CdM quartet try to regain top form at Arcadia Invite

Corona del Mar High track and field coach Bill Sumner didn’t make any bold predictions for the 41st annual Arcadia Invitational. But he did offer a simple statement, playing it safe as his Sea Kings try to regain ownership of the girls’ distance medley relay.

Will the Sea Kings win the event, the one they had won for four straight years before finishing in fourth place last year?

“We’ll be in the hunt,” Sumner offered.

CdM’s Kim Condino, Claire Schmidt, Sarah Keddington and Melanie Powers are scheduled to run in the relay that consists of a 1,200-meter leg, then a 400, 800 and a 1,600 anchor, on Saturday night. The Arcadia Invitational begins today with the rated events and the seeded (invite) events are Saturday.

Schmidt was on the 2007 CdM distance medley relay team that won in 11 minutes, 41.28 seconds, which is the Arcadia girls’ meet record. Condino and Schmidt were also on last year’s fourth-place team.

The quartet aren’t the only local athletes at the prestigious meet.

Newport Harbor High junior Cecil Whiteside will compete in the shot put and discus Saturday. Whiteside, the two-time All-Newport-Mesa Defensive Player of the Year in football, is No. 8 in the nation in the discus with a mark of 187 feet, 5 inches, according to dyestatcal.com. He is one of the state’s top competitors in the shot put at 57-11.

Seniors Jake Dawson, Michael Taylor, Scotty Figueroa and Eddie Garcia will also be representing the Sailors Saturday. The Newport Harbor quartet will compete in the 4xmile.

Joel Betante, Dawson, Taylor and Figueroa will be in the boys’ distance medley relay today. Newport Harbor senior Brandon Kula is competing in the discus today, as is sophomore Ryan Andrews in the shot put.

Newport Harbor junior Melissa Hancock is in the rated high jump and senior Desiree Alexander will be in today’s 3,200.

Corona del Mar senior Blaine Bolus, bound for Harvard, is in today’s long jump and triple jump.

— Steve Virgen