MOORPARK -- Oak Park junior Sylvia Cruz-Albrecht was among three meet record-setters and six double-invitational winners at the Ventura County Championships on Friday night at Moorpark High School.
Cruz-Albrect won the 1600 meters in a meet-record time of 4:50.83, the No. 9 time in CA this season. She eclipsed the old best of 4:53.54 set by Anna Sperry (Simi Valley) in 2007.
Oaks Christain junior Cristian Moore took down the 100-meter record with a wind-legal 10.59 (2.0 meters per second), lowering the standard of 10.63 clocked by multiple runners.
And, when the meet was over, teams were packing up and most of the crowd was left, Westlake freshman Paige Sommers cleared 12-9 in the pole vault to not only break the previous meet record of 12-7 set by Holly Tokar (Ventura) in 2013, but also raise herself to the No. 1 ranking in the US among girls in the class of 2021.
Sommers (Jeffrey Parenti photo above) made three attempts at 13-0, which was announced as the state record for the class, and nearly cleared on her final attempt before the bar wiggled and hesitated before falling onto Sommers.
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After her stellar 1600 early in the meet, Cruz-Albrecht came back to defend her title in the 800m, running 2:17.02, winning the sprint with Oaks Christian sophomore Hannah Wilson (2:17.15) and Westlake junior Claire Adams (2:17.91). Cruz-Albrecht capped her night by anchoring Oak Park's 4x400 relay team to a victory in the seeded section (4:13.74, No. 6 time overall).
She wasn't the only Ventura County star to defend a title.
Calabasas junior sprinter DeAnna Nowling had an excellent meet, winning the 100 (11.75/2.0), 200 (24.32/1.5) and helping her 4x100 relay team to victory (47.23).
In defending her County Championships title in the 200, Nowling was a little slower year-over-year (24.32 vs. 23.78 in 2017) but it was enough to hold off the youthful charge behind her from a pair of speedy freshman sprinters in Oaks Christian's Jahzara Richardson (24.87) and Oxnard's Arissa Thompson (24.91).
Nowling, who ranks No. 2 in CA in the 100 (11.59) and No. 4 in the 200, easily won the 100, with that same freshman pair right behind with Richardson (12.15) in second and Thompson (12.19) in third.
Calabasas, which has posted the state's fifth-fastest time in the 4x100 (46.72), finished ahead of Simi Valley (48.08) or Oaks Christian (48.35).
Another junior, Kyla Robinson-Hubbard, also left Moorpark High on Friday night with three invitational golds: 4x1 relay, 400 (57.24) and 300 hurdles (43.82). In defending her title in the 300 hurdles, she lowered her time year-over-year from 43.93 to 43.82. Robinson-Hubbard ranks No. 2 in CA in the long hurdles with a best of 42.31 set the previous week at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Oxnard senior Chase Wells, running at what he estimated to be about 80 percent following a hamstring injury, won the 200 (21.84) and 400 (48.74). He also anchored Oxnard's 4x100 relay team (44.08).
Grace Brethren's Jermel Jones won the long jump (22-08.75) and triple jump (22-08.75).
Oaks Christain senior Talin Lewis, just rounding back into condition following an ankle injury suffered during the basketball playoffs, set PRs in three events and also anchored the winning 4x400 relay team (3:23.27). Lewis won the 300 hurdles (38.36) and was second in both the 110 hurdles (15.08) and runner-up to Jones in the long jump (22-04). Lewis, who was third in the 300 hurdles here last year (40.04), is a two-time CIF-Southern Section divisional finalist in the 300 hurdles (runner-up last season in D4).
Ventura senior Cody Beeson, 3200 winner in 2017 (9:27.69) didn't try to defend in the eight-lapper but did win the 1600m (4:22.16), holding off Thousand Oaks junior Mitchell Burr at the finish (4:22.90).
Beeson also ran fifth in the 800 (1:58.83) behind winner Brett Beattie, a senior at Buena, whose 1:58.21, took gold in a race that saw the top seven all finish within .71.
Those chasing Beattie: Oak Park sophomore Preston Green (1:58.25), Westlake sophomore Michael Han (1:58.64) and Simi Valley sophomore Nicholas Williams (1:58.74), Beeson, Camarillo junior Seth Meline (1:58.89 and Foothill Technology junior Henry Pick (1:58.93).
NOTES:
- Ventura junior Carlos Aviles, the CA leader in both throws, did not compete. He won the shot put here as a sophomore (59-09.75). Reuben Jacob (Hueneme) won the shot (52-08.50) with Jake Radwan (Newbury Park) second 52-03. Dexter Stephens (Simi Valley) won the discus throw (178-00) with Gino Cruz (Newbury Park) second (173-01).
- Camarillo senior Sean McCarthy won the 3200 (9:30.27) running away from Ventura junior Charlie Hammel (9:33.16) over the last 200m. McCarthy was fifth in the eight-lap race as a junior (9:42.49).
- Cynthia Tuzak, who won the discus throw in 2017, won the shot this year (39-00.75). While she improved her discus mark by more than six inches from last year, 127-05 was only good for second place this year behind teammate Talya Belgin (132-01.00). Belgin was fifth in the DT as a junior (109-05). Tuzak was third in the SP as a junior (36-05.50).
- Moorpark won the boys 4x100 meter relay at the Ventura County Championships for the first time. The team of senior Mason Thompson, senior Naigle Chapman, junior Jackson Ferrato and junior Franklin Ruvalcaba clocked 42.44 to hold off Buena (42.65) and Simi Valley (42.84).
- Simi Valley junior Riley Hunt posed a double-PR in winning the 110 hurdles (14.56/1.2) and placing second to Lewis in the 300 hurdles (39.19).