Track and field standouts moving on to Masters meet

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers FULL SPEED AHEAD- Thousand Oaks High's Garrett De Mirjian will compete in the high jump at Friday's Masters meet in Cerritos. At the beginning of each season, many track and field hopefuls make it a personal goal to compete in the state meet. The best of the best are now just one step away.

Because of their performances at the CIF Track and Field Divisional Finals at Mount San Antonio College last weekend, several area athletes secured reservations to the CIF-Southern Section Masters Track Meet Friday at Cerritos College.

The top five performers in each Masters event will advance to the state finals, to be held May 30-31 also at Cerritos College.

"For an athlete, the Masters is huge," Rio Mesa High head coach Brian Fitzgerald said. "It's basically your ticket to the state meet.

"But just making Masters is a big deal. You have to figure there's about 600 schools, give or take (a few), in the Southern Section. By making Masters, it means that you are one of the top nine performers out of those 600 schools. So it's something really special," Fitzgerald said.

Both of Rio Mesa's 4x100 relay teams will compete Friday in Norwalk after winning their respective Division II races at Mt. SAC. The boys' team won with a time of 41.7 seconds, while the girls' squad finished in first with a 47.13.

Rio Mesa freshman Valexsia Droughn also earned a spot individually when she took first place in the 100 with a time of 11.72. Droughn's time was the fourth quickest in Ventura County history.

Oak Park High had a pair of winners in sophomore Tayler Johnson and senior Doug Bettisworth.

Bettisworth won the Division III 800 race with a time of 1:54.19, a new school record.

"Bettisworth has had a couple of bumps in the road this year," Oak Park head coach Kevin Smith said.

"He hasn't always ran the way he would have liked, and he's gotten easily frustrated in those situations. At Mt. SAC he ran the perfect race. It was exactly what we anticipated he would do."

Smith was also impressed with Johnson, who's battled a hamstring injury this season. Johnson won the Division III high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 6 inches.

"As the season's gone on, (Johnson) has developed more consistency in the high jump," Smith said.

"Her hamstring injury earlier in the year has forced her to change landing techniques. Instead of the traditional way of landing with pressure on her knees, she's using more of a European style, where she collapses with both legs on one side. It almost looks like a hook slide in baseball."

Johnson also qualified for Masters in the long jump. At Mt. SAC, Johnson leaped 18 feet, 7 inches.

Lauren Radke of Oaks Christian won the girls' pole vault with a mark of 11 feet, 6 inches. It was Radke's third straight CIFSS Division IV title in the event.

"Masters is a culmination of the best pole-vaulters in the area," Radke said. "They're definitely a better quality than at dual meets. Going to state would be the icing on my career."

In Division III competition, Brittany Harper of Calabasas High won the girls' 400 with a time of 54.49.

Harper's Calabasas teammate, senior Clayton Graham, will join her at Masters after qualifying in the boys' 1,600.

Royal's Travis Edwards will also compete in the 1,600.

Moorpark's Max Dyce qualified in three boys' events- the 100, 200 and long jump. At Mt. SAC, Dyce placed third in the Division I long jump (23 feet) and second in the 100 (10.67) and 200 (21.79).

La Reina High's Blanchard sisters, Tara and Sasha, each qualified for Masters.

Tara Blanchard, a sophomore, qualified in the girls' Division IV 800 race, where she set a new school record with a time of 2:13.53.

Senior Sasha Blanchard qualified in the 100 and 300 hurdles with a pair of secondplace finishes at Mt. SAC. Her times were 14.19 and 43.80, respectively.

"The Blanchard sisters are very focused individuals," La Reina head coach Robert Lopez said. "When it comes to competitions, they are very confident that they have what it takes to win.

"I'm especially happy for Sasha that she's been able to do this in her senior year. She's never made Masters, so I know this is a big deal for her."

Other local athletes who will compete at Masters include Agoura High's Erin Baird (3,200), Oak Park's Melissa Skiba (3,200), Thousand Oaks' Sean Gildea (3,200), Camarillo's Cassie Brooker (800), Rio Mesa's Mariyah Lee (100), Oaks Christian's Jules Sharpe (high jump) and Thousand Oaks' Garrett De Mirjian (high jump).