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2003 FLYING TIGER INVITATIONAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Louis Amestoy, (909) 652-6529 ext. 235
Bill Troost, (909) 765-2327
THIRTEEN TO DEFEND TITLES AT 2003 FLYING TIGER INVITATIONAL TRACK AND
FIELD MEET
AND, OH BY THE WAY, NORTH’S GIRLS ARE COMING TO THE FLYING TIGER
SAN JACINTO, Calif. Twelve individuals are expected to return to San
Jacinto High School Tiger Stadium to defend their Flying Tiger
Invitational Track and Field Meet championships when 31 schools and more
than 600 athletes arrive April 26 for the ninth running of the meet.
However, this Flying Tiger will take on a decidedly different flair this
year when Riverside John W. North makes its debut at the meet. The
Huskies, the defending state girls champions, are bringing a team loaded
with talented hurdlers, sprinters and jumpers, who will most likely rewrite
the meet and stadium’s record books.
”We’re really excited about North deciding to come to the
Flying Tiger,”
said Bill Troost, the meet’s co-director. This is going to take
the meet to
the next level and this is one of the things that we have been working
toward.”
Even without North’s appearance, the meet will feature some of
the finest
athletes from the Inland Empire and other parts of Southern California.
Four
boys, including Indio’s Greg Garza in the discus, will defend their
titles,
while eight girls, including 2002 state 400-meter finalist Shelese Ruffin,
will defend their titles.
Teams that are expected to compete are: Banning, Beaumont, Big Bear,
Cajon
(San Bernardino), Calvary Chapel/Murrieta, Clairemont (San Diego), Colton,
El Capitan (San Diego), Hamilton (Anza), Hemet, Indio, Martin Luther King
(Riverside), La Salle (Pasadena), Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga), Murrieta
Valley, Norco, John W. North (Riverside), Notre Dame (Riverside), Pacific
(San Bernardino), Paloma Valley (Menifee), Redlands East Valley, Rialto,
Santiago (Corona), Serrano, Temescal Canyon, Twentynine Palms, Valley
View,
Vista Del Lago (Moreno Valley), Yucaipa, Yucca Valley and the hosts San
Jacinto. 20
It’s the girls meet that will feature some of the state’s
highest profile
track and field athletes.
In the 100 meters, freshman DeAna Carson (Vista Del Lago, Moreno Valley),
who set Tiger Stadium records earlier this month in the 100 and 200 meters
(11.98-24.94), will be challenged by North senior Ashlee Brown (11.51).
Temescal Canyon’s Jessica Branker-Sanchez, a CIF Division I finalist,
is
the two-time defending champion in this event and has never lost at Tiger
Stadium.
That’s just one of the major races we expect in the girls division.
In the girls long jump, three of the state’s top competitors are
slated to
compete. Lena Bettis, the defending state champ out of North, and state
leader Gayle Hunter (North, Riverside) will be challenged by Carson, who
has
jumped over 18-feet this season and has a 17-9 performance at Tiger Stadium
already this season.
Then there’s the hurdles and we expect some scorching performances
there.
In the 100 hurdles, North’s Domenique Manning will be challenged
by teammate
Lili Calhoun. In the 300 hurdles, defending state champion Ashlee Brown
will
compete with Calhoun challenging. Also in the field will be defending
Flying
Tiger champion and Tiger Stadium record holder Keri Snow (Norco), who
has
run under 45 seconds this season.
Also expected to compete are: state finalist Liza Pascuito (Murrieta
Valley,
distances), Bonghabih Shey (Murrieta Valley, distances), Lindsay Myers
(Yucaipa, distances), Rachel Corrington (Murrieta Valley, distances),
Cassie
Atkinson (El Capitan, middle distance), Jayme Ambos (Rialto, distances),
Kim
Anderson (Temescal Canyon, weights), Danielle Lampkin (Twentynine Palms,
weights), Renae Matheny (Murrieta Valley, pole vault), Orlisha Henlon
(King,
high jump), Rozlyn Brown (RIalto, hurdles), Marissa Smith (Valley View,
sprints) and many more.
In the boys meet, there could be a spectacular battle for the 1,600 meter
title with several athletes capable of going under 4:20. Defending champion
Kellen Acosta (Murrieta Valley) has already run 4:15.62 this season but
he
will be challenged by junior Joel Cota (Indio), who has turned in a 4:14
effort this season. But there are other challenger as well including Ian
Ritchie (Murrieta Valley), Clayton Dunn (Rialto), Scott Breithaupt (Murrieta
Valley), Brian Baker (Beaumont) and Ryan Allen (Yucaipa). All of those
runners are capable or 4:20 or faster.
In the weight events, Indio’s Greg Garza will look to defend his
title in
the discus, while Murrieta Valley’s Justin Hickman will defend his
title in
the shot put. Hemet junior Adam Simler, a two-time CIF shot put finalist,
is
already off to a good season with several big performances, including
a
57-foot effort.
Also expected to compete are: Kyle Tuttle (Yucca Valley, sprints), Dynamite
Matthews (Twentynine Palms, jumps, sprints), Brian Thompson (Valley View,
hurdles), Jake Symons (Clairemont, hurdles), Chris Miyake (Murrieta Valley)
and many others.
ABOUT THE MEET
The Flying Tiger was established in 1995 as a meet for small schools but
when the San Jacinto Unified School District constructed an all-weather
track at Tiger Stadium, the first such high school facility in western
Riverside County, it drew the interest of larger schools. Through the
years
,
the Flying Tiger has evolved into one of the largest high school track
and
field meets in the Inland Empire. Since 2002, more than 100 CIF finalists
have competed at the Flying Tiger. Some of the notables include Ryan Hall
(Big Bear), Latesha Jones (Rialto), Derrick Johnson (Notre Dame, Riverside)
and Jabria Fields (San Gorgonio, San Bernardino). Tiger Stadium holds
about
3,000 people and the track was resurfaced in 2002.
ABOUT SAN JACINTO
San Jacinto is a fast-growing community of about 30,000 people in the
San
Jacinto Valley of Riverside County. Bordering Hemet to the south, San
Jacinto is an easy drive from other parts of Southern California. San
Jacinto High School’s roots date to the 1880s and is one of the
oldest in
Riverside County.20
FLYING TIGER INVITATIONAL
San Jacinto High School
Tiger Stadium
April 26, 2003
8 a.m.
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