Considering a sophomore claimed the distinction of Athlete of the Year in 2007, we had a good feeling that a junior would take the honor here in 2008.  Well, keeping a long story short, this year's recipient for Riverside County Athlete of the Year is a junior but a slight surprise from our preseason favorite.   Vista Murrieta junior Nick Ross is our 2008 Riverside County Athlete of the Year!  Ross burst onto the scene here in with some great early season efforts in the high jump.  Eventually, he became only the 2nd athlete in county history to clear the coveted 7 foot barrier enroute to a 2nd place finish at the California State Meet.  Most impressive was his performance at the Division I CIF Finals in May where he claimed a CIF Title in the High Jump while also finishing with 3rd place medals in the long and the triple jump.  By bringing home 22 points on his own, he propelled his squad to a team CIF runner-up spot.  In doing so, Ross also pulled off the rare hat trick in advancing onto the Southern Section Masters Meet in three events!  We believe he may be the first athlete from Riverside County to advance in all three jumps to that level in the season.  Ross ended the season #1 in the high jump, #2 in the long jump and #3 in the triple jump.  His triple jump effort is #14 in county history.  From a team perspective, he was as a strong factor in taking Vista Murrieta's boys to the nationally-ranked level.  We plan on breaking down their numbers and comparing them to some of the past squads in Riverside County history.  Vista Murrieta's depth and balance may have outdone the awesome Canyon Springs' squads from the mid-1990's.   Stay tuned as we're still researching that.... Interesting point here is that this our 3rd year in a row with an underclassmen earning this honor....

Our runner-up to this award goes to Corona's Raul Arcos.  Arcos ended the season #1 in the county for the 1600 (#2 all-time), the 3200, and #2 in the 800 (#9 all-time).  He also ended the season #1 in California for the 5000 meters, an event rarely contested at the high school level, as that mark of 14:56.88 is also a new Riverside County record.  Most impressive may have been how he improved by over 10 seconds in the 1600 over the last five weeks of the season.

2008 - Nick Ross (Vista Murrieta)
2007 - Reggie Wyatt (JW North)
2006 - Nevin Gutierrez (JW North) and Jonathan Williams (Temecula Valley)
2005 - Robert Williams (Ramona)
2004 - Kenny Moon (Corona)
2003 - Brian Thompson (Valley View)
2002 - Jarered Morgan (La Quinta)

Despite of a very tough state meet weekend, Rancho Verde sophomore Alycia Herring is our 2008 selection for Riverside County Girls' Athlete of the Year.  Looking back on her incredible and consistent season, Herring left with some the best credentials in county history.  In winning the Division I Long Jump CIF Title, she became only the 3rd girl in county history to eclipse the 20 foot barrier with a wind-legal effort of 20-0.75!  Her long jump mark puts her as the #10 girl in the nation.  Starting off that same day, she led her squad to a CIF Title in the 400 relay as they recorded the fastest time (46.20) in the state, #6 in county history and #8 in the nation for 2008!  You want more credentials - she took 3rd place in the 200 meters at the CIF Finals, with the #2 all-time wind-aided mark in a 24.17 effort while she also anchored Rancho Verde's 1600 relay team to a 3:51.52.  Credited with scoring 20 points, she was the most pivotal member of Rancho Verde's 2nd place team finish at CIF Finals (behind state champ Long Beach Poly).   Two CIF Titles to go along with two 3rd place finishes....#1 in the county in the long jump, 200 meters, 400 relay, 1600 relay, #4 for the 400 meters while she was also #13 in both hurdle races....tough to not award Ms. Herring for this distinction! 

It was a tough decision here as Perris' junior Ericka Nowell blasted her way onto the national scene in the 300 Hurdles.  She ended the season #9 in the nation with her 41.88 fat mark.  (Her 41.4 hand-timed mark from league finals is not official we suppose.)  Although #9 in the nation, she was the only girl to break 42.00 three times this season (four if you count league finals).  Definately our runner-up here in 2008 as we had to recognize her incredible season as well...

Past Riverside County Athletes of the Year
2008 - Alycia Herring (Rancho Verde)
2007 - Kelsey Rubeor (Murrieta Valley)
2006 - Sarah Robles (San Jacinto)
2005 - Sarah Robles (San Jacinto)
2004 - Gayle Hunter (JW North)
2003 - Ashlee Brown (JW North)
2002 - Chaunte Howard (JW North)

