Sobrato boys sending three, Live Oak entering 11 athletes for
today’s CCS Top 8 meet
MORGAN HILL — During Santa Teresa Division meets, Sobrato’s Austin Meldrum spends most of his time staying warm — not in a muscular sense but literally staying warm.
The rugged junior is in an elite class when it comes to pole vaulting; so much that he has to bundle up and sit pat while his competitors battle at lower heights.
Eventually, Meldrum’s warmup height of 10 feet was announced Thursday at Sobrato High School, where the Bulldogs took another step toward a possible first track and field league title with an 82-54 victory over Hill.
“Now the show begins,” said assistant coach Rick Hinman, who works with the SHS pole vaulters. “Austin is just amazing to watch.”
Meldrum has made considerable progress since he picked up a pole for the first time freshman year “because it looked like fun.” As a sophomore, he was one of the youngest pole vaulters to qualify for the 2009 Central Coast Section Semifinal meet, where he placed 17th with a clearance of 12 feet even.
Meldrum’s personal-record height of 13 feet, 6 inches, set during the Avis Kelley Invitational in early April, is tied for the fourth-best mark in the section this spring.
“The fact that he’s getting these heights as a junior tells you something,” Hinman said. “He’s a gifted athlete, but he also works hard.”
Meldrum doesn’t pay much attention to his success. He wasn’t aware he qualified for today’s CCS Top 8 meet at Los Gatos High School — a midseason gauge for the section’s premiere athletes — until days ago.
“A friend told me, so I guess I’m going,” Meldrum said Thursday. “I don’t really care about rankings or where I finish. I just try to do my best.”
Though he did not have his best outing Thursday, Meldrum’s closing height of 10-6 was more than enough to earn top honors. His team moved to 5-1 with ease, winning nine other events, and can at least tie for the best dual-meet record Thursday when SHS hosts Overfelt.
The league team champion will be crowned May 6 at the Santa Teresa Division Finals.
“If we beat Overfelt, which we can, we’ll be in good position to win league if we score high at finals,” Bulldogs coach Fred Rios said. “That’s what it all comes down to. Hopefully, we have enough points in the end.”
Sobrato senior Alan Rios won handily in the 800 and 400 meters, crossing in two minutes, 14 seconds and 53.3, respectively. He holds a top-10 CCS time in both events this spring.
Sophomore Obi Mbonu won the 100 meters (11.6) and 200 meters (23.1), and senior Ralph Jackson added a victory for the Bulldogs in the 300-meter hurdles in 43 seconds flat.
Jackson and Rios, who ran in the first-place mile relay (3:39.3), also will compete today at Top 8, which begins at 3 p.m.
In the field Thursday, Sobrato senior Joel Rueda won in shot put with a throw of 42-2, and Gabe Cheadle placed first in triple jump (37-2) and tied teammate Steven Villarreal for the top mark in long jump (18-7).
The Lady Bulldogs were also winners Thursday, edging Hill 71-65 to improve to 2-4.
Sarah Gilbert took part in three first-place finishes. The sophomore won the mile (5:43), the 400 (1:03.5) and ran anchor in the 4×400-meter relay that included Kate Van Keulen, Cynia Sapp and Lauren Nuttall.
Van Keulen, Diamond Jankela, Rebekah Inouye and Cassandra Valenzuela opened the meet with a win in the 400-meter relay (54.0).
Nuttal had the fastest time (2:50.6) in the 800, and teammate Rachel Sandberg won the two mile in 13:40.2.
Jennifer Hinman’s 8-foot launch was enough to win in pole vault, and Deeanna Bennett provided a victory for SHS in shot put (24-0).
NOTE: Live Oak High School has entered 11 athletes for Top 8. They include both 4×100-meter relays, Eric Tolson, Jacob Daw, Taylor Alonzo and T.J. Ornduff; and Catherine Sparling, Pauline Olsen, Erika Rodriguez and Lauren Drewniany. Olsen and Rodriguez will run the 400 and 200 as well, respectively. The LOHS boys also are sending their 1,600 relay of Tolson, Daw, Jacob Montoya and Kean Vaziry. Stephanie Armstrong, owner of the section’s top mark (5-7) in high jump, is slated to compete for the Acorns.
