Eye-opening performances at CIF track and field finals

Area athletes excelled during last weekend’s CIF-Southern Section Track and Field Divisional Finals at Cerritos College.

Led by standouts Tayler Johnson and Melissa Skiba, the Oak Park High girls’ team captured a Division 3 championship. In Division 2, the Rio Mesa boys’ squad was a second-place finisher. Oaks Christian’s boys, meanwhile, logged a second-place result in Division 4.

For the Lions, Niko DiMartino won the D-4 long jump event and was third in the 100-meter dash. His teammate, Paul Vozzo, claimed the division’s pole vault crown.

Newbury Park, competing in Division 2, received quality efforts from Shannon Byrne (fourth in 1,600), Megan Thompson (sixth in 400) and Morgan Thompson (fifth in 200 and eighth in 100). In addition, Pat Smith was third in boys’ shot put.

Thousand Oaks, another Division 2 school, had solid results from Lydia French (second in high jump), Bailey Schentrup (third in long jump) and Caitlyn Turner (fourth in 800). The boys were led by Kevin Joerger (second in 3,200) and Zack Friedman (eighth in 110 hurdles).

La Reina’s Jordan Jeworski and Rachel Brajkovich were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the D-4 girls’ 800.

Sam DeMello of Westlake finished second in the D-2 boys’ 800.