The 2008 men’s track and field team capped off a banner year by going undefeated and winning the California State Championship, the first since 1996.  The Tigers opened the season with the non-scoring, 2^nd annual Long Beach State/RCC dual meet, and then proceeded to go 17-0 for the remainder of the season.  This year’s team accomplishments included back to back dual meet and outright Orange Empire Conference Champions, where the Tigers shattered last year’s record breaking score by 35 points (RCC 345 points & OCC was 2^nd with 151 points).  Next, the Tigers won the Southern California Championships, doubling the score (141.3 - 71) of the second place team and last year’s So Cal Champions, Moorpark.  Then, RCC men’s track team went head to head against last year’s state champions, Sacramento City College, and turned what was supposed to be a close meet into a blowout 112-67.   “This was truly a team effort with thirteen athletes earning All-State and All-American honors.” – Coach McCarron  The Tigers were led by Ennis Jones (JW North).  Ennis won the 400 meter (46.67) and the 4x100 (40.27) state title, and placed second in the 200 meters (21.06) and anchored the third place 4x400 squad (45.68 split) to a time of 3:12.76.  He was also named the 2008 OEC track athlete of the year.  Lance Gonzales (Murrieta Valley) was named the 2008 multi-event athlete of the year with his Decathlon conference championship.  Lance placed second in the state, and is ranked second in the nation, in the Decathlon and broke the school record in that event (6878 points).  He also placed 3^rd in the javelin with a personal best of 194’2” and 7^th in the long jump with a jump of 23’0” at the state championship.   Also at the state meet, Duke Greer (Corona) 10.43 and Daniel Auberry (Alta Loma) 10.54 placed 2^nd and 5^th respectively in the 100 meters.  Stephan May (Great Oak) shifted the momentum of the meet toward the Tigers when he won the 800 meters in a personal best 1:53.58.  “Stephan came up big for the team.  He was ranked ninth out of nine runners going in and he won it…it really pumped the guys up.”- Coach McCarron  The Tigers took the 4x100 relay (Dylan Nielson, Ennis Jones, Duke Greer and Daniel Auberry) title with a time of 40.27, their third fastest time of the year (their fastest time was 40.05, which is 3^rd on RCC’s all-time list).  In the 4x400 the Tigers went into it ranked 5^th, but finished 3^rd with their fastest time of the year (Stephan May-49.8, Duke Greer-46.8, Kevin Rodgers-50.1 and Ennis Jones-45.68…3:12.25). In the 110HH Dylan Nielson (Palm Desert) placed second (he was ranked 4^th) with a huge personal best of 14.12 and Kenny King (Canyon Springs) was 6^th with a time of 14.80.  Sammy Jeter (ML King) ran a personal best in the 400IH (52.80) to take second in the event.  Sammy Jeter, Daniel Auberry  and Kevin Rodgers will be competing at the Junior National meet in Columbus, Ohio on June 20^th.  In the Long Jump Kevin Rodgers (Colony) placed third with a leap of 24’5” (his best this year was 24’11”), David Girten (Damien) placed 4^th with a jump of 24’4”.  Joshua Como (Rancho Verde) missed first placed in the triple jump by 1 inch with his leap of 51’4” (he is fourth on the all-time list with his best leap of 52’4”).   In his third season as the head coach, Jim McCarron was named the 2008 Orange Empire Conference men’s Track and Field Coach of the Year for the 2nd straight year.  “It is a good feeling to see my first two recruiting classes at RCC come together to win the state title.  They worked hard and came together as a team in order to make this happen. I am very fortunate to have a solid group of student-athletes, a great coaching staff, a supportive administration, and a thriving track and field community to recruit from.”  Back to back state championships is a possibility with 10 of the 15 state scorers coming back next year, and a top notch recruiting class on its way.  Go Tigers!

The coaching staff at Riverside Community College have been incredibly proactive in recruiting and keeping our Inland Empire talent here at home.  They have also done a great job in getting student athletes into four year schools.  Check out their website at http://riverside.trivalley.com/track/men/ or at http://riverside.trivalley.com/track/women/

Well, folks - the official season is over.  But, for record keeping purposes, we do recognize any postseason meets up until the conclusion of July.  With that in mind, Vista del Lago's Emmanuel Ngula (only a junior) almost set a new county record for the 800 meters with a 1:51.87 at the Jim Bush Invitational, held at Occidental College.  The record of 1:51.83 is held by Hemet's Robert Frichtel from 1996.  Ngula did not advance into last week's state meet final and obviously had something to prove.  He'll have another season to go for it as he'll be one of the top returning half-milers in the nation for 2009.  Also competing in the meet was Corona's Raul Arcos.  Arcos, prepping for the mile in two weeks at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, went 1:53.33 and won the heat before Ngula's.   That is a new school record and the #9 all-time mark in Riverside County history. 

Perris' Ericka Nowell won her 300 Hurdles' race up at the Golden West Invitational.  Her time of 42.10 continues to show how consistent she has become and will also unleash for the county record in 2009!  Riverside Poly's Kristen Ustariz also made the trip up north and posted a 5:41 in the freshman mile. 

Also in the mix is La Sierra junior Reggie Wyatt!  Yes, the 2007 Riverside County Athlete of the Year is still around and gearing for this month's Olympic Trials!  He went 36.02 in the 300 Hurdles, which is easily the top mark in the state and the best in the nation thus far.  Reggie will be competing in the 400 Hurdles in several weeks while getting ready for that La Sierra uniform in 2009.   

We'll keep you posted of any developments regarding our county's athletes....

Sunday, we will submit our finalists for 2008 Riverside County Athlete of the Year.  Please feel free to email us with your opinion on who should be selected...

A number of Riverside County's best athletes moved onto Saturday's California State Finals at Cerritos College.  No state titles here in 2008, but we did have several runner-up finishes that left a number of us proud as could be!  Vista Murrieta's incredible trio of jumpers was cut down to two but senior Ryan Swafford and junior Nick Ross represented our county's top program by both taking 2nd place in the triple jump and high jump, respectively.  Ross closed out one of the best prep seasons ever by jumping up over 6'11" again!  He'll come back for his senior campaign but he is one of four underclassmen that finished in the top five in that event.  Moving over to the sand pit, Swafford was back for his second year in a row.  Leading going until the final round with a 48'3.75 mark, a freshman from up north bounded just out over 49 feet.  Knowing that he had to out beyond 49'1" and with the crowd clapping, he gave it all he had on his last effort but his 48'5" mark was just shy.  Either way, he leaves us as one of the best triple jumpers in county history. 

