Track and Field: Jones, Steen CIF champs for Sailors

Tony Altobelli

NORWALK - Newport Harbor High’s Trevor Jones, Amber Steen, Dan

Moyer, Richard Weber and John Peschelt can now add CIF champion to their

future athletic resumes following Saturday’s CIF Southern Section

Division II Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College.

Jones won two individual events, the 100-meter dash and the 300

intermediate hurdles, then teamed with Moyer, Weber and Peschelt in the

victorious 1,600 relay.

Steen took the title in the 1,600.

For the UCLA-bound Jones, a dash of anger, mixed in with a little luck

and a generous helping of flat-out talent, added up to a near-perfect

creation in his events.

After the senior suffered a rare second-place outcome in the 110 high

hurdles, Jones took the top spot in his next two individual races before

anchoring the winning 1,600 relay squad.

“To be honest, I’m still a little angry over the high hurdles finish,”

Jones said with a competitive grin following his intermediate hurdles

win. “After that race I just really focused and went after the rest of

the events harder.”

Kenny Vinh of Katella edged Jones at the tape in the high hurdles with a

14.16, bettering Jones’ 14.27.

It was the first win for Vinh over Jones in three meeting this year and,

according to Jones, the reason was simple, sort of.

“I hit too many hurdles,” Jones said. “I don’t know why. Maybe my

flexibility was being compromised or something. I think my blocks were

too close to the line as well. I got up too straight and didn’t get up to

speed in time.”

Even with all the “flaws” in that race, he was only a few hundredths of a

second off his personal-best time.

Perhaps an even bigger surprise than Jones finishing second in the high

hurdles was his first-place effort in the 100 (10.89), edging out Tim

Gregory from Hart (11.03).

Missing from the race was No. 1 qualifier and favorite Jabria Fields from

San Gorgonio, who was scratched from the race, due to reporting late to

the starting area.

“All I know is that when I found out he wasn’t in the race, I said to

myself, ‘Hey, I might actually have a chance at this thing,’ ” Jones

said. “I was expecting to win the 110 hurdles and take second in the 100.

Oh well.”

Jones used a late kick in the 300 hurdles (37.08) to hold off Norco’s

Kurt Siebert (37.98) for CIF title No. 2.

In the 1,600 relay, Jones followed strong runs from Richard Weber (51.3

leg), John Peschelt (51.0), Dan Moyer (51.4) and crossed the line first

with a team time of 3:20.87.

“Each relay member ran solid races,” Newport Coach Bim Barry said.

“Nothing too flashy, but all very good.”

The Sailors boys team ended up in second place in the overall team

standings with 40 points, 38 of which Jones had a hand in. Arroyo Grande

finished first with 56 points.

Jones qualified in all three of his individual events for Friday’s CIF

Masters Meet, but will concentrate on the hurdles events and the relay

only.

“With the turnaround so fast from the Masters to the state meet, it’s

just too many events,” Barry said.

For Steen, it was a matter of battling her own wheels. A victim of

multiple blisters on both feet, the junior still won the 1,600 (5:04.67)

and took second in the 3,200 (10:58.40), her second straight runner-up

mark in that event

“Yeah, they hurt, but what are you going to do?” Steen said, referring to

her tender tootsies. “I still managed to win a CIF title, which is pretty

darn good.”

It was a three-runner race with Steen, Pacific’s Meaghan Leon and Brea

Olinda’s Jenny Thune. Finally, with just more than 200 meters to go,

Steen found another gear and pulled away.

Steen qualified seventh for the Masters Meet in the 1,600 despite winning

her division. “I thought it was winner of each division and the next

fastest five times, instead of being just the fastest nine times,” Steen

said. “I was running to win instead of running for time. That was my

mistake on that one.”

A winner in the 3,200 in last year’s Masters Meet, Steen qualified this

year in sixth position.

“Hopefully, my feet will feel better and I can win the 3,200 again,”

Steen said.

Senior Krista Dill will be joining the Sailors CIF champs at Masters,

after qualifying seventh in the discus throw. Her mark of 130-7 was good

enough for fifth place in Division II.

Other Sailors who were talented enough just to make it to the CIF Finals

were April Ross, seventh in the girls high jump (5-2) and eighth in the

triple jump (34-11 3/4) and freshman Valerie Day, who took sixth in the

girls 300 low hurdles (47.51).

The Harbor girls finished sixth in the team standings with 23 points,

behind Sultana (63), Woodbridge (36), Arroyo Grande (28), San Marcos and

San Luis Obispo (24).

For the boys, Chris McMillan was seventh in the 1,600 (4:25.59) and

Peschelt was fifth in the 800 (1:57.55).