The Eastlake-Otay Ranch dual meet May 7 at Otay Ranch High School lived up to its billing as this year’s Mesa League championship match-up. The host Mustangs defeated the Titans, 93-43, to win the boys dual while the visiting Lady Titans captured the girls half of the meet by score of 78-58.
Otay Ranch earns honors as the 2015 Mesa League dual meet champion while Eastlake earns honors as the 2015 Mesa League dual meet champion.
Veteran Otay Ranch coach Ian Cumming called the match-up of league powers a “very good championship meet.”
“While we always strive to win every meet, there is some justice in the fact that two good teams split the championships, Cumming explained. “The Eastlake girls put us in a hole early. We recovered a little in the middle of the meet, but then they opened up the score to win (by 20 points).
“Our boys got rolling very well from the start and continued throughout the meet to win (by 50 points). The efforts of both teams were very strong and I am sure their coaching staff is proud of their team members as we are of ours — both girls and boys.”
Sixteen events are scored in dual meet competition. Eastlake captured first-place finishes in nine events in the girls meet while Otay Ranch captured 11 first-place finishes in the boys to enhance the scoring potential.
Lady Titan freshman Leyla McFarland continued to turn heads, perhaps even more so in the May 7 match-up, by winning the girls 1600-meter run (5:17.07) and 400-meter dash (58.58).
McFarland’s time in the 1600 distance set a new school record. However, her two-second victory against Otay Ranch senior sprinter Dona Stephens, the reigning league champion in the 200 and 400 dashes, in the 400 may have made an even greater statement.
“My teammates wanted me to pace off with the top Otay Ranch girl (in the 800) but I decided I wanted to try my best this time, do my best, my fastest,” McFarland explained. “When she (Otay Ranch’s Eyra Alfaro) went ahead halfway though the race, I said ‘Oh no!’ at first, ‘I’m losing it.’ But then I got the strength that I needed to do it for my team.”
The 400 time posted by McFarland is the third fastest in the event in school history. The previous record-holder in the 1600, Melanie DeSalvo, ran 5:19.38 in 2006.
McFarland also ran just 0.26-seconds behind junior teammate Mia Costello in placing second in the girls 800 run.
“It was very exciting and fun to see everyone do so well,” McFarland said.
Costello was equally proud of her teammates.“Everyone pushed themselves a lot and a lot of people stepped up and did well,” she said.
It would be hard to top the showing by Eastlake senior Johnna Noiseaux, who captured first-place finishes in the girls high jump (4-10), long jump (16-10.75), triple jump (35-9) and 4×100 relay (50.31).
Noiseaux is the school record-holder in both the long jump (18-1.5) and triple jump (38-9). She is also a state meet qualifier in the triple jump.
“It’s fun to be around these major athletes,” she said in regard to competing at the state meet. “They’re working hard and pushing themselves and do the same things you’re doing. You get to meet people on a higher level, the same level as you, and get to compete with them.”
Her goals this season are to improve personal bests in her events as well as be a team leader.
“Lead by example,” she said.
Striving to make a return to the state meet certainly encompasses that role of leadership by example.
Other event winners for the Lady Titans included freshman Saisha Banks in the 100 dash (13.38), Costello in the 800 run (2:17.25) and senior Alice Langford in the pole vault (8-0).
Senior Autumn Pearson led the Lady Mustangs with victories in the 100 low hurdles (16.69) and 300 low hurdles (49.07) while Stephens won the girls 200 dash (26.60) and Alicia Huerta led the field in the girls 3200 run (11:49.81).
Otay Ranch’s girls team recorded first-place finishes in two field events. Senior Kara Abshier posted a winning mark of 32-5.5 in the shot put while sophomore Fuanuale Lutu Young won the discus throw with a top mark of 93-0.
Otay Ranch won the meet-closing 4×400 relay event in 4:23.75.
Isaiah Thomas helped pace the Mustangs boys team with key first-place finishes in the 800 run (1:59.58) and1600 run (4:28.17).
The Mustangs strode fastest on the oval in seven of the 10 boys running events. Junior Jacob Hoffer won the 100 dash in 11.52 while classmate John Price won the 200 dash in 23.59. Junior Rigo Baza won the 3200 run in 9:59.55 while Otay Ranch captured first-place finishes in both relays — timing 44.10 in the 4×100 and 3:44.23 in the 4×400.
Otay Ranch claimed first-place finishes in four of the six field events. Junior Jacob Lopez took top honors in the discus throw (155-8) while Samuel Stephens won the long jump (19-10.5) and Lucky Khounchanh won the triple jump (41-7.5).
Otay Ranch’s Rob Burnett and Eastlake’s Chris Pleman both set personal records by clearing 12-0 in the boys pole vault, with Burnett earning the first-place nod on misses.
Eastlake scored victories in the boys 400 dash (Dwight Brandon in 50.43), boys 110 high hurdles (Jalyn Jackson in 17.05) and boys 300 intermediate hurdles (Justin Young in 41.53.
Young also took top honors in the boys high jump (6-0) while teammate Nate Sweat won the boys shot put (47-2.5).
