Mesa averts sweep

Chris Yemma

The Costa Mesa High girls track and field team pulled through

Thursday to avert a sweep by visiting crosstown rival Estancia.

The Mustangs won, 81-43, in a Golden West League dual meet to

match Estancia’s boys win.

Mesa won 13 of 15 events.

“To win our first league meet like this was really good,” Costa

Mesa Coach Nicole Price said. “Everyone showed up, a couple of people

had [personal records], and, obviously, it’s important because it’s

Estancia.”

Junior Jasmin Day, eighth in the state in the high jump last

spring, won the high jump (5 feet), the 800 meters (2 minutes, 40

seconds) and chipped in on the winning 1,600 relay.

Jasmin and Eugene Day, her father and Mesa’s jumps coach, said

they have lofty goals for the junior this year, including a return to

the CIF State meet.

Price also has goals for Day.

“She’s definitely a huge asset to our team,” Price said. “She will

be scoring points for us this year.”

Also scoring multiple points Thursday was Mesa junior Kyla Flores,

who won the 1,600 in 5:42.5 and the 3,200 in 12:32. Emily Cotton was

second in both for Mesa.

Flores, who competed in the CIF State Division III cross country

championships along with Day in the fall, won both events easily

Thursday.

Both Hanh Nguyen and Danielle Morton were also double-winners for

the Mustangs. Nguyen won the 100 hurdles (20.79) and 300 hurdles

(57.4), while Morton won the long jump (15-1 1/2 ) and triple jump

(31-0).

Freshman Natalie Anderson was second in the discus (61-5).

“Today was fun,” Price said. “They came out and really wanted it

today. It’s always meaningful against a rival school. They deserve

it.”

Sophomore Ashton Henderson won the shot put (28-0) and discus

(78-0) for the Eagles (1-1).