Chris YemmaA tradition that runs deep began...

Chris Yemma

A tradition that runs deep began in a traditional fashion Wednesday.

The host Corona del Mar High girls track and field team opened its

season with a win against St. John Bosco and Fountain Valley in a

nonleague tri-meet, with the distance runners fresh off a CIF

Southern Section Division III cross country championship.

The Sea Kings, who finished third in CIF last season, were led by

the distance running of junior Annie St. Geme and company, a trifecta

of first places by sophomore Tiffany Liu and a last-minute effort by

the 1,600-meter relay team to edge Fountain Valley, 73-67. Bosco

finished with 19 points.

“I would say, we did what I expected,” Corona del Mar Coach Bill

Sumner said. “What some of the other teams did -- I expected a little

more out of them.”

St. Geme, a sixth-place finisher in the CIF State championships

last year in the 1,600, easily cruised to first Wednesday in 5:07.8,

followed by teammates Hilary May (5:12.7) and Allison Damon (5:18.5).

All three anchored the CIF cross country championship team in the

fall, along with a couple of others. St. Geme, competing in her lone

event of the day in an effort to stay rested, was about 15 seconds

off her best time of 4:52.93, but all three 1,600 winners held a

solid lead the entire race.

“We were just taking it easy on [St. Geme, May and Damon] today,”

Sumner said. “We ran the first half and we cruised the second.”

CdM sophomore Liu finished first in the 100 hurdles in 16.6, while

also sweeping the distance jumping events. She notched 16 feet, 1

inch in the long jump and 33-2 in the triple jump, both for first.

Liu’s jump results, as well as the 1,600 relay results, were not

tallied until near the end of the meet, with CdM (1-0) holding a

marginal lead. But the relay team of May, Damon, sophomore Nichole

Slykhous and senior Melissa Swigert pulled out a win to help clinch

the victory.

“I pulled two runners off the [1,600 relay] team, but I was fairly

confident with it,” Sumner said. “We took Anne off and [sophomore

Danielle] Theriot off.”

In the short-distance events, CdM received a boost from sophomore

Alex Tobiessen and junior Kelly Morgan -- both coming off soccer

season -- and Swigert.

Swigert finished first in the 200 (25.2) and 400 (58.3), while

Morgan followed directly behind in the 400 in 58.7. Tobiessen won the

100 in 12.7.

It was Tobiessen’s first victory in the 100.