Boys and girls track and field: Steen leads Tars at CIF Division II

prelims

Barry Faulkner

WALNUT - After winning three races to push her career Sea View

League individual championships to nine, Newport Harbor High senior Amber

Steen will begin the process of adding to her collection of CIF Southern

Section medals today at the Division II track and field preliminaries at

Mt. San Antonio College, beginning with field events at 3:30 p.m.

Steen, who won the CIF Division II girls crown last year in the 1,600

meters, will be among those trying to gain nine qualifying spots (12 in

the 3,200) for next week’s finals. She’ll run the 1,600, in which she

owns the second-fastest qualifying time (5:02.69) and the 3,200, in which

she is the third-fastest qualifier (11:08.46). Steen, who dropped the 800

after winning that event at Sea View Finals, was second in Division II

last year in the 3,200.

The qualifying times are taken from league finals, however, and are

not necessarily season or career bests.

Steen is not the only Sailor trying to return to the Division II

Finals. Newport sophomore Valerie Day finished sixth last year in the

Division II 300 hurdles, while Harbor seniors John Peschelt and Chris

McMillen survived last year’s boys prelims.

Peschelt, fifth in the Division II 800 last spring, posted the

fifth-fastest qualifying mark this year (1:57.37), winning his second

straight Sea View crown last week. A two-time league high jump champion

who finished second at last week’s league finals, Peschelt will compete

in that event as well, while also running a leg on the Tars’ league

champion 1,600 relay. Richard Weber, Dede Johnson and Dan Moyer will join

him on the relay, the 10th-fastest qualifier (3:26.28).

McMillen, seventh in the 1,600 at section finals last year, is the

sixth-fastest qualifier (4:25.22) in his featured event this spring. He

also qualified in the 3,200 (9:56.91), in which teammates Jesus Santana

(9:55.93) and Alec Urtusuastegui (10:09.09) will attempt to advance from

the same heat.

Day has her work cut out for her, since her personal-best qualifying

time (48.80) is 25th best among prelims qualifiers.

Newport sophomore sprinter Amy Burlingham, who missed last year’s

postseason due to a soccer commitment, brings the 11th-fastest qualifying

times in the 100 (12.41) and 200 (25.48). She is league champion in the

200.

Moyer, a senior, has the seventh-best qualifying mark in the 300

intermediate hurdles (40.01), while the girls 1,600 relay (Ashley

Harrison, Patty Vasquez, Lauren Hanson and Steen) is also the

seventh-fastest qualifier.

The boys 400 relay of Adam Kerns, David Sprenger, Johnson and Weber

has the 11th-fastest qualifying time (43.32).

Freshman Elizabeth Clayton (long jump and triple jump), Jilleanne

Whitfield (shot put and discus throw), Sprenger (long and triple jumps),

Rion McKinney (shot put) and David Marshall (discus) are also scheduled

to compete for the Sailors.