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John Zant: Turvey, Pearson going to State |
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By John Zant
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Tuesday, May 29 2007 |
The toughest ticket in Sactown is a competitor's pass to the CIF State Track and Field Meet.
High school juniors Daniel Turvey and Lyndsay Pearson both earned their admittance by coming up with peak performances last Friday at the Southern Section Masters Meet.
 John Zant
Four days after he cleared 15 feet for the first time in practice, Turvey duplicated the feat at Cerritos College and finished first in the Masters Meet. Three others also went 15-0, but the Dos Pueblos vaulter got there without a miss. DP senior David Williford cleared 14-6 and placed seventh.
It took a top-five finish to qualify for the State Meet, and Pearson went into the girls 300-meter hurdles ranked seventh in the field. San Marcos coach Marilyn Hantgin knew she was ready for a strong effort.
"Lyndsay has matured as far as knowing she can do it," Hantgin said. "She gets really nervous before big races, but this time she didn't need me as much for assurance."
Pearson went out and took fourth place in a close finish. Her time of 42.82 seconds was a significant drop from her previous best (43.55).
 Lindsey Connolly of Westmont College finished sixth in the NAIA women's
Hantgin thinks Pearson, who finished seventh in the state as a freshman, can run fast enough to compete for a top three finish. The San Marcos junior can concentrate on a single event after doing four in most meets during the season.
COLLEGE TRACK: Westmont College junior Lindsey Connolly said she wasn't very good at running at Carpinteria High. "I had a bad attitude," she said. "Coach (John) Larralde gave me the nickname 'Badatude.'"
Westmont assistant Joe Mendelson sold Connolly on race-walking this year, and on Friday at Fresno Pacific she earned All-America honors by finishing sixth in the women's 3,000-meter walk at the NAIA Championships.
"I've been picked to do things I didn't think were possible," said Connolly. She brought her time in the 1.8-mile race under 18 minutes for the first time, finishing in 17:31.23.
Westmont's highlight in the meet was the victory by Anna Stumbo in the women's marathon. She won by almost five minutes in 2:51:30.4. Teammate Lisa Griego placed 11th in 3:13:42.96. There is no marathon in the NCAA track and field program, so Stumbo can claim to be the nation's collegiate champion in the 26-miler.
In the NCAA West Regional at Eugene, Ore., UCSB junior Bethany Nickless repeated her second-place finish in the women's steeplechase. Her time of 10:11.03 was almost eight seconds faster than last year's.
Gaucho senior Stephanie Rothstein placed seventh in the 5,000 meters, just ahead of teammate Megan Lewis. Both Rothstein and Lewis have already qualified for the nationals in the 10,000.
Joining the three distance runners in the NCAA Championships, June 6-9 in Sacramento, will be UCSB throwers Amy Haapanen (third in the regional women's shot put, fifth in the hammer), John Delaney (fifth in the javelin) and Eugene Bradley (sixth in the hammer).
HOPS AND HOOPS: Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser won their fifth title in six AVP beach volleyball tournaments. They hammered Sean Rosenthal and Jake Gibb , 21-18, 21-6, in the finals of the Louisville Open . . . Dax Holdren and Kevin Wong made it to the semifinals, where they lost to Rosenthal-Gibb. Holdren's usual Jeff Nygaard is undergoing skin cancer treatment, according to avp.com. Karch Kiraly took a break from the action, freeing up Wong to play with Holdren . . . Kiraly did TV commentary in Louisville, and local officials showered him with gifts, including jerseys from the universities of Louisville and Kentucky and a Louisville Slugger bat. The 46-year-old volleyball legend also was named an honorary jockey . . . Kiraly's alma mater Santa Barbara High battled top-ranked Corona del Mar in the CIF Division 2 volleyball finals. The Dons avoided a sweep with a gallant rally in the third game, but Corona del Mar prevailed by scores of 25-23, 25-22, 30-32 and 27-25 . . .The Santa Barbara Breakers showed some resiliency after they fell flat at home Saturday night, losing 107-104 to the Tri-Valley Titans in an International Basketball League game at SBCC. The same two teams played in Livermore on Sunday night, and the Breakers notched their first road win, 129-108. They made 15 of 25 shots from 3-point range after going 2-for-22 the night before. |
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