James Walker highlighted his first and only Santa Teresa
Division Finals meet with a handful of podium visits
CAMPBELL
James Walker highlighted his first and only Santa Teresa Division Finals meet with a handful of podium visits.
The Live Oak senior was part of three first-place finishes (100 meters, 200, mile relay) and a silver-medal effort in the 4×100 Thursday at Westmont High School, helping the Acorns score the third highest out of eight teams.
Walker and his 400-meter relaymates, Kean Vaziry, Jacob Daw and T.J. Ornduff lost by less than a second to the host Warriors (ranked No. 8 in the section) in the opening event but earned at least a rematch for the May 12 Blossom Valley Athletic League Championships at Mount Pleasant High School.
Walker was unbeatable from there. He clocked a personal-record 22.35 at 200, following his 100 triumph (11.07), then helped the section’s second-fastest 4×400 (Alex Haferbecker, Jacob Montoya, Walker, Daw) win by almost three seconds.
The Sobrato girls got off to a good start as well with an impressive victory in the 400-meter relay by Kate van Keulen, Cybil Pace, Cassandra Valenzuela and Marissa Benjamin, who nearly cracked the top 20.
Rebekah Inouye added a third-place effort in high jump (4 feet, 9 1/4 inches), and Kayleen Meldrum did the same in pole vault (8-6) for the Lady Bulldogs, who placed fifth as a team.
The Sobrato boys settled for seventh but had three big performances to show for it. Reid Jackson and Brandon Mancini finished first and second in pole vault at 12 feet, and William Puna was runner-up in discus at 125-07.
Also for Live Oak, Afarai La-Anyane and Blair Zerr placed second and third in the 110 hurdles in 16.19 and 16.51, and Daw took bronze in high jump (5-8).
BVAL QUALIFIERS
BOYS
400 relay: Live Oak (Vaziry, Daw, Walker, Ornduff); 1,600: Winston van Keulen (SHS)*, Ryan Corvese (SHS)*; 110 hurdles: Afari La-Anyane (LOHS), Blair Zerr (LOHS); 400: Thomas Yath (SHS), Jacob Daw (LOHS); 100: James Walker (LOHS); 300 hurdles: Blair Zerr (LOHS); 200: James Walker (LOHS); 1,600 relay: Live Oak (Alex Hafenbecker, Jacob Daw, James Walker, Jacob Montoya); pole vault: Jackson Reid (SHS), Brandon Mancini (SHS), Austin Meldrum (SHS)**; discus: William Puna (SHS); high jump: Jacob Daw (LOHS), Steven Villarreal (SHS); triple jump: Blair Zerr (LOHS).
GIRLS
400 relay: Sobrato (van Keulen, Pace, Valenzuela, Benjamin); 1,600: Emily Guthormsen (LOHS); 400: Marissa Benjamin (SHS); 100: Catherine Sparling (LOHS); 300 hurdles: Alyssa Aryanpour (SHS); 200: Andie Koldewyn (SHS); 1,600 relay: Sobrato (Pace, Moiles, Valenzuela, Koldewyn); pole vault: Kayleen Meldrum (SHS); discus: Maritza Anaya (SHS); high jump: Rebekah Inouye (SHS).
- Advanced by default
** Filed injury-hardship appeal
