Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week: Elizabeth Clayton

Steve Virgen

Newport Harbor High sophomore Elizabeth Clayton is following in the

footsteps of her elder sisters, and along the way she has received

perhaps the most important impression to help her in track and field.

Clayton, the third of four Clayton sisters, is setting a new and high

standard not only for her family, which includes younger sister,

12-year-old Laura, but also for the Sailors’ youthful squad.

With motivation to surpass accolades of her elder sisters, Mandy and

M.E., Elizabeth Clayton is a star in the making, whose light also shines

in academics. For Clayton, there is also a standard to set in education.

“I can only compete in the triple jump and (100-meter) hurdles because

I have an (advanced-placement) test that comes in the exact time of the

(400) relay and long jump,” Clayton said of her Friday schedule, that

included a European History test and the CIF Southern Section Division II

Preliminaries. “I had to choose between academics or doing all my events.

I think academics is more important. It was the hardest class I could

take as a sophomore, so I decided to take it, knowing that it was going

to conflict with the CIF Prelims. But I could never put sports before

academics. But at least I can still compete, too.”

Aside from setting an example in the classroom, Clayton is also

training to set a new level on the track and field. She is gunning to

break the school record in the triple jump, which is 37-8 1/2 set in 1994

by the eldest Clayton sister, Mandy. And, Clayton wants to also break the

100 hurdles record, a 15.54, set in 1997 by Clayton sister No. 2, M.E.

Last week, Elizabeth Clayton, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, won

the Sea View League title in the 100 hurdles (16.39), and she also

qualified in three more events, with runner-up finishes in the long jump

(16-5) and triple jump (35-11), and contributed in the CIF-qualifying 400

relay team.

She finished behind Woodbridge junior Michelle Sanford (CIF Division

II record holder in the triple jump at 40-04 1/4) in the jumps.

“She’s a versatile athlete,” Newport jumps coach Nowell Kay said of

Clayton, who also plays for the Sailors’ volleyball team. “I’ve coached

both of her sisters. I try not to compare her to them because she’s an

athlete in her own right. She’s improving, especially in the hurdles.

It’s been a pleasant surprise. If you were to tell me she would win a

league title at the beginning of the season, I wouldn’t expect it to be

the league champ in the 100 hurdles.”

Kay did compare Clayton to her sisters, only when asked to.

“She’s probably farther along than her sisters when they were

sophomores,” Kay said. “She’s a little bit stronger than her sisters were

at this point. She came in having more of a track and field background,

and that’s because of her sisters.

She’s become more of a leader this year on the team,” Kay continued.

“We have a lot of younger girls. With her being the sophomore, she’s one

of the girls in the leadership role.”

Kay also added that Clayton, “tends to come through in the bigger

competition; she’ll step it up.”

Evidence of such came last season in the CIF Preliminaries, when the

freshman improved 13 inches on her personal record in the triple jump

(36-0).

“I tend to jump better in CIF,” Clayton said. “I’m hoping to pull off

a 37. I really want to. I also want to break my sister’s school record.

But I’m just shooting for PR and finishing strong and not having my legs

break.”

Clayton also said she draws motivation from watching her competitors

do so well (“Like Michelle Sanford and Chaunte Howard from North High of

Riverside”), and she thrives on the support from her teammates.

“The whole team, we’ve all become really good friends,” Clayton said

of the Sailors, who include future stars sophomores Lauren Paul and

Jillianne Whitfield and freshman Jennifer Ryder. “We’re going to win

league, either next year or the year after. We have Lauren Paul, ‘Ms. Pro

Distance Runner,’ and Jillianne Whitfield, ‘Ms. Pro Shot Put and Discus,’

and I guess I sort of help out in the jumps and hurdles. And, we have

(junior) Valarie Day and Jennifer Ryder, a freshman who won league (in

the 300 hurdles). All these girls have all this talent and it’s just fun

because there is so much bonding because we’re all the same age. It’s

going to be fun to see us next season. We have so much more to do. Lauren

is improving her times, and Jillianne is improving her throws. When the

season is over I won’t be that sad. We’ll still have a hard-core team

next year.”