Meanwhile, closing our one of the finest months in the history of Riverside County distance running, Corona's Raul Arcos took 2nd place in the 1600 meters.  He pulled in another personal best of 4:09.65, which is the #3 mark in Riverside County history!   Unfortunatly, most did not notice he was 2nd place the entire last 400 meters because he was over NINE seconds behind the winner, German Fernandez, who blazed to a 4:00.29!  Going into the postseason, Raul's seasonal best was 4:18.13 and every week, he improved.  He and Fernandez were the only two to pr in that race, so we could not ask for more. 

Perris' Ericka Nowell will NOT be off the radar in 2009 as she definately made the entire state aware of her talent this last weekend.  In the 300 Hurdles, Nowell was 2nd place up until the last stride where she was outleaned.  But, being her first time at this level - she did a great job!  But, going into this season, nobody in the state had her finishing 3rd place, let alone, making the state meet!  She went 41.89 and will go for the county record in 2009!

JW North senior Tommy Curry put together an incredible stretch drive here and finished an impressive 4th place in the 100 meters and came back to post an 8th place effort in the 200 meters.  He also anchored his 400 relay team to an 8th place finish.  In that same 200, Santiago junior Rodney Storrs was unable to run down the pack as, although the same time of 5th and 6th place, he finished 7th.  If anything, this will only make him hungrier for the 2009 season to begin... 

Rancho Verde's boys 1600 relay ran phenomenal in going 3:15.29 and a solid 6th place effort.  In one of the fastest 1600 relay races in state history, they definately held up well.  The foursome of Jesse Ooten, Joel Casillas, Bakari Fant and Paul Robertson have a lot to be proud of.   On their girls' side, they came through with an 8th place finish in the 4x400 relay while closing out a pretty tough weekend for this group.  Keep in mind, RV's girls had the daunting task of replacing last year's state champion 4x100 squad and all four return for, what should be, a very motivated campaign in 2009.

As a whole, it was a humbling weekend for most Riverside County athletes.  But, putting things in perspective, our best did go up against the very strongest in the nation and one hiccup here or there is magnified on a grander scale.  Congrats to everybody for giving us an incredible season!     

In a day mired in frustration and heartbreak, Riverside County athletes walked away from Cerritos College and the California State Meet prelims licking their wounds.  In time, many will appreciate the fact that they are competing in THE toughest state meet in the United States and to get to this level is truly an honor.  But, we can overlook the athletes that are advancing onward to Saturday's State Finals.   JW North's Tommy Curry has really put together a fine month of May here by anchoring his 4x100 relay team onward (and our new #1 mark for 2008) as he also moved on in the 100 and 200 meters.   Curry is putting a solid argument in our selection for 2008 Athlete of the Year honors.  Speaking of which, Vista Murrieta's Nick Ross easily advanced in the High Jump by clearing 6'7" on his first attempt while teammate Ryan Swafford also goes into Saturday as the #1 seed with his 49'1" effort!  Corona's Raul Arcos, with his patented kick the last 100 meters, moved from 4th place to capture his heat and move on as the #2 seed into the 1600 meters.  He has the huge task of taking on the most talented distance athlete in the nation in Riverbank's German Fernandez.  Santiago's Rodney Storrs easily moved on in the 200 meters with a solid effort.  Last year, he just missed the state meet finals in the 100 meters but remains one of the favorites here in the 200, his preferred race!  Meanwhile, pretty thin on the girls side as the only individual moving on is Perris Ericka Nowell!  She remains very consistent with her 42.21 victory in the 300 Hurdles!  Rancho Verde did rebound from earlier disappointments to qualify both of their 4x400 relay squads.  Sadly, that is it for Riverside County.    We have a good number of athletes and relay teams sitting in those undesired #10-#12 slots, but they will have to look back upon some of the best seasons put forth in our county's history.

Boys 100 meters
6. -Tommy Curry (JW North) 10.71

Boys 200 meters
3. *Rodney Storrs (Santiago) 21.33
8. -Tommy Curry (JW North) 21.66

Boys 800 meters
10. -Steven Norton (La Sierra) 1:54.56
11. *Emmanuel Ngula (Vista del Lago) 1:54.86

Boys 1600 meters
2. -Raul Arcos (Corona) 4:12.09

Boys 110 Hurdles
17. -Tony Crutchfield (JW North) 14.67

Boys 400 Relay
7. JW North - 41.73
10. Rancho Verde - 41.84
11. Santiago - 41.93

Boys 1600 Relay
5. Rancho Verde - 3:17.56
12. JW North - 3:20.62

Boys High Jump
1. *Nick Ross (Vista Murrieta) 6'7"

Boys Long Jump
15. *DJ Lloyd (Vista Murrieta) 21'10.75"

Boys Triple Jump
1. -Ryan Swafford (Vista Murrieta) 49'1.25"
10. -Chris Benard (Santiago) 47'1.25"
12. *Nick Ross (Vista Murrieta) 46'11"
14. -Manny Santiago (ML King) 45'9"

