Girls track and field: Future in good hands

Steve Virgen

CORONA DEL MAR - There should be much to expect in the future from

the Back Back rivalry in girls track and field. Corona del Mar High

featured freshman Melissa Swigert, while Newport Harbor showed off

sophomores Elizabeth Clayton and Lauren Paul, when the two schools

squared off in a non-scoring tri-meet, that included Marina, at CdM

Wednesday.

Clayton doubled with victories in the long jump (16-2 1/2) and triple

jump (34-4 1/2), and Paul won the 3,200-meter race (12:04.7), as Newport

led the meet with seven first-place finishes.

“We have a lot of younger kids, so it’s really good to have these

early meets,” said Newport Coach Eric Tweit, who was also impressed with

Jennifer Ryder’s first place in the 300 hurdles (52.4) and Valarie Day’s

win in the 100 hurdles (18.5). “This was only the second time (Rider) ran

the 300 hurdles”

Tweit also said he expects soccer standout Amy Burlingham, a junior

sprinter, to return to the team within the next two weeks.

Newport Harbor sophomore Jillianne Whitfield, a CIF preliminaries

qualifier in the shot put and discus last year, also doubled with a

personal best in the shot put (33-8) and another first place in the

discus (107-0).

Finishing second in the pole vault, CdM senior Krisserin Canary also

earned a personal best. Canary cleared 10-6, which is the school’s

record.

CdM grabbed five first-place marks, led by Julie Allen’s double in the

800 (2:23.9) and 1,600 (5:12.5). Sea King Coach Bill Sumner said Allen is

still recovering from the flu, but she has improved since last week.

“I was impressed with the girls 4x4 relay,” Sumner said of the CdM

quartet, Whitney Weidner, Sarah Claster, Becky Cummins and Swigert, in

the 1,600 relay. They won in 4:17.8 after Swigert anchored and led a

come-from-behind victory.

CdM senior Alison Brawner, who also starred on the Sea Kings girls

soccer team that reached the CIF Division IV semifinals, earned first

place in the high jump, clearing the 5-4 mark. Fellow senior teammate

Jaclyn Thayer, who was also on the soccer squad, finished second in the

100 and long jump.

Sumner said Thayer was also battling illness.

“When I have them all healthy, I think we’ll do all right,” Sumner

said of the Sea Kings. “Marina is tough. One of the things we learned

today, Marina is one of the better teams in the county. They got a pretty

good girls team and some good boy sprinters.”