Girls track and field: Mesa has a good day

Joseph Boo

COSTA MESA - The headline just writes itself for Thursday’s Pacific

Coast League and season opener between Costa Mesa High and Estancia’s

girls track teams. There’s “The Mustangs have a good day,” or “Sharon has

a good day,” or any witty references to Bruce Springsteen and Ice Cube

songs.

Even Mesa (1-0) track and field coach John Carney got into the act.

“It was a good day for the Days. There’s your headline right there,” he

said.

In her first high school track meet, Mesa freshman Sharon Day won three

events and anchored the host Mustangs’ victorious 400 relay squad in the

Mustangs’ 67-51 triumph. With her older brother Louis winning twice on

the boys side, and well, you see the headline.

Day first won the 400-meter race in 1:04.36. She then took the 200 race

(27.82) and high jump (4-10). On the last race of the day, she anchored a

400 relay squad of Julie Kroening, Candace Nicholson and Lisa Dunn that

won comfortably 4:32).

“That’s not bad for a freshman,” Carney said.

Kroening provided points for Mesa by winning the 300 hurdles (52.36) and

the long jump (15-7 1/3). She also finished second in the 100 sprint,

though barely. Estancia’s (0-1)Jasmine Geider held off a furiously

charging Kroening at the wire. Her winning time of 13.18 was .10 better

then Kroening. Jasmine’s twin sister, Heidi, finished right behind them

in 13.41.

The other exciting race of the day came in the 3,200. After four laps,

Mesa’s Julie Hitt was trapped behind Estancia’s Stephanie Melendez and

Vanessa Stevens. All three of them jostled for three laps before Hitt

surpassed both runners on the final lap, winning in 13:32. Melendez came

in second (13:37) and Stevens in third (13:48).

“I almost felt like a leech,” Hitt said after the race.

Except for that setback, Estancia’s distance runners dominated the field.

The Eagles were led by junior Liz Huipe, who took the 800 (2:43) and

1,600 (5:46) easily. The Eagles took the top three spots in both of those

races.

“The times were solid. They weren’t spectacular,” Estancia’s distance

runner coach Charlie Appell said. “They’re competing (today) in the

Western Falcon Invitational at Cerritos College.”

Mesa’s Lisa Weeks won the discus with a throw of 96-3. Estancia’s Diana

Alderete was the runner-up with a throw of 84-1, her personal best. The

Mustangs’ Beverly Aina won the shot put with a throw of 28-4.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Girls

Costa Mesa 67, Estancia 51

100 - 1. J. Geider (E), 13.18; 2. Kroening (CM), 13.28; 3. H. Geider (E),

13.41.

200 - 1. Day (CM), 27.82; 2. J. Geider (E), 28.25; 3. H. Geider (E),

28.68.

400 - 1. Day (CM), 1:04.36; 2. Dunn (CM), 1:06.94; 3. Marx (E), 1:08.53.

800 - 1. Huipe (E), 2:43; 2. Stevens (E), 2:51; 3. Melendez (E), 2:57.

1,600 - 1. Huipe (E), 5:46; 2. Arroyo (E), 6:05; 3. Cahuantzi (E), 6:06.

3,200 - 1. Hitt (CM), 13:32; 2. Melendez (E), 13:37; 3. Stevens (E),

13:48.

100 IM - 1. Nicholson (CM), 17.65; 2. Cluff (CM), 20.23; 3. Nguyen (CM),

20.67.

300 LH - 1. Kroening (CM), 52.36; 2. Nicholson (CM), 55.00; 3. Nguyen

(CM), 1:06.03.

100 relay - 1. Estancia (Hanson, Marx, H. Geider, J. Geider), 54.61; 2.

Costa Mesa, 56.25.

400 relay - 1. Costa Mesa (Kroening, Nicholson, Dunn, Day), 4:32; 2.

Estancia, 5:02.

HJ - 1. Day (CM), 4-10; 2. H. Geider (E), 4-8; 3. Karlene (CM), 4-6.

LJ - 1. Kroening (CM), 15-7 1/3; 2. Hanson (E), 13-1 1/2; 3. J. Geider

(E), 13-10.

SP - 1. Aina (CM), 28-4; 2. Vega (E), 22-4; 3. Weeks (CM), 27-3.

DT - 1. Weeks (CM), 96-3; 2. Alderete (E), 84-1; 3. Aina (CM), 78-2 1/2.