Girls 200 meters
12. **Alycia Herring (Rancho Verde) 24.54 

Girls 300 Hurdles
2. *Ericka Nowell (Perris) 42.21

Girls 400 Relay
DNF - Rancho Verde

Girls 1600 Relay
9. Rancho Verde - 3:52.80

Girls Long Jump
11. **Alycia Herring (Rancho Verde) 17'11.5"

Girls Shot Put
19. **Lima Tu'ufuli (La Sierra) 37'5.5"

Several big names stood out here at the 2008 rain soaked Southern Section Masters Meet!  As a whole, our Riverside County contingent fared well and most are moving on to next weekend's California State Meet which will also be held here at Cerritos College.  This meet is simply a qualifying round where no team points are awarded.  The top five placers automatically move on while athletes and relays can move on be acheiving the at-large standard.  Perris' Ericka Nowell (300 hurdles), Rancho Verde's Alycia Herring (Long Jump), Corona's Raul Arcos (1600 meters) and Vista del Lago's Emmanuel Ngula (800 meters) all won their events.   We have to also recognize that Rancho Verde becomes the second school in Riverside County history to send all four relay teams to the California State Meet!  JW North was the first to accomplish the feat in 2006...

Biggest highlight - Ngula winning the 800?  Arcos moving from a 4:18 down to a 4:10 in three weeks? ML King's Manny Santiago going from a 43 foot TJ'er a month ago and now to the state meet?  JW North's Tommy Curry and Tony Crutchfield moving up huge in the last two weeks?  Santiago's 4x100 crew (never broken 44.0 until this season) progressing so well this past month?  In 2007, Riverside County sent 21 entries to the state meet but here in 2008 - we're officially sending 24!  Great job folks!  The most ever was posted during that incredible 2006 season where we sent 30 entries on...

We'll be out for most of the day but this evening, we look to provide more highlights as the evening progresses....

Girls 400 Relay
3. Rancho Verde - 46.61

Boys 400 Relay
3. Santiago - 41.57
5. JW North - 41.83
6. Rancho Verde - 41.89*

Girls 1600 meters
11. Kristina Taylor (Vista Murrieta) 5:00.32

Boys 1600 meters
1. Raul Arcos (Corona) 4:10.46

Boys 110 Hurdles
5. Tony Crutchfield (JW North) 14.45

Boys 400 meters
8. Bryan Adams (Roosevelt) 49.64

Boys 100 meters
2. Tommy Curry (JW North) 10.63
6. Jesse Ooten (Rancho Verde) 10.81

Boys 800 meters
1. Emmanula Ngula (Vista del Lago) 1:53.34
4. Steven Norton (La Sierra) 1:53.71

Girls 300 Hurdles
1. Ericka Nowell (Perris) 41.88

Girls 200 meters
5. Alycia Herring (Rancho Verde) 24.52

Boys 200 meters
3. Rodney Storrs (Santiago) 21.54
4. Tommy Curry (JW North) 21.56
9. Jesse Ooten (Rancho Verde) 23.46

Girls 1600 Relay
6. Rancho Verde - 3:53.31*

Boys 1600 Relay
3. Rancho Verde - 3:16.22
6. JW North - 3:18.04*
DQ Roosevelt (ran out of lane for more than 5 steps)

Girls Long Jump
1. Alycia Herring (Rancho Verde) 19'2.5"
7. Brittany Bozeman (Rancho Verde) 18'2.75"

Girls Triple Jump
10. Ashley Perkins (Norco) 37'4"
12. Brittany Bozeman (Rancho Verde) 35'5."

Girls Pole Vault
12. Susan Farrar (JW North) 10'3"

Girls Shot Put
5. Lima Tu'ufuli (La Sierra) 40'3.5"

Girls Discus
6. Lynn Patu (Vista Murrieta) 127'9"

Boys Long Jump
4. DJ Lloyd (Vista Murrieta) 22'11.5"
9. Nick Ross (Vista Murrieta) 22'3.5"

Boys Triple Jump
2. Chris Benard (Santiago) 47'7"
3. Ryan Swafford (Vista Murrieta) 47'2"
6. Manny Santiago (ML King) 46'6.75"
8. Nick Ross (Vista Murrieta) 46'3" 

Boys High Jump
3. Nick Ross (Vista Murrieta) 6'6"
11. Skyar Lacour (Rancho Verde) 6'2"

Boys Discus
6. Wade Jones (Hemet) 161'4"

With temperatures exceeding 95 degrees and making things pretty tough out there for all athletes, the CIF Southern Section Track & Field Finals took place at Mt. SAC this year.  Despite the sweltering heat, Riverside County athletes and squads fared pretty well while advancing a strong group to next Friday's Masters Meet.  On the team side of things, Vista Murrieta's boys were unable to hold off a tough Dominguez group and took 2nd place in the Division I team affair.  Meanwhile, Rancho Verde's girls proved that last year (2007 Div. I CIF Champs) was no fluke as they also brought home the 2nd place team plaque.  Accustomed to receiving plaques, JW North's boys walked away with a 2nd place finish after earning back-to-back CIF Titles in 2006 and 2007.  Rancho Verde's boys also finished a stellar 5th with Santiago taking 6th.  In Division IV, Woodcrest Christian finished a solid 5th and with all three of their scorers being underclassmen.   

