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).