Locals advance to finals

Corona del Mar High junior Annie St. Geme posted the fastest

qualifying time Friday to advance to the final of the girls 1,600

meters at the CIF State track and field championships at Sacramento

City College.

Sage Hill junior Zach Chandy qualified eighth in the boys 200 in

21.63 and ninth in the 400 in 48.50 Friday, while Newport Harbor

junior Bo Taylor qualified ninth in the boys shot put (56 feet, 5 1/2

inches).

Newport Harbor junior Whitney Blue will compete in tonight’s girls

3,200 final, for which there were no preliminaries.

Costa Mesa junior Jasmin Day qualified in the girls high jump with

a mark of 5-6.

St. Geme, sixth in the 1,600 at the 2004 state meet, said her

experience helped her save plenty for today’s 5:19 p.m. final.

“I sat in second until the last 300 meters, then I went ahead,”

said St. Geme, who won her heat in 4:55.31 seconds. “And the last

100, I relaxed a little.”

CdM Coach Bill Sumner was pleased with St. Geme’s performance.

“She was very comfortable and very under control,” Sumner said.

St. Geme, who made the state meet as a freshman, but failed to

qualify for the final, said Friday was all about moving on.

St. Geme, the CIF Southern Section Division III and Masters Meet

champion in the 1,600 this spring will try to end the two-year state

championship run of Saratoga High senior Alicia Follmar in tonight’s

final. Follmar qualified in 4:56.54.

Corona del Mar sophomore Sarah Cummings finished eighth in her

1,600 preliminary heat (5:06) Friday and did not advance.