North Section Track and Field Championships Distance Results & Splits West Valley High School Friday May 26, 2000 5-8:30pm Splits & race commentary by Tom Cushman Listed times are hand timed (TC) and unofficial 1600m Girls 1. Ciara Harvey (CV) 75-82-81-75 (2:37-2:36) 5:12.8 2. Kelly Ortlieb (Fo) 75-82-81-79 (2:37-2:40) 5:16.8 3. Becky Oppezzo (S) 75-83-83-83 (2:38-2:46) 5:24.1 4. Missy Lendl (Fo) 75-83-82-90 (2:38-2:52) 5:30.0 5. Allison McCoy (Ch) 79-95-99-84 (2:54-3:03) 5:57.1 6. Elizabeth Tedsen (MS)79-94-96-92 (2:53-3:08) 6:01.2 7. Camille Schulte (Or) 80-94-104-103 (2:54-3:27) 6:20.7 8. Teal Richards (Col) tripped, fell 1st lap, dnf Alle Porter qualified but did not run. McCoy replaced Porter. A strong field lines up for the North Section 1600m with only the second seed Alle Porter deciding not to run. Unfortunately she is replaced by McCoy of Chester who has a seeded time nearly a minute slower. At the gun, Teal Richards of Colusa bolts to the lead and tows the pre race favorites around the first turn. Heading into the second turn Richards is passed by last year’s winner Kelly Ortlieb and the owner of the section’s fastest 1600m Central Valley’s Ciara Harvey with Shasta’s Besty Oppezzo, Foothill’s Missy Lendl closing on her from behind. A tangle of feet ensues, Richards trips and falls to the track, gets up quickly but stops before leaving the turn. Ortlieb, a sophomore from Foothill, leads this tight pack through one with Harvey on her shoulder and Oppezzo and Lendl tucked close behind. Several seconds behind Elizabeth Tedsen of Mount Shasta leads a second group containing McCoy and Camille Shulte of Oroville. Halfway through Ortlieb continues to lead with Harvey remaining on her outside shoulder. Oppezzo and Lendl follow in third and forth respectively a short gap behind. The rest of the field is nearly a complete turn behind by the time they reach the 800m mark with Tedsen still leading the stragglers. The stiffening pace of the third lap allows Ortlieb and Harvey to pull further away from Lendl and Oppezzo with the Shasta sophomore trailing in a close contest for third. The end of three laps finds Tedsen expanding her lead over McCoy although they trail the leaders by half a lap. A dodling Schulte is firmly entrenched in last as she slows to nearly seven minute pace. At the gun, Harvey surges past Ortlieb who tries to hold on down the back stretch. Harvey continues to press the pace around the final turn and wins easily over last year’s champion. A strong final circuit allows Oppezzo to effortlessly beat a fading Lendl for third. Well behind but not a quitter, McCoy runs down Tedsen to finish fifth and receives a section medal. Schulte, never in the race, finishes another twenty seconds behind. STATE: Ciara Harvey ran 5:22.84 finishing 12/13 in 2nd heat. Heat winner: Lynn Dixon 4:58.46. State Champion: Jenny Alridge 4:49.63 1600m Boys 1. Matt Sartor (Ent) 64-64-68-68 (2:08-2:16) 4:24.4 2. Steven Springhorn (CV) 64-64-68-76 (2:08-2:24) 4:31.8 3. Jacob Kliebe (P) 65-68-70-70 (2:13-2:20) 4:33.5 4. Jeramie Castellanos (WV) 65-70-72-71 (2:15-2:23) 4:38.4 5. Joey Halley (Tr) 66-70-75-69 (2:16-2:24) 4:39.7 6. Ian Craig (LP) 66-70-75-85 (2:16-2:40) 4:56.0 Tim Nelson (LC), Steven Pohlmeyer (CV) and Jesse McCloud (Las) qualified but did not run. Kliebe replaced Pohlmeyer. A small field lines up for the California version of the metric mile as the third, fourth and fifth seed (Pohlmeyer, Nelson and McLeod) opt to not double and decide to concentrate on other races. Jacob Kliebe of Paradise replaces Pohlmeyer to become the sixth man in the field. Steven Springhorn of Central Valley takes the early lead and holds it through the first lap with Enterprise’s Matt Sartor a close second. A couple strides back West Valley’s Jeramie Castellanos is closely followed