On the individual side, JW North senior Tommy Curry was our county's only double winner, running away from the competition in the 100 and 200 meters.  Strong midrace surges spelled doom for Curry's competition.  Vista Murrieta's boys saw junior DJ Lloyd win the CIF Title in the Long Jump while teammate junior Nick Ross won the High Jump title.  Vista Murrieta almost swept the three jumps but in a classic Riverside County dual this season, Santiago senior Chris Benard bounded out to 49-6, a foot beyond Ryan Swafford's best mark and brought home Santiago's first CIF Title.  On a sidenote, Lloyd's title was the first for Vista Murrieta.  One would assume that Nick Ross catapulted himself to our top candidate for 2008 Riverside County Athlete of the Year with his title in the high jump and two 3rd place finishes in the long and triple jumps.  He scored 22 points on his own!  Moving forward, La Sierra senior Steven Norton came through with an awesome last 150 meters to run away with the title in the 800 and the top mark of the day (1:53.89).   No real surprise there folks as Norton advanced to the state meet in this event in 2007.  Perhaps the best finish of the day came in the form of Raul Arcos of Corona.  His huge surge with 60 meters to go was the answer as he leaned at the finish line for the win in 4:14.62 to 4:14.66 and the top time of the day.  If you recall, Norton and Arcos began their seasons together by making the road trip up to Fresno (and Yosemite) to compete in January's Run for the Dream indoor meet.  So, the "roommates" excuted their seasons well and came home with two CIF Titles.  Also making for an exciting conclusion on another note was Perris' Ericka Nowell.  She had a tough time navigating over the last two hurdles but held on for a very impressive victory in the 300 Hurdles.  Her 41.96 goes in as the top seed going into the Masters Meet as with a perfectly executed race, she can break 41.00!  Meanwhile, Norco's Ashley Perkins continues her fine season with a Div. II CIF Title in the triple jump going out over 37-9.   Last, but not least, was perhaps THE performance of the day - Rancho Verde sophomore Alycia Herring popped off a legal 20 footer in winning the CIF Title in the long jump!  Her mark is the 3rd best in county history and a huge mental victory on going out beyong that 20 foot threshold!   

In the relay department, opening the meet off and with the top mark in the section, Rancho Verde's girls blazed to the Div. I CIF Title in a time of 46.20!  Inserting three new legs from last year's state champion 4x100 squad earned its doubts throughout the season.  But, they are now #1 in the state (6th fastest in county history) and looking to add onto last year's accolades.  Ending the day on a surprising note, Roosevelt High, a school only its 2nd season, upset the boys from JW North in a classic battle in the 4x400 relay.  These two posted the 6th and 7th fastest times in county history while both going under 3:18 and easily advancing to next Friday night's Masters Meet!  Also advancing were the boys from Rancho Verde, whose time was the 4th fastest in county history!  Three of the six fastest in county history all on the same day!  (not to overlook the incredible 3:17.07 effort kicked out by Great Oak this season = #5 effort in county history)!  Four of the top seven squads EVER in county history in the 4x400! 

We had a host of runner-ups finishes as well, while some incredible marks were kicked down.  Santiago's Rodney Storrs tops that particular list as, after a tough start in the 100, he roared to a 21.27 which is now the #5 mark on the all-time list.  JW North's boys finished 2nd in the 400 Relay with a 41.80!  Speaking of the 400 relay, after already mentioning the 1600 relay, we have three of the fastest seven squads in county history in our grips here in 2008!  Santiago and Rancho Verde ended in a virtual tie, both going 41.75, in that Division I race.  Also, another noteworthy performance came from Vista Murrieta's Kristina Taylor who advanced in both the 1600 and 3200 to Friday's Masters Meet.  Also worth mentioning, JW North's Marjani Maldonado took 3rd place in both hurdles while helping lead her 1600 relay squad to a 3rd place.   

Some other stats that stood out to us.  Which league came home with the most top three finishes?  The Inland Valley League!  Driven by Rancho Verde, they came home with ten 1st-3rd place medals while runner-up was.... the Ivy League, led by JW North, which had nine!  The Mountain View League had seven while surprisingly, the Southwestern League had five, but three from one athlete (Nick Ross).    The Sunbelt League had four athletes earning a top three medal.  An eye-popping note......taking the eight teams that will form the Big VIII league in 2009, you saw 15 top three finishes!   The eight teams that will comprise the Inland Valley League, you would have 11.  The Southwestern League will remain in tact, thus, would still have five.  Sending athletes and/or relay teams to the Masters Meet?  Inland Valley League = 13, Ivy League = 8, Southwestern League = 8, Mountain View League = 7,  Sunbelt = 3.   I know - we're pathetic with the trivial stats....but if you're a true Track & Field junky, you're loving them....

* = indicates Masters Meet entry (We've included entries for this Friday night's Masters Meet below....) 

