Another one bites the dust
Steve Virgen
First there was Ocean View High, and it was as if Costa Mesa’s girls
track and field team was merely feeling its way into the Golden West
League and won, 86-41. Then came Orange and the Mustangs made easy
work of the Panthers, 124-2.
Thursday, Westminster visited Costa Mesa, and the Mustangs
established themselves as the league favorite with an 86-44 victory.
Apparently, success breeds swagger.
“I would run them against anybody,” Costa Mesa Coach Glenn
Mitchell said in response to how the Mustangs would fare if they were
still in the Pacific Coast League. “We have some depth this year. It
makes things a lot easier for us. We have a lot of the girls who
played soccer. And those girls are winners.”
Costa Mesa swept three events and won both relays. And get this:
the Mustangs’ track and field star Sharon Day competed in only one
event. She won the 800 meters (2:26). Mitchell held her out of her
usual 400, high jump and both relays schedule so that she could have
more energy for the Trabuco Hills Invitational Saturday.
“Our team is really strong,” Day said. “I think we’re going to win
league. We can do it. We have a better team than last year.”
The Mustangs still won the 400, high jump and both relays. Senior
Rhondi Naff, won the triple jump (29-9) and the 400 (1:06.4), while
freshman Jasmin Day won the high jump (5 feet). Jasmin is Sharon’s
younger sister and the duo was instrumental in leading the Costa Mesa
girls soccer team to an undefeated league season and a share of the
CIF Division III championship.
Jenny Sparks, Stacy Krikorian, Rachel Ronquillo, Sara Bryant,
Rachel Hughes and Toshia Bryant were also on the soccer team and have
added depth to the Mustangs’ track and field team this season.
Mitchell said contributions have also come from girls who competed
on the school’s basketball team, as Naff is an example. Cassey Brick
also played basketball and she has shown noteworthy improvement in
the hurdles after competing in the events for only two weeks. She
finished second in the 100 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles.
Toshia Bryant, a senior who started the season on junior varsity,
doubled, winning the 100 (13.04) and the 200 (28.34). Junior
Christine Bjelland won the 1,600 (5:45) and freshman Kathryn Connell
won the 3,200 (12:44).
Junior Thida Pov won the throws, the shot put (29-6) and discus
(57-1).
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