by Jacob Kliebe of Paradise. Ian Craig and Joey Halley hold on at the back of the pack. Springhorn continues to press the pace and runs a second 64 to take the race through 800m in 2:08. Sartor remains on the leader’s outside shoulder but the rest of the pack has become more strung out. Kliebe takes control of this second group and puts some space between him and the others. Springhorn pace slows in lap three but he continues to lead until a determined Sartor pulls even with him coming down the home stretch. Meanewhile Kliebe further enlarges his lead over Castellanos and is comfortably in third. Castellanos puts some space between himself and those trailing further back. Sartor surges into the lead early in the final lap, Springhorn tries to stay with him as they move down the back stretch. However Sartor push over the last 200 meters breaks Springhorn. Sartor wins easily as Springhorn jogs in the final straight, despondent over having once again missed out on reaching State. Kliebe runs a solid last lap to take third. A furious kick unleashed by Halley takes him quickly by Craig and nearly catches Castellanos coming down the home stretch. Craig stops racing and finishes well back in last place. STATE: Matt Sartor ran 4:23.49, finishing 10/13 in 2nd heat. Heat winner: Sergio Campos 4:15.38. State Champion: Evan Fox 4:09.44 800m Girls 1. Aleah Howington (Fo) 67-72 2:18.7 2. Cindy Dawson (Yr) 67-73 2:19.8 3. Dori Duffy (Las) 68-77 2:24.8 4. Ashley Corey (Fo) 69-80 2:29.2 5. Abby McArthur (FR) 69-83 2:32.4 6. Grace Moore (WW) 68-90 2:38.3 7. Stevie Garcia (B) 70-dnf stumbled after finishing first lap, retired 8. Teal Richards (Col) quit after running in last on back stretch of 1st lap Tami Porter (PV) qualified but did not run. Westwood's Grace Moore replaces her. Eight runners top 800m runners toe the line in anticipation of the gun. Cindy Dawson, Yreka’s premier runner, takes the lead off a quick first turn. The pace settles down by 200m with Dawson stretching her lead over Howington, Duffy, Corey and Moore. Howington moves up onto Dawson shoulder as both pass the half way point. Duffy, Moore, Corey trail a short distance behind with McArthur and Garcia a little further back. Richards of Colusa, despite no signs of contact, drops out and fails to complete even one lap. Howington makes a strong move at the gun and takes the lead. Dawson, initially falls back, but regroups and closes the gap with the leader heading into the final turn. The rest of the field becomes strung out badly with the exception of Garcia who trips over her feet and pulls herself off the track shortly after reaching 400m. Final surge by Howington is too much for Dawson allowing the West Valley senior to win by a small but comfortable margin. A solid final circuit gives Duffy third. Corey holds on for fourth with McArthur fifth and Grace Moore a very distant sixth. STATE: Aleah Howington ran 2:21.77, finishing 8/8 in 3rd heat. Heat winner: Shannon Rowbury 2:11.30. State Champion: Liz Morse 2:08.16 800m Boys Note: all splits except McNiel, Pohlmeher and Dipple are estimated 1. Robert McNeil (Sut) 58-61 1:58.3 2. Steven Pohlmeyer (CV) 58-62 1:59.6 3. Dustin Dipple (P) 58-63 2:01.0 4. Steven Springhorn (CV) 59-63 2:02.5 5. Dallas Landers (PV) 59-64 2:03.4 6. Joey Halley (Tr) 60-64 2:04.4 7. Adam Wilson (D) 60-65 2:04.8 Matt Brown (Or) qualified but did not run. Nobody replaced him. Seven runners take the line with only Oroville’s Matt Brown deciding not too run after running the 400m a short time earlier. Pohlmeyer takes the point after the gun and continues to hold a small lead over McNeil, Dipple and Springhorn, the 1600m runner-up, after passing the halfway point. Landers, Wilson and Halley lag a little further behind. Shortly after crossing the 400m mark McNeil bursts into the