Girls 400 Relay
Div. I (1st) Rancho Verde - 46.20*  ( #6 AT)
Div. II (7th) JW North - 49.37

Boys 400 Relay
Div. I (3rd) Rancho Verde - 41.75* (#5 AT)
Div. I (4th) Santiago - 41.75* (#5 AT)
Div. II (2nd) JW North - 41.80* (#7 AT)
Div. II (8th) Roosevelt - 43.18 

Girls 1600 Meters
Div. I (6th) Kristina Taylor (Vista Murrieta) 5:00.11*
Div. II (6th) Ashley Beechan (Hemet) 5:10.57
Div. II (7th) Serkadis Krohm (Vista del Lago) 5:12.07
Div. III (7th) Ashlee Cervantes (Beaumont) 5:12.65

Boys 1600 Meters
Div. I (1st) Raul Arcos (Corona) 4:14.62* (#9 AT)
Div. IV (3rd) Jake Jeanson (Woodcrest Christian) 4:28.94 

Girls 100 Hurdles
Div. II (3rd) Marjani Maldonado (JW North) 14.62   (#13 AT)
Div. I (4th) Amber Middleton (Murrieta Valley) 14.74 (+2.6)
Div. I (5th) Ericka Nowell (Perris) 14.82 (+2.6)
Div. IV (9th) Joelle Gamble (Riverside Christian) 16.51

Boys 110 Hurdles
Div. II (2nd) Tony Crutchfield (JW North) 14.42 (+2.2)*
Div. I (4th) Mike Powers (Chaparral) 14.59

Girls 400 Meters
Div. II (2nd) Robyn Carroll (Lakeside) 56.61*  (#12 AT)

Boys 400 Meters
Div. II (3rd) Bryan Adams (Roosevelt) 48.82*

Girls 100 Meters
Div. I (2nd) Asiah Gooden (Rancho Verde) 12.06 (#15 AT)
Div. I (5th) Ashley Marshall (Rancho Verde) 12.20
Div. I (7th) Breeanca Fleming (Great Oak) 12.33
Div. II (9th) Robyn Carroll (Lakeside) 12.54

Boys 100 Meters
Div. II (1st) Tommy Curry (JW North) 10.53 (+3.4)* (#2 AT wind-aided)
Div. I (2nd) Jesse Ooten (Rancho Verde) 10.68* (#10 AT)
Div. I (4th) Rodney Storrs (Santiago) 10.81
Div. I (8th) Anthony Dye (Santiago) 10.95

Girls 800 Meters
Div. I (8th) Nina Alvarado (Chaparral) 2:24.84

Boys 800 Meters
Div. I (1st) Steven Norton (La Sierra) 1:53.89* (holds #5 AT)
Div. II (2nd) Emmanuel Ngula (Vista del Lago) 1:54.41* (#14 AT)
Div. I (4th) Angel Sigeti (Murrieta Valley) 1:56.85
Div. I (5th) Tyler Owen (Vista Murrieta) 1:58.22
Div. I (8th) Ruben Danielson (Rancho Verde) 2:02.41

Girls 300 Hurdles
Div. I (1st) Ericka Nowell (Perris) 41.96*  (#3 AT)
Div. II (3rd) Marjani Maldonado (JW North) 45.19
Div. II (6th) Francis Chase-Dunn (JW North) 45.66

Boys 300 Hurdles
Div. II (7th) Tony Crutchfield (JW North) 41.31
Div. IV (6th) Michael Bowers (Cal. Chapel-Murrieta) 42.59
Div. II (9th) Austin Hill (Roosevelt) 43.02

Girls 200 Meters
Div. I (3rd) Alycia Herring (Rancho Verde) 24.17 (+3.4)*  (#2 AT wind aided)
Div. II (3rd) Robyn Carroll (Lakeside) 24.86 (+2.9)
Div. I (9th) Amber Sanford (ML King) 25.65 (+3.4)

Boys 200 Meters
Div. I (2nd) Rodney Storrs (Santiago) 21.27* (#5 AT)
Div. II (1st) Tommy Curry (JW North) 21.33* (#6 AT)
Div. I (4th) Jesse Ooten (Rancho Verde) 21.74*

Girls 3200 Meters
Div. I (6th) Kristina Taylor (Vista Murrieta) 10:59.39*
Div. II (9th) Serkadis Krohm (Vista del Lago) 11:37.92
Div. IV (8th) Brooke McCandless(Cal. Chapel-Murrieta) 12:23.97

Boys 3200 Meters
Div. I (6th) David McDonald (Vista Murrieta) 9:27.48
Div. IV (2nd) Jake Jeanson (Woodcrest Christian) 9:42.63

Girls 1600 Relay
Div. I (3rd) Rancho Verde - 3:51.52*
Div. I (5th) Great Oak - 3:54.37
Div. II (3rd) JW North - 3:56.42

Boys 1600 Relay
Div. I (3rd) Rancho Verde - 3:14.85* (#4 AT)
Div. II (1st) Roosevelt - 3:17.19* (#5 AT)
Div. II (2nd) JW North - 3:17.52* (#6 AT)
Div. I (7th) Vista Murrieta - 3:23.86
Div. I (8th) La Sierra - 3:24.11

Boys High Jump
Div. I (1st) Nick Ross (Vista Murrieta) 6-8*
Div. I (3rd) Skylar LaCour (Rancho Verde) 6-6*
Div. IV (3rd) Woodcrest Christian) 6-2"
Div. II (6th) Kendell Mayes (JW North) 6-2" 

Girls Pole Vault
Div. II (4th) Susan Farrar (JW North) 11-0*

Boys Pole Vault
Div. I (6th) Tyler Wallace (Chaparral) 14-0
Div. III (9th) Matt Davis (Elsinore) 13-0

