Santa Margarita captures fifth straight Division 3 crown, Oaks Christian also wins fifth championship in Division 4; Mission Viejo prevails in Division 2 matchup with Calabasas

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

TORRANCE – Opportunity knocked for the Roosevelt girls track and field team, and it broke the door down.

Roosevelt of Eastvale earned its first track and field section championship for either gender Saturday, as it won the Division 1 crown at the CIF-Southern Section finals in what essentially came down to one event.

By virtue of its 4x400-meter relay team winning in a season-best time of 3 minutes, 43.77 seconds, which ranks No. 10 in the country, Roosevelt broke a tie with Long Beach Poly and went on to defeat the Jackrabbits by a 58-56 margin. Great Oak was third with 50 points.

RESULTS | GIRLS PHOTOS | INTERVIEWS

The victory rallied the Mustangs from an 18-point deficit through 10 events. They were tied at 48 through 14 events as they entered the meet-ending relay. Neither had a competitor in the final event scored, the triple jump.

The Roosevelt girls said they knew the score, and knew the stakes.

“As long as the team was one and felt good and confident about this race, we were going to be good,” said senior Alexys Ford, who ran the second leg.

Sophomores Jordyn Crutchfield and Amaia Johnson ran the opening and third legs, respectively. Freshman Naomi Johnson was handed a sizeable lead by Amaia Johnson and was charged with holding off Long Beach Poly anchor Saminah Haddad, which she did. Roosevelt’s mark was a season best by four seconds.

“We came into it knowing we were going to have to bring our ‘A’ game if we want to win,” Amaia Johnson said. “We were confident, not too overconfident, but we knew we had a good chance.”

If the relay was the show stopper, then senior Lydia Liu was the show-turner. Liu won the discus in 157 feet, 1 inch to upset West Ranch senior Natalie Ramirez (156-0).

Ramirez did win the shot put in 47-9.75, but Liu’s victory pulled the Mustangs into the tie and set up the final drama.

Long Beach Poly, which won the division in both 2015 and 2017 and boasts 20 girls’ section championships overall, did get victories in both the 4x100 relay and 100. Senior Saundria Martin was part of both, running 11.83 in the 100 and teaming with freshman Lauren Reed, senior Queen Okoh and junior Sarah Ayer to win the 4x100 in a season-best 46.62.

Division 1 featured one triple-event winner, as Long Beach Wilson junior Rachel Glenn won the high jump (5-6), and both the 100 hurdles (14.44) and 300 hurdles (41.48). Her 30 points helped Wilson to a fourth-place finish with 36 points.

“We came in with a lot of confidence,” Glenn said. “We were a little skeptical at the beginning because we were obviously nervous and our nerves were just there. But our coaches talked to us and gave us a real good pep talk and we got our nerves calmed down.”

The division’s other multiple-event champion was Chino Hills sophomore Jacqueline Duarte, who won the 800 (2:11.66) and the 1,600 (4:50.35). In both events, she had to hold off fast-charging Fatima Cortes of Great Oak in the final 100 meters.

“Today, I was coming in mainly focusing on the 1,600 because that was my main event last year, and I was just hoping to do a lot better,” Duarte said. “I’m not too happy with the time I got, but we were pacing very slow and typically I’m not the person to take off and lead the race – I’ll just hold on to the pack as long as I can.”

Cortes scored eight points and Great Oak got 10 more from sophomore Summer Stevenson, who won the long jump in 39-9 to pace the Wolfpack’s day.

Other event champs were Corona junior Egbe Ndipagbor in the 200 (24.12), Quartz Hill junior Iman Babineaux in the 400 (54.81), San Clemente junior Hana Catsimanes in the 3,200 (10:35,.01), Upland freshman Caelyn Harris in the long jump (19-3.50) and Aliso Niguel’s Morgan Flynn in the pole vault (12-6).

DIVISION 2 (RESULTS)

Senior Morgan Calcagnie won the 800 meters and highlighted a big day for Mission Viejo, which claimed its second team title in four years with a 72-62 victory over Calabasas.

Calcagnie won the 800 in 2:12.42, as the Diablos look ahead for more future success.

“I’d say for so many of us to be moving on and to have won today, it’s going to bring a lot of momentum into next weekend and give us a lot of confidence that we can keep moving on to the rest of the season.”