lead, Pohlmeyer attempts to remain close while the rest of the field strings out behind. Pohlmeyer, after closing a little heading down the back stretch, fades coming down the home stretch as McNeil wins comfortably. Dipple pulls away from Springhorn rounding the final turn to take third. Landers follows a couple strides behind in fifth with Halley nipping Wilson for sixth. STATE: Robert McNiel was disqualified in 3rd heat. Heat winner: Aaron Powell 1:52.59 State Champion: Mike Serratos 1:51.75 3200m Girls 1. Alle Porter (D) 73-82-85-88-88-85-93-81 5:28-5:47 11:14.8 2. Candance Joseph (Fo) 84-89-88-89-91-88-87-81 5:50-5:47 11:36.7 3. Liz Camy (C) 79-88-92-91-91-95-96-91 5:50-6:13 12:02.6 4. Ciara Harvey (CV) 79-89-92-93-96-97-98-89 5:53-6:20 12:12.9 5. Rachelle Hastings (Fo) 84-90-92-97-104-94-100-98 6:03-6:36 12:38.9 6. Elizabeth Tedsen (MS) 86-94-100-103-105-106-104-96 6:23-6:51 13:13.8 7. Ashley Burgess (Wh) 86-93-100-104-105-106-104-95 6:23-6:52 13:14.9 8. Sadie Solem (Las) 86-95-103-108-114-108-110-104 6:32-7:16 13:48.4 At the gun, Dunsmuir’s Alle Porter powerful start quickly separates her from the field. Chico’s Liz Camy gives chase but eases noticeably after 200m after realizing how fast she’s going. The rest of the field is strung out well behind. After one lap Porter is well under five minute pace and has a 30 meter lead over Camy who has been nearly caught by Ciara Harvey, the section 1600m champion. Another 20 meters back are Foothill teammates, Candace Joseph and Rachel Hastings. A final pack contains Sadie Solem of Lassen, Ashley Burgess of Wheatland and Elizabeth Tedsen of Mount Shasta. Porter’s pace over the second lap slows but she continues to enlarge her lead over Camy and Harvey, 2nd and 3rd respectively. Joseph, looking very relaxed continues to run with her teammate Hastings even through the gap with the lead group ahead widens. Porter, showing great determination, expands her lead to 20 seconds over second place Camy by the end of lap three. Meanwhile Joseph leaves her slower teammate and surges to catch Harvey who remains a little behind Chico’s distance star. Porter, reaching 1600m comfortably under 5:30 pace, leads by more than a straight away over Camy and a resurgent Joseph who has moved into a close third. Meanwhile Harvey shows signs of fatigue from her earlier race as she fades slightly. Hastings reaches the halfway point in fifth another ten second back with Tedsen and Burgess duking it out for sixth a minute behind the leader. Solem trails badly in last. After five laps, Porter’s lead has reached 25 seconds with Camy and Joseph matching stride for stride until a late surge allows Joseph to take over second. Harvey loses contact in fourth. Another impressive circuit by Porter increases her lead over Joseph whose own strong move in lap six drops Camy. Porter, loses focus and some of her huge lead in lap 7 as Joseph paces quickens to further enlarge her lead over Camy. The final lap finds strong finishes by Porter and Joseph which are not matched by the rest of the field as they finish by wide margins in first and second. Camy easily beats Harvey for third. A pooped Hastings comes in fifth. Burgess and Tedsen, though never in the race for a medal, have a nice battle for sixth with Tedsen finally pulling it out in the home stretch. Half a minute later, Solem jogs past the finish line. STATE: Alle Porter ran 11:07.01, finishing 20/25. No trials. State Champion: Anita Siraki 10:18.50 3200m Boys 1. Tim Nelson (LC) 74-71-75-75-70-70-73-63 4:55-4:35 9:30.6 2. Matt Sartor (Ent) 74-71-75-75-70-72-76-74 4:55-4:52 9:46.7 3. Jeremiah Hanks (Ent) 75-71-76-76-74-76-76-74 4:58-5:00 9:57.5 4. Brian Larsen (C) 76-72-74-76-74-76-77-76 4:58-5:03 10:00.8 5. Randy Svilich (Yr) 74-71-74-77-78-81-81-78 4:56-5:18 10:14.4 6. Jesse McLeod (Las) 