Sage Hill’s Chandy ready for showcase

Steve Virgen

There will be eight other athletes competing against Zach Chandy

Saturday at Cerritos College, but the Sage Hill School sophomore he’s

in a race against himself.

Chandy, who qualified first in the 200 meters and second in the

400 for CIF Southern Section Division IV, said he doesn’t concern

himself with other runners. His battle is against a stopwatch. He is

also trying to ignore the pressure, as he makes his debut in the CIF

track and field divisional finals, which will feature 20 athletes

from the Newport-Mesa area.

“I’m pretty nervous, but I’ve been in big meets before. I think I

can handle it,” said Chandy, the Academy League champion in the 100,

200 and 400. “I just want to do my best, that’s all. [Going in as the

No. 1 seed in the 200] causes a little bit of pressure. But when I

run I’m not too worried about other people. I just try to run my own

race.”

Chandy said he is aiming to finish the 200 in 21.7 seconds. Last

week, he clocked a personal-best 21.84. In the 400, he wants to

finish under 49 seconds. His personal record in the 400 is 49.07.

Chandy is not the only Sage Hill competitor. Laura Gordon, the

Academy League champion in the 100 hurdles and triple jump, is the

No. 4 seed in the triple jump.

Corona del Mar will have several girls competing in the CIF

Division III finals, where the Sea Kings have set their sights on

finishing in the top five. Led by sophomore sensation Anne St. Geme

and up-and-coming freshman Hilary May, they have a realistic shot.

St. Geme, the Pacific Coast League champion in the 800, 1,600 and

3,200, qualified first in the 800 and third in the 1,600. She will

also be in the 1,600 relay. St. Geme ran a personal-best 2:13.95 in

the 800 in the CIF preliminaries last week at Gahr High, but Sea King

Coach Bill Sumner said there was plenty left in the tank.

“She’s just getting her work done for the day,” Sumner said. “We

don’t have to go after it for another week. Last week was business as

usual. We don’t have to go after it until another week. Then it’s

going to be time to race.”

St. Geme, as well as the other 19 Newport-Mesa athletes, will be

vying to advance to the Masters Meet, May 28 at Cerritos College. The

top nine performances, regardless of division, will move on to the

Masters.

St. Geme, who has the second-best time in the state, 4:52.93, in

the 1,600, will compete in the 1,600 relay along with Sara Claster,

Melissa Swigert and Kelly Morgan. (Saratoga’s Alicia Folmer has the

state’s top time in the 1,600, a 4:51.42 clocking.)

Morgan will also compete in the 400. May will be in the 800 and

1,600. She is seeded second and fourth, respectively. Kinzie Kramer,

Swigert, Whitney Weidner and Alex Tobiessen qualified sixth in the

400 relay.

Tiffany Liu will compete in the long jump.

Kevin Artz, who qualified sixth in the 800 and ninth in the 1,600,

will represent the CdM boys, as will Andrew Wong, who will compete in

the pole vault.

Also in Division III, Costa Mesa will be represented by Jasmin Day

and Qualic Vargas, who both won Golden West League titles in the

events they are competing in. Day will be in the girls high jump,

while Vargas will be in the boys discus.

For the Newport Harbor girls, sophomore Whitney Blue is enjoying a

breakout season. Blue, who will be making her CIF finals debut, is

the fourth seed in the 1,600 for CIF Division II. She set a personal

record last week, finishing in 5:06.44. s

Allison Stokke, the school-record holder in the pole vault (11

feet, 8 inches), will also make her first appearance in the CIF

finals.

Senior Elizabeth Clayton, bound for Brigham Young University, will

compete in the triple jump, while Megan Randall will be running in

the 800. Bo Taylor, in the shot put, will be the lone boy for the

Sailors.