Buckley steady for CdM

SACRAMENTO — Brains and long distance. The Corona del Mar High girls know how to do a thing or two.

The Sea Kings qualified four girls distance runners to the CIF State Championships, two of which are headed to Ivy League schools next season. Two of those four qualified and will run today for a state title at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento.

“One of the things we get a lot of credit for, we had four girls break 4 minutes, 56 seconds in the mile this season,” said Corona del Mar Coach Bill Sumner of setting the national high school team record. “That’s pretty impressive, but we’ve also sent girls to Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley, Stanford.”

Junior Shelby Buckley led the way for the Sea Kings in the 1,600 meters. She entered with the best qualifying time in the state, and qualified fourth in Friday’s preliminaries with a time of 4:52.55 to advance to the finals.

Senior teammate Sarah Cummings, bound for Princeton next year, will compete in the 3,200 today.

“I don’t want to put any pressure on the kids,” Sumner said. “We won’t be disappointed if they finish fifth, we won’t be surprised if they’re first.”

Corona del Mar senior Hilary May, who will run at Harvard in 2008, is a little more confident in Buckley’s chances.

“Oh, yeah,” she stepped in when Buckley was asked if she had a chance to take the title.

After all, taking the top qualifying time out of the Southern Section is a difficult task.

“Winning Masters is like winning at state,” May said.

Junior Allison Damon also ran the 1,600, but, like May, failed to qualify.

Still, the Sea Kings’ are continuing to develop that long distance tradition with a strong showing at the state meet.

“We’re very lucky, we can count our blessings,” Sumner said. “We’ve been strong for the last 10 to 15 years.”

And Corona del Mar also had a boys’ entry at the state prelims. Tim Scott, an at large entry in the 1,600, finished his mile in 4:25.44, good enough for 25th overall.

“He was a surprise,” Sumner said. “He was always one or two seconds off in qualifying, so I told him to take off a quarter second per lap.”

It worked, and Scott had the opportunity to give the Corona del Mar boys’ program a lift. He was the first CdM male distance runner to reach state since Josh Yelsey did in 2001.

“He’s starting a new tradition for the boys,” Sumner said.

STATE MEET RESULTS

Girls’ 1,600

4. *Shelby Buckley, Corona del Mar, 4:52.55; 14. Hillary May, Corona del Mar 4:58.66 15. Allison Damon, CdM, 4:59.36

Girls’ pole vault

T1. *Allison Stokke, Newport Harbor 12-3

Girls’ 3,200

No prelims. CdM’s *Sarah Cummings competes today.

Girls’ high jump

Jessica Robson, Newport Harbor — 5-3.

Boys’ 1,600

25. Tim Scott, CdM, 4:25.44

* — advanced to finals