This year’s Sweetwater Coed Relays track and field meet featured 10 teams, including Mesa League powers Eastlake and Otay Ranch high schools. The one division meet, held March 18 in National City, was thus a winner-take-all affair.
Eastlake captured the team championship with 170 points, followed by Otay Ranch with 109 points. Calexico finished third with 73 points, nosing out desert rival Imperial with 72 points.
“It was a lot of fun,” EHS coach David Koopman commented. “Because it’s the beginning of the season, you never really know what you have with vacations and club soccer going on.
“I was surprised and pleased overall.”
Top performers for the Titans included Simone Manson and Jalyn Jackson.
Manson captured four gold medals — one each in the long jump, triple jump, 4×100 and sprint medley relay events.
Jackson also left the meet with four medals — three of them gold. He recorded an outstanding triple jump mark of 46-0.75 feet to snap the school record mark of 45-5 he set last year.
Koopman called the triple jump mark “ridiculous” for this time of the season.
“To be able to hit that mark in this meet is impressive — and scary,” Koopman said.
Jackson jumped 45-8 the following week at the Mt. Carmel/ASICS track invitational to show his consistency.
The meet record remains 48-2.75 set by SuHi’s Reggie Mitchell in 1994.
Meet highlights:
The Otay Ranch quartet of Jeremiah Suzara, Evan LeDesma, Cale Parise and Harold Thomas sped to an event record time of 18:21.87 to win the boys 4×1600, a grueling race that stresses endurance with each runner completing four laps before handing the baton to the next runner.
The Mustang enduro squad lapped every team in the event in eclipsing the 2015 meet record of 8:30.2 posted by Eastlake.
Eastlake captured first place in the coed 4×800 event in which each runner ran two laps on the track before exchanging the baton.
Team members included Tyler Ramirez, Emily Bonilla, Jeffrey Page and Leyla McFarland.
Page qualified for last year’s state meet in Clovis in the 800-meter run.
He admitted he was a bit overwhelmed by the experience. “Now that I know what to expect, hopefully I’ll do better this year,” he said.
Eastlake also captured first place in the girls distance medley relay. Bonilla, McFarland, Patricia Miessner and Anissa Vera each ran legs.
The Lady Titans were also victorious in the 4×400 relay. Bonilla, Vera, Sarah Davis and McFarland each took the baton one lap around the track.
Otay Ranch is led by new coach Russ Hill, a former sprints coach at Torrey Pines High School.
He eases into the program long coached by veteran Ian Cumming, who retired after last season.
Hill credited Cumming and his staff for building a program that provided a smooth transition for himself.
“I’ve felt incredibly lucky to come into this school that has been so well organized and coached to this point,” Hill said. “The whole program is firing on all cylinders.
“I’m just going to try to facilitate (various) areas as much as I can.
“With that, we’re going to make strides. I’ve been really happy so far.”
The Mustang Relays are scheduled April 22 at Otay Ranch High School.
Event Winners
Coed shuttle hurdles: Otay Ranch 1:14.32
Girls 4×100 relay: Eastlake 52.03
Boys 4×100 relay: Imperial 45.18
Boys frosh-soph 4×600 relay: Eastlake 6:38.30
Girls distance medley: Eastlake 12:58.90
Pole vault relay: Otay Ranch 35-6
Long jump relay: Eastlake 71-1.75
Girls frosh-soph 800 sprint medley: Otay Ranch 2:00.48
Boys frosh-soph 800 sprint medley: Imperial 1:40.65
Girls 4×200 relay: Eastlake 1:51.73
Boys 4×200 relay: Eastlake 1:34.31
Shot put relay: Otay Ranch 148-0
Boys 4×800 relay: Eastlake 9:06.65
Girls sprint medley: Eastlake 2:02.47
Discus throw relay: Otay Ranch 426-1
Boys sprint medley: Imperial 1:38.99
High jump relay: Central Union 20-4
Boys 4×1600 relay: 18:21.87 (meet record)
Girls 4×400 relay: Eastlake 4:15.10
Triple jump relay: Eastlake 153-0.5
Boys 4×400 relay: Imperial 3:31.24
METRO CONFERENCE TOP MARKS
(Based on reported results)
Boys Running Events
100: Michael Hull-Littlejohn (Olympian) 11.03 (PR)
200: Hugo Sobernas (Olympian) 22.80 (PR)
400: Ryan Sanchez (Olympian) 52.05
800: Harold Thomas (Otay Ranch) 1:58.57
1600: Isaiah Labra (Bonita Vista) 4:24.92 (PR)
3200: Jeremiah Suzara (Otay Ranch) 9:38.87 (PR)
110 high hurdles: Jalyn Jackson (Eastlake) 16.13
300 intermediate hurdles: Moises Medina (Chula Vista) 47.83 (PR)
4×100 relay: Olympian 43.54
4×400 relay: Olympian 3:29.85
Boys Field Events
Shot put: Jace Fuamatu (Otay Ranch) 48-11 (PR)
Discus throw: Faufano Autele (Otay Ranch) 138-9
High jump: Chayin Osgood (Olympian) 6-2
Pole vault: Ezekiel Campos (Mater Dei Catholic) 12-3
Long jump: Jalyn Jackson (Eastlake) 22-10 (PR)
Triple jump: Jalyn Jackson (Eastlake) 46-0.75 (PR)
Girls Running Events
100: Betsabe Ornelas (Olympian) 12.80
200: Kolumbia Page (Olympian) 26.12
400: Kolumbia Page (Olympian) 59.02 (PR)
800: Emily Bonilla (Eastlake) 2:26.68
1600: Patricia Miessner (Eastlake) 5:14.22 (PR)
3200: Patricia Miessner (Eastlake) 11:03.93 (PR)
100 hurdles: Alani Johnson (Otay Ranch) 16.23
300 hurdles: Jaida Payne (Olympian) 49.21 (PR)
4×100 relay: Olympian 50.75
4×400 relay: Olympian 4:00.93
Girls Field Events
Shot put: Carlie Judge (Otay Ranch) 36-6 (PR)
Discus throw: Carlie Judge (Otay Ranch) 106-4 (PR)
High jump: Shaniyah Rankin (Olympian) 5-0
Pole vault: Yazmin Desanges (Otay Ranch) 7-3
Long jump: Ryann Mojica (Otay Ranch) 15-5
Triple jump: Alani Johnson (Otay Ranch) 35-4.25 (PR)