75-75-77-80-82-84-79-73 5:07-5:18 10:24.8 7. Ian Craig (LP) 77-73-77-79-81-84-82-79 5:06-5:26 10:31.6 8. Sean Cahill (Tr) 76-75-78-81-82-86-84-72 5:10-5:24 10:33.8 A fast and very competitive race is anticipated by the knowledgeable fans seated around the West Valley track as a loaded field lines up for the running of the meet’s final distance event. Liberty Christian’s Tim Nelson and Lassen’s Jesse McLeod are the pre race favorites, each having beat the other in cross country. However McLeod’s convincing race at the Chico Invitational a month earlier gives him the nod as the favorite in the minds of many. The first 200m nobody wants the lead, finally Brady Svilich of Yreka takes point and leads a pack containing Nelson, Matt Sartor, the section mile champion, Jeremiah Hanks of Enterprise and McLeod. A couple strides behind, Chico’s Brian Larsen is followed by Sean Cahill of Trinity and Ian Craig of Las Plumas. The pace quickens during the second lap with Svilich continuing to lead through 800m, though closely followed by Sartor and Nelson. Some separation has developed between this lead group and the rest of the field. Within this following group, Hanks then Larsen pass McLeod who drops into fifth with Craig and Cahill closing in on McLeod from the rear. The pace slows again in lap three with Nelson and Sartor content to let Svilich lead. Larsen closes on Hanks as they both narrow the gap with the lead pack, leaving only three seconds separation between the top five places. Meanwhile the crowd wonders what going on with McLeod as he is unable or unwilling to maintain the pedestrian pace of the leaders. Up front the pace remains comfortable for the leaders through the fourth lap although a Nelson and Sartor surge takes them by tiring Svilich just before the halfway mark. Larsen remains on Hanks shoulder as they both close on Svilich. McLeod drops into seventh behind Craig with Cahill a not too distance eighth. Nelson takes off after passing the mile with only Sartor up to the challenge as he follows a short distance behind. Larsen, not content with position, uses the fifth lap to pass Hanks then Svilich and move into third. Hanks’ responds without hesitation and also passes a fading Svilich. Craig expands his lead over McLeod and Cahill. A second 70 on lap six gives Nelson some daylight over Sartor who is finally showing signs of fatigue from his earlier race. Larsen continues to hold a small lead over Hanks for third as both expand their advantage over Svilich. Craig, McLeod and Cahill maintain their position but not their pace at the rear of the field. The pace slows for Nelson during the always difficult seventh lap, nevertheless he continues to pull away from Sartor who is showing difficulty maintaining his form. The race for third remains tight as a mid lap surge takes Hanks by Larsen who gamely tries to hold on. McLeod finally makes a move and easily passes Craig to move into sixth while Cahill remains in last. Nelson, heading into the final lap, holds a five-second cushion over Sartor. Not wanting to tempt fate or give any glimmer of hope to his nearest rival, Nelson visibly accelerates at the gun. The talented freshman runs his final circuit in 63-seconds to more than triple his margin over Sartor as the mile champion is only able to muster up a 74. Hanks and Larsen remain close down the backstretch. However Hanks pulls away around the final turn, forcing the Chico senior to settle for fourth. A straight away behind Svilich finishes a distant fifth. A strong last lap allows McLeod to finish comfortably, if unimpressively, in sixth. Craig manages to pick it up enough to finish seventh as a fast closing Cahill comes up a couple seconds short. STATE: Tim Nelson ran 9:19.83, finishing 10/25 & top freshman. No trials. State Champion: Ryan Hall 8:55.12