Girls track and field: Krikorian comes through

Steve Virgen

COSTA MESA - Costa Mesa High sophomore Stacy Krikorian has a knack

for coming through in the clutch. More proof came Wednesday when she

helped lead the Mustangs girls track and field team to a 67-56 Pacific

Coast League victory over crosstown rival Estancia, at Mesa.

Christine Bjelland, another Mesa sophomore, tripled to give the

Mustangs even more power.

Krikorian, who scored the game-winning goal with 35 seconds left to

lead the Mustangs girls soccer team to a 2-1 victory over host Laguna

Beach on Feb. 7, giving Mesa a playoff berth and a second-place finish in

the PCL, stepped up when the Mustangs needed her in the 1,600-meter

relay.

With Mesa junior standout Sharon Day nursing a sore hip, Krikorian

came to the rescue to give the Mustangs revenge from a 1,600 relay loss to Estancia at the Orange County Championships at Trabuco Hills Saturday.

Krikorian gave Mesa a huge lead when she took the baton on the third

pass, changing what once was a tight race to a not-to-lose type race for

the Mustangs (2-3 in the PCL). Day, who usually runs anchor, started the

race because of her sore hip, while Rachel Hughes and Bjelland (anchor)

also contributed to finish in 4:23. Estancia finished in 4:25.6.

“From Saturday, I felt I really wanted to win this (event),” Krikorian

said. “I knew Sharon was hurt, so I knew I had to step it up. I found it

in me and I really wanted to push myself.”

“For the past four weeks, she has been working as hard as she can,”

Mesa Coach George Greenwalt said. “She was sick during spring break, but

she has come back with a vengeance. She told me that she would give us a

big lead (in the 1,600 relay). That was so great!”

The Mustangs faced a different 1,600 relay Estancia lineup than the OC

Championships. But that hardly mattered, as the victory typified a tight

battle between rivals.

In three track events, less than a second separated the winner and the

rival runner-up. The 1-2 in the 100 went Estancia senior Hanni Geider,

13.1, Krikorian, 13.7; in the 400: Day won in 1:01.4 and Jasmine Geider

came in 1:01.9; and, in the 100 hurdles, Vicki Pham won in 19.47 and Ludi

Valdez followed in 19.6.

The Mustangs and Eagles (1-4 in league) will meet again in the PCL

preliminaries Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. at Irvine High.