Another Day, another record

Steve Virgen

At this time last year, Sharon Day would rush from club soccer game

to invitational track meet. At this time last year, not too many

people ever heard of Costa Mesa High when talking about track and

field. Day, the Costa Mesa senior star, displayed what a difference a

year can make at the Orange County Track and Field Championships

Saturday at Trabuco Hills High School.

Day defended her Orange County Championships title in the high

jump, broke a 13-year-old record with a clearance of 6 feet and was

one of a few Newport-Mesa athletes who showed considerable

improvement within the past year.

“She put Costa Mesa High on the map,” said Eugene Day, the

athlete’s father and program’s jumps coach. “Costa Mesa has been very

good to her and she has been very good for it. This has been an

exciting year for the Mustangs and for her with a league championship

in volleyball a CIF championship in soccer and now with the records

in track.”

Corona del Mar junior Chris Ringstrom, who started competing in

sprints just last spring, finished second in the “seeded” 400 meters

(49.71). Newport Harbor senior Amy Burlingham, who was not involved

in track and field last year, finished third in the 400 in 58.64.

Estancia senior Humberto Rojas nearly won an exciting 3,200 race,

but he injured his hip during the final 100 meters and finished

second in 9:25, breaking the former school record by one second.

Rojas, who has been competing in the 1,600 the majority of the

season, entered the 3,200 with the intent of breaking the school

record.

Similarly, Day rearranged her schedule this season so she would be

able to break records. She holds the Orange County record after

clearing 6-2 at the Trabuco Hills Invitational April 5.

Day does not play club soccer this season, which is one of the

reasons she has been able to become a trend setter. Last year, she

cleared 5-8 at the Orange County Championships. However, she cleared

6-0 this season on her first attempt, as the bar slightly jiggled

when Day landed on the mat. The clearance surpassed the former record

mark of 5-10 set by Mater Dei’s Melissa McDonald in 1990.

“Things are a lot more calm now,” said Day, who will compete in

soccer and track and field at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo next year. “I

don’t have to worry about rushing from here to there.”

Day, the defending CIF state champion in the high jump, cleared

5-6 on her first attempt to secure the victory. Her father told her

to attempt 5-10 and the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo-bound standout met

that challenge on the first attempt.

Day nearly cleared 6-2 on her third and final attempt, but her

feet caught the bar. The near-clearance seemed to provide confidence

for Day.

“I feel like 5-10 isn’t good enough anymore,” she said. “I feel

like I can go higher. I feel good about [the meet record]. It’s nice

to know that I will be in the record books, and hopefully it will

stay awhile.”

Day also finished fifth in the 200 (25.82). Her teammate, junior

Christine Bjelland, finished sixth in the 3,200 (11:24.23). Bjelland

also finished third in the 1,600 “rated” heat, contested among

athletes not in the seeded race, in 5:21.63.

Jasmin Day, a freshman and Sharon’s younger sister, finished

second in the high jump (5-2) and went for a personal record in the

800 (2:28.64) to finish 18th.

CdM freshman Anne St. Geme also made her Orange County

Championships debut and finished sixth in the 800 with a personal

record (2:19.75). She also finished sixth in the 1,600 (5:13.07).

Also for the Sea Kings: Ringstrom finished sixth in the 200

(22.26); sophomore Melissa Swigert was fifth in the 400 (59.64); and

senior Becky Cummins was 16th in the 1,600 rated heat (5:30.49).

Newport junior Elizabeth Clayton finished 10th in the triple jump

and 26th in the 100 hurdles (18.19). Kiley Hall, a sophomore for the

Sailors, finished ninth in the 400 (61.07).

Estancia junior Jason Johnston finished 11th in the 110 high

hurdles (15.98). Eagles senior Abel Flores won his heat in the 800

and finished 13th overall (2:00.19), but he injured his knee,

Estancia Coach Charlie Appell said.

In the boys 1,600 rated heat, Costa Mesa junior Marco Huipe

finished eighth (4:41.74), while teammate Juan Avilez finished 12th

(4:44.70).