helps me.”
Twitter: @ReporterVince