Calabasas, which had its 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams, along with top athletes Bella Witt and Kyla Robinson-Hubbard disqualified for competing in five events at the Marmonte League prelims and finals, still had a strong showing.

Senior De’Anna Nowling won the 100 (11.71) and 200 (24.28), with sophomore Jade McDonald capturing the long jump (19-5.75) and triple jump (39-4.75), in addition to taking second in the 100-meter hurdles (14.29).

Westlake sophomore Paige Sommers doubled by winning the high jump (5-6) and pole vault (13-0), the top mark of the day.

Third-place finisher Riverside North was paced by double-winner and junior Amari Jenkins, who won the 300 hurdles in 43.32 and the finished the day by joining sophomore Makayla Browne, senior Kiyara Holmes and sophomore Idara Ibekwe in winning the 4x400 relay in 3:48.68. Another Inland Empire athlete, Norco junior Taylor Shorter, ran the fastest time of the day to win the 100 hurdles (14.16).

Other event winners were Bonita sophomore Alisha Wilson in the 400 (55.84), Anaheim Canyon freshman Emma Hadley in the 1,600 (4:55.81), Ventura junior Madeline Locher in the 3,200 (10:34.04), the Orange Vista relay team in the 4x100 (47.25), Golden Valley senior Shyann Franklin in the shot put (43-1.75) and Thousand Oaks senior Amanda Spear in the discus (151-3).

DIVISION 3 (RESULTS)

Santa Margarita eased to its fifth consecutive girls title, putting an exclamation mark on it when junior Sophia Morris, sophomore McKenna Bradley, senior Tessa Green and sophomore Lauren Memoly won the 4x400 relay in 3:52.27.

Long Beach Poly (2008-15) and Morningside (1990-96) are the only other girls programs to win at least five straight championships in any division in Southern Section history.

“It’s an award (that) we’ve put so much work in,” Green said. “We’ve been training since August. We came out and put the work in daily. Getting another team title is something we never expected.”

Green was a huge part of that, ending the day as the only quadruple-event winner on the girls side. She also won the 100 (12.18) and 200 (24.50) and was on the Eagles’ winning 4x100 relay team (47.80).

Memoly won three times, claiming the 400 title (55.33) and also on the 4x100 relay. She rallied in the anchor leg of the 4x400 to overtake Alemany for the win. And it was to no one’s surprise.

“We call her the bulldog,” Green said of Memoly.

Santa Margarita won with 89 points. Runner-up Orange Lutheran tallied 54 and enjoyed a double victory from junior Sophia Hartwell in the long jump (18-10.50) and triple jump (38-6.50). Sophomore Ella Cork won the pole vault in 10-6.

Oak Park senior Sarah Shulze claimed a distance double in the division with victories in the 1,600 (4:54.24) and 3,200 (10:38.53).

Other division champs included Ridgecrest Burroughs senior Mariah Hansen in the shot put (38-3.75) and Harvard-Westlake freshman Daniela Quintero in the 800 (2:15.21).

DIVISION 4 (RESULTS)

Oaks Christian’s girls triumphed for the fifth time in six years relying on the strength of its relays, winning in the 4x100 (47.74) and 4x400 (3:48.73).

“It was definitely a good for me to get that title today,” said senior Tasha Bierling, who ran the opening leg of the 4x100 and placed second behind Paraclete’s Brianna Smith in the 300 hurdles. “Especially because I came in as a sophomore and we got it that year and we didn’t get it last year. So coming in, I really wanted to finish my senior with that title. It feels really good.”

Sophomores Jahzara Richardson and Brooklyn Courtnall won twice by being on both relays. Courtnall anchored the 4x400 and another sophomore, Raeshell Austin, anchored the 4x100.

Many of Division 4’s winners had times or marks that held up well against those from other divisions.

Double winner Nia Mosby of Archer, a junior, won the 200 (24.22) and 400 (55.44), with Serra senior Jazmyne Frost winning the 100 in 11.80.

In all three distance races, Division 4 has the best times of the day, with Mayfield’s Audrey Suarez winning the 800 (2:11.26) and Village Christian sophomore Mia Barnett winning the 1,600 (4:47.30) and 3,200 (10:33.95).

St. Anthony sophomore Asjah Atkinson was a double winner in the 100 hurdles (14.18) and long jump (18-8.25). Linfield Christian senior Kaelyn McCann won the pole vault in 11-6, and Village Christian junior Daphne Ebenhack won the shot put in 38-8.