DIVISION I TRACK AND FIELD : 400-800 Is Double Fun for Engesser

Christie Engesser of Ocean View put out as much effort as she needed to in individual races Saturday at the Southern Section Division I track and field preliminaries Saturday at Trabuco Hills High.

But after qualifying for next Saturday’s section finals at Cerritos College in the 400 and 800 meters, team concerns and pride drove her as she tried to deliver the Seahawks a qualifying berth in the 1,600 relay.

Engesser chased down Etiwanda’s Erica Bowling, who had defeated her in the 400, on the anchor leg, making up a lot of ground but ultimately finishing a few meters shy. Ocean View finished a non-qualifying fifth in 4 minutes 7.45 seconds, just behind Etiwanda (4:07.18), which also failed to advance.

It was the only time she came up short all day. Engesser, the Southern Section-leader in the 800 at 2:13.14, said she wasn’t sure she would run the 400 and 800 next week but that she liked doubling. She was the top-qualifier in the 800, winning her heat easily in 2:18.03, about 45 minutes after the 400. Courtney Leonard of Dana Hills finished behind Engesser in 2:22.16.

“I haven’t decided whether I’ll drop the 400,” Engesser said. “But I felt pretty good today in the 800. The first quarter (1:07) was kind of slow, but I’m saving it to go out hard in the bigger races.

“It also feels good to run a hard 400 on the track.”

Engesser said she enjoyed chasing Bowling in the 400, figuring Bowling, who had their heat’s top qualifying time of 56.75, wouldn’t expect a fast race from Engesser; her qualifier was incorrectly listed as 59.11. She ran 58.11 to win the Sunset League title.

“She didn’t expect anything from me at all,” Engesser said with a laugh. “I knew she was just coasting.”

Bowling held on to win in 58.13, a step in front of a fast-closing Engesser (58.28).

Huntington Beach’s Ben Flamm and Capistrano Valley’s Meghan Mayes were double qualifiers in the 1,600 and 3,200, Flamm running 4:21.68 and 9:35.97 in the boys’ races and Mayes finishing in 5:16.75 and 11:27.14 in the girls’. Mayes was Orange County’s fastest runner in the 3,200. Edison’s Janna Evans ran the 1,600 in 5:14.38.

The distance races weren’t particularly fast on Trabuco Hills’ track, but a blustery wind helped sprinters to top times. Among them was Thousand Oaks’ Marion Jones, the national high school record-holder in the sprints, who won her 100 heat in a wind-aided 11.21 and the 200 in 22.95.

Orange County runners didn’t fare well in the short sprints, with Santa Ana’s Bernard Hardaman the only qualifier, placing third in his heat in 10.81.

Marina’s Tony Parrish, the defending state champion in the triple jump, was the county’s top field event performer, placing second to Palmdale’s Ty Gaines with a leap of 48 feet 11 1/4 inches. Gaines jumped 49-7 1/2, and the marks are the top two in the state this season. Parrish, who also qualified in the long jump, had a previous season best of 47-11 1/2.

Meet Notes

Edison’s girls’ 1,600 relay team of Karen Anderson, Julie Hall, Kelly Marshall and Julie Koudelka had the fourth-best overall time in 3:59.39. Dana Hills girls’ team also qualified (4:00.75). Fountain Valley (3:22.04) advanced in the boys’ relay.