Girls Long Jump
Div. I (1st) Alycia Herring (Rancho Verde) 20-0.75* (#3 AT)
Div. I (5th) Brittany Bozeman (Rancho Verde) 18-7.75* (+3.2)
Div. II (3rd) Ashley Perkins (Norco) 17-11.5
Div. II (6th) Jenna Reynolds (JW North) 17-1.75

Boys Long Jump
Div. I (1st) DJ Lloyd (Vista Murrieta) 23-10.5* (#10 AT)
Div. I (3rd) Nick Ross (Vista Murrieta) 22-8.5*
Div. IV (4th) Troy Watkins (Woodcrest Christian) 21-3.75
Div. II (9th) Reggie Hayes (Norco) 20-3

Girls Triple Jump
Div. II (1st) Ashley Perkins (Norco) 37-9.75*
Div. I (6th) Brittany Bozeman (Rancho Verde) 37-7.5* (+2.2)
Div. IV (4th) Rene Simon (Cal. Chapel-Murrieta) 36-11.75
Div. IV (7th) Jessica Williams (Temecula Prep) 35-8.25

Boys Triple Jump
Div. I (1st) Chris Benard (Santiago) 49-6* (#4 AT)
Div. I (2nd) Ryan Swafford (Vista Murrieta) 48-6.75* (#5 AT)
Div. I (3rd) Nick Ross (Vista Murrieta) 47-7.5* (+2.4)
Div. I (6th) Manny Santiago (ML King) 46-4.25*
Div. II (5th) Andre Hune (Moreno Valley) 44-10.5
Div. IV (3rd) Darian Bailey (Temecula Prep) 44-9.5
Div. IV (4th) Troy Watkins (Woodcrest Christian) 43-11.75
Div. IV (6th) Henry Vildosola (Woodcrest Christian) 42-8.5

Girls Shot Put
Div. I (6th) Lima Tu'ufuli (La Sierra) 39-8.5*
Div. IV (4th) Natalie Chafeh (Notre Dame) 36-1.5
Div. II (9th) Nicole Eves (Palm Springs) 32-2.5

Girls Discus
Div. I (4th) Lynn Patu (Vista Murrieta) 121-6*
Div. I (7th) Tanya Martinez (La Sierra) 110-8

Boys Discus
Div. II (2nd) Wade Jones (Hemet) 160-5*
Div. I 8th) Curtis Romano (Vista Murrieta) 141-7

Similiar to the way be break down the girls team ratings, here are the boys.  The boys were much tougher to figure out as there is a much greater variety of schools represented in the top ranks of each event.  Vista Murrieta has twice the points of our runner-up, Rancho Verde.  JW North is easily #3, but keep in mind - they lost to La Sierra and Ramona this past season in Ivy League action.  La Sierra does not score well under our format but they were the Ivy League Champions again!  Par for the course actually when you traditionally break down the boys' squads from La Sierra and JW North.  La Sierra finished 10th under our format.  Great Oak's 400 relay team not finishing at league finals played a role in their points as they technically, finished right behind Corona and Paloma Valley.  Meanwhile, it's safe to say that the most improved league this year was the Mountain View League with Santiago and Roosevelt (only a 2nd year program!) scoring very well in the #4 and #5 slots.   

2008 Boys' Team Ratings
1. Vista Murrieta
2. Rancho Verde
3. JW North
4. Santiago
5. Roosevelt
6. Great Oak
7. La Sierra
8. Paloma Valley
8. Corona
10. Murrieta Valley
others: Canyon Springs, Chaparral, ML King, Perris, San Jacinto, Vista del Lago

At the end of the season, we like to use league finals' and CIF Prelims' results to compile our team ratings.  At this time of the year, it's easier as each athlete is only entered in four events and one gets a more realistic approach to how these athletes' are utilized by their squads.  Late season injuries and a variety of mishaps here and there figure in all of this as well.  It was VERY close between the top four squads.  And, less than a point separated ML King and JW North, but ML King beat them 69-67 in their dual meet a month ago.  Than, it was very close between our #7 and #11 squads. 

TOP 10 GIRLS' SQUADS
1. Vista Murrieta
2. Great Oak
3. Murrieta Valley
4. Rancho Verde
5. JW North
5. ML King
7. Perris
8. Chaparral
9. Norco
10. Riverside Poly
10. La Quinta
others: Corona, Hemet, La Sierra, Paloma Valley, Santiago 

We've listed the top six per relay.  All relay times have been adjusted to reflect being hand-timed.  ...

Week #3 Updates

Rancho Verde's Relays Still the Meet of Champions!

Week #2 Team Results

Some of County's Best Shine at the "Saddle Up" Invite

Change is in the Air

Norton and Arcos Impress in the Indoors

Link on to Riverside County All-Time Bests for Track & Field

Girls 100 Meters

**Asiah Gooden (Rancho Verde) 12.06 (#15 AT)
***Ashley Marshall (Rancho Verde) 12.20


Girls 200 Meters

**Alycia Herring (Rancho Verde) 24.52 (#9 AT)
**Dynese Adams (Vista Murrieta) 25.24


Girls 400 Meters

***Gabby Estell (Riverside Poly) 56.34 (#10 AT)
*Ericka Nowell (Perris) 56.2 (#11 ...

Girls 800 Meters

**Ashlee Cervantes (Beaumont) 2:15.67 (#8 AT)
-Caitlin Coomber (Vista Murrieta) 2:16.85 ...

Girls 1600 Meters

-Kristina Taylor (Vista Murrieta) 4:59.69 (#5 AT)
**Ashlee Cervantes (Beaumont) ...

