Girls track and field: Newport gets extra special performances

Joseph Boo

NEWPORT BEACH - Even with their lofty standards, Amber Steen,

Krista Dill and April Ross were exemplary for Newport Harbor High’s girls

track and field team Thursday in its 95-41 nonleague victory over host

Huntington Beach.

Steen turned in a strong performance when she set a personal best in the

800-meter race with a time of 2:19.

“It’s the first time she broke the 2:20 mark,” Newport Coach Eric Tweit

said. “She’s right on target for the season.”

She also won the 1,600 race with a time of 5:16, topping the second-place

finisher by 32 seconds.

Dill set a personal record of her own in the discus with a throw of 131-1

feet, almost 30 feet more than the runner-up. She also took the shot put

with a 37-7 1/2 mark.

“She proved she’s one of the best discus throwers in the conference

today,” Tweit said.

Ross racked up points for the Sailors by easily winning the three field

events she participated in. She won the high jump by clearing 5-0, went

34-3 in the triple jump, and was tops in the long jump with a leap of

15-10.

Newport freshman Amy Burlingham won the 100 and 200 races with times of

12.5 of and 26.8 respectively.

“As the season progresses, she’s going to be a real important part of the

team,” Tweit said of Burlingham.

Burlingham’s teammate, Patty Vasquez, finished second in both races, with

a 13.4 in the 100 and 27.8 in the 200.

Tweit was also Newport’s performance in the 3,200 race, where the Sailors

took the top three spots. Sonya Mechkor won the event in 12:29. She was

just ahead of teammates Erin Friedman, who finished in 12:31, and Heather

McKibben, who turned in a time of 12:36.

Nonleague

Newport Harbor 95, Huntington Beach 41

100 - 1. Burlingham (NH), 12.5; 2. Vasquez (NH), 13.4; 3. Wallace (HB),

13.7. 200 - 1. Burlingham (NH), 26.8; 2. Vasquez (NH), 27.8; 3. Hanson

(NH), 29.1. 400 - 1. Freeman (HB), 1:01.3; 2. Hanson (NH), 1:04.8; 3.

Konawal (HB), 1:05.1. 800 - 1. Steen (NH), 2:19; 2. Rinek (NH), 2:30; 3.

Orth (NH), 2:31. 1,600 - 1. Steen (NH), 5:16; 2. McKibben (NH), 5:48; 3.

Mechkor (NH), 5:53. 3,200 - 1. Mechkor (NH), 12:29; 2. Friedman (NH),

12:31; 3. McKibben (NH), 12:36. 100 LH - 1. Lash (HB), 17.4; 2. Curtis

(HB), 17.6; 3. Day (NH), 18.1. 300 IH - 1. Konawel (HB), 49.3; 2. Tiffany

(NH), 50.9; 3. Lash (HB), 51.9. 100 relay - 1. Newport Harbor (), 53.0;

2. Huntington Beach, 54.6. 400 relay - 1. Newport Harbor (Burlingham,

Vasquez, Rinek, Steen), 4:17.2. HJ - 1. Ross (NH), 5-0; 2. Wallace (HB),

4-10; 3. Tulisiak (NH), 4-8. LJ - 1. Ross (NH), 15-10; 2. Konawal (HB),

15-0; 3. Santiago (HB), 14-7. TJ - 1. Ross (NH), 34-3; 2. Tiffany (NH),

31-7; 3. Curtis (HB), 29-9. SP - 1. Dill (NH), 37-7 1/2; 2. Morton (HB),

28-1; 3. Govaars (NH), 27-5 1/2. DT - 1. Dill (NH), 131-1; 2. Ciarelli (HB), 101-8; 3. Gerlach (NH), 99-1/2. PV - 1. Shaw (HB), 7-0; 2. Luzuar

(HB), 6-6.