PREP ROUNDUP : Moxley Sets Irvine High Jump Mark

IRVINE —  Chris Moxley of Mission Viejo High School broke the Irvine Invitational record in the high jump, leaping 6 feet 9 inches Saturday at Irvine High School.

Moxley, a senior, broke the previous record of 6-6 1/2 on his first attempt at 6-9. He then tried to jump 6-11, but failed. Moxley said he had trouble on his first attempt at 6-11.

“The first time I slipped and my heel (spikes) ripped off,” Moxley said. “After that it was my mind stopping me because I knew I had made 6-9.”

Mission Viejo Coach Dan Doty said Moxley might not have known the bar was set at 6-9 on his record attempt.

“Normally, Chris will set the bar at 6-8, but somebody set it at 6-9,” Doty said. “But I think he might have known he was jumping 6-9.”

Moxley, who last year was hampered by a stress fracture in his left leg, broke his personal best of 6-6, set at the 4-A preliminaries at Camarillo High School last season, surprising his coach.

“I’m surprised he did so well today because it’s just as cold today as it was at Camarillo,” Doty said.

In the girls’ team competition, Woodbridge High School took first place, winning the title with 118 points over runner-up Mission Viejo, which had 107.3. Esperanza was third with 46 points and Santa Ana Valley was fourth with 43.

The Warriors pulled out the victory by winning the 1,600 meter relay and taking fourth and fifth in the triple jump, but earlier victories in the other events gave Woodbridge an almost insurmountable lead. Woodbridge athletes won six of the 14 events they entered.

Woodbridge senior Cathi Peck took first in the 1,500 meters (4:58.64) and finished second in the 3,000 meters (10:26.66) behind University’s Tanja Brix (10:20.44). Peck’s teammate, Amy Robles, won the 800 meters (2:18.43) and placed second in the 1,500.

Woodbridge’s Kaci Keffer won the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 45.54 seconds and added a third in the 400 meters.

Mission Viejo’s Lisa Fager, named girls’ athlete of the meet, won the triple jump in a meet record 39- 5/8 and won the high jump with a leap of 5-4.

In the boys’ team competition, Roshawn Sims, who was named boys’ athlete of the meet, won the 400 meters (49.37), placed second in the 200 meters (22.22) and ran legs on the 400- and 1,600-meter relays to lead Esperanza to victory. Esperanza had 88 points and Dana Hills was next with 64. Capistrano Valley finished third (51) and Marina was fourth (44).

Erik Mitchell of Los Alamitos won the 100 meters (10.96) and the 200 (22.10).