Girls 3200 Meters

-Kristina Taylor (Vista Murrieta) 10:57.86 (#5 AT)
-Taryn Pastoor (Murrieta Valley) ...

Girls 100 Hurdles

*Marjani Maldonado (JW North) 14.62 (#13 AT)
-Amber Middleton (Murrieta Valley) 14.62 ...

Girls 300 Hurdles
*Erica Nowell (Perris) 41.4 (#4 AT)
*Marjani Maldonado (JW North) 43.98 (holds ...

Girls 400 Meter Relay

Rancho Verde - 46.20 (#6 AT)
Vista Murrieta - 47.90 (#16 AT)


Girls 1600 Meter Relay

Rancho Verde - 3:51.52 (#16 AT)
Great Oak - 3:54.37
JW North - 3:56.42
Perris ...

Girls High Jump

*Audrey Mitchell (Murrieta Valley) 5'3" 
*Amber Hegwood (Riverside Poly) 5'2"
***Chantia ...

Girls Pole Vault

*Susan Farrar (JW North) 11'6" (#5 AT)
**Calah Ayer (Vista Murrieta) 10'6" ...

Girls Long Jump

**Alycia Herring (Rancho Verde) 20'0.75" (#3 AT) 
*Brittany Bozeman (Rancho ...

Girls Triple Jump

*Brittany Bozeman (Rancho Verde) 38'1" (#8 AT)
*Ashley Perkins (Norco) 37'9.75"  ...

Girls Shot Put

**Lima Tu'ufuli (La Sierra) 41'3" (#8 AT)
*Hanna Lemoa (Norte Vista) 39'10"


Girls Discus
*Shaylynn Fisher (Great Oak) 145'2" (#6 AT)
-Samantha Gutierrez (Temescal Canyon) ...

Boys 100 Meters

-Tommy Curry (JW North) 10.63 (#7 AT)
-Jesse Ooten (Rancho Verde) 10.68 (#11 ...

Boys 200 Meters

*Rodney Storrs (Santiago) 21.27 (#5 AT)
-Tommy Curry (JW North) 21.33 (#6 ...

Boys 400 Meters
*Bryan Adams (Roosevelt) 48.31 (#15 AT)
*Paul Robertson (Rancho Verde) 49.11
-Jabin ...

Boys 800 Meters

*Emmanual Ngula (Vista del Lago) 1:51.87 (#2 AT)
-Raul Arcos (Corona) 1:53.33 (#9 ...

Boys 1600 Meters

-Raul Arcos (Corona) 4:09.65 (#3 AT)
*Noe Ramirez (Vista Murrieta) 4:15.44 (#11 ...

Boys 3200 Meters

-Raul Arcos (Corona) 9:19.49 (#17 AT)
-David McDonald (Vista Murrieta) 9:23.00 (#20 ...

Boys 110 Meter High Hurdles

-Tony Crutchfield (JW North) 14.45
-Mike Powers (Chaparral) 14.58
*Jon Kancilia (Great Oak) ...

Boys 300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles
-Mike Powers (Chaparral) 39.51
*Jaeon Davis (Vista del Lago) 39.52
-Tony Crutchfield (JW North) 39.58


Boys 400 Meter Relay

Santiago - 41.57 (#4 AT)
JW North - 41.73 (#6 AT)
Rancho ...

Boys 1600 Meter Relay

Rancho Verde - 3:14.85 (#4 AT)
Great Oak - 3:17.07 (#5 AT)
Roosevelt ...

Boys High Jump

*Nick Ross (Vista Murrieta) 7'0" (#2 AT)
-Ryan Swafford  (Vista Murrieta) ...

Boys Pole Vault

-Austin Prince (Murrieta Valley) 14'10" (#11 AT)
-Tyler Wallace (Chaparral) 14'6" ...

Boys Long Jump

*DJ Lloyd (Vista Murrieta) 23'11.5" (#10 AT)
*Nick Ross (Vista Murrieta) 23'2"


Boys Triple Jump

-Chris Benard (Santiago) 49'6" (#4 AT) 
-Ryan Swafford (Vista Murrieta) ...

Boys Shot Put

*Jeff Tavishati (Murrieta Valley) 52'1"
-Ryan Reed (Norco) 51'0.25"
-Jake Carr (Vista ...

Boys Discus

-Cody Lynn (Paloma Valley) 168'3" (#21 AT)
-Marcus Pallares (Norte Vista) 164'6"


Play "Denise Lewis Heptathlon"
This is a great opportunity for all of you to get an overview of the different offered events in Track & Field. Since we've linked to this our site, the athletes at Corona High have almost become addicted to this game! Can you score over 9000 points????
The movie is 108k and should take no more than 1 minute to download over a 56k modem. It is designed to be played on computers with at least a 400Mhz processor and users with slower machines may experience performance problems. If the game appears to be running slowly try closing down any other applications you may be running.