Last Year's Top Seniors at State
How'd the first year at the next level go??
Male Athletes Today!!
Doug Speck - DyeStatCal Editor

Tough to follow all the levels at once? We find it challenging also
Here's a report on the top senior finishers form the 2006 State Meet
and how they did their first year in College

MALES TODAY
In Event Order from Last Year's State Finals

AJ Acosta - 1600 Meters - (El Camino, Oceanside - UNIVERSITY OF OREGON) - AJ had a fine first year at Oregon, with a summer track and field season last year that extended into August, where unfortunately he fell during his heat of the 1500 meters in Beijing at the World Jr Track Championships. He red-shirted Cross Country and had a fine spring, with this past weekend a 9th in the NCAA Regional at Duck-Land in 3:48.43. Interestingly, rival Michael Coe (Cabrillo HS/Cal Berkeley) was 10th at 3:48.71! AJ was 5th in the Pac-10 1500 at 3:48.30 helping his team to the win there, with a seasonal best of 3:42.40 in late April and a 14:10.47 for 5000m on the track from late March. Solid first season, with the first year away from home, different coaching, etc. a challenge for many. He’s still looking for that sub-4 mile, with the 3:42.40 about a second short equivalent-wise. 

 

Richard Sherman - High Hurdles (Dominguez, Compton - STANFORD UNIVERSITY) - Good first year for the Cardinals in the jumps, Richard had a 14.55 seasonal best for the High Hurdles over the 42" barriers, showing fine adjustment to the higher height barriers. He placed in the Pac 10 in the Triple Jump, 5th at 49-09.25w, and was 9th in that competition in the long Jump. He had seasonal bests of 50-00 in the Triple Jump and 23-03.5 in the Long Jump.


Rich Gonzalez photo

Tran Howell 400 Meters (Los Angeles HS - LA SOUTHWEST COLLEGE) - Moved on to LA Southwest Community College and had some fine results through mid-April, with 21.09 (200) and 47.65 (400) bests, and added a 23-00 Long Jump best. He did not show up in Community College Championship Results.

Rodney Glass 100 Meters (Notre Dame HS, Sherman Oaks - ARIZONA STATE) - Seasonal best of 10.54 in the 100 from late April, Rodney was a narrow non-qualifier for the Pac 10 Finals in the Century event, racing 10.80 in the Pac 10 Prelims. He does have another sport, with the Sun Devil tailback moved to wide receiver by new Coach Dennis Erickson this spring, and Rodney received some rave reviews for his potential at that position. He will also help with the Devil kick return team, so tun in during the fall to see him playing.

Scott Crawford 800 Meters (Oak Ridge HS, El Dorado Hills - UCLA) - Crawford went on to UCLA where he had an 800 meter best of 1:54.16 for the Bruins from early March and did not seem to show up in later season results.

David Klech 300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles (California HS, San Ramon - UCLA) - Klech was anotther who headed to Bruin-Land, with 14.82 (42" HH) and 52.13 (400M Intermeidate) bests through mid-April in the sport. David suffered from hamstring, ankle, and quadricep injuries and David and Coach Tony Veney of UCLA spoke optimistically about the future in an interview just a week ago.


Rich Gonzalez photo

Devin Mays 200 Meters (Lincoln HS, Stockton - CITY COLLEGE OF SAN FRANCISCO) - Devin was at City College of San Francisco this past season, and was 5th in the Nor Cal Community College Finals in the 200 at 21.91 and he had a seasonal best there of 21.75. He had a best of 10.89 for the 100 meter event, with City College a snappy 4x100 team that raced 40.49 this spring and they were the state runner-ups with that mark.

Ben Sitler 3200 Meters (St. Francis HS, Mountain View - PRINCETON) - Ben had a fine cross-country season, with a school paper promo for the big “Heps” Fall Cross Country meet including the following quote: “ Another potential star this weekend is Ben Sitler, the Tigers' sole freshman competing at the Heps. Sitler made a smooth and quick transition into college running and has consistently been one of Princeton's top runners.” Ben was fourth on the team during the Fall Cross Country NCAA Regional Meet, placing a fine 30th there, with the squad finishing fourth out of twenty-five squads and disappointed to not receive an entry into the NCAA Division I Championship Meet. Indoors and outdoors in track Ben had a reduced schedule, with an 8:30.17 indoors for 3k and 14:37.84 outdoors, fine efforts in the couple of races he was indicated with results in.

Staphon Arnold - High Jump (Colony HS, Ontario - AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY) - Arnold was 6th at the NAIA Indoor Nationals with a best of 6-09.25, helping his squad to the National title in the sport. 


John Dye photo

Scott Roth - Pole Vault - (Granite Bay HS - UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON) - Scott has had a fine first year for the Huskies, with an 18-01.75 indoor best and 17-10.75 this outdoor season. He was eleventh in the NCAA indoor title meet, and was second this past weekend at the Western Regional competition at 17-05. He was runner-up in the PAC-10 outdoor meet at 17-10.5, and was ranked sixth on the NCAA outdoor list prior to this past weekend with his 2007 outdoor top mark.

Reynold Holmes Long Jump - (Loyola HS, LA - YALE UNIVERSITY) - Reynold had a fine Ivy League season this spring, with a 23-06 best for 7th in the Conference competition, and he was on the school’s 41.43 4x1 relay there, with Harvard-Westlake’s Brandon Giles another member of the fourth place team.

Zuheir Sharif Triple Jump - (Franklin HS, Elk Grove - TEXAS A&M) - Zuheir made the jump the program that Pat Henry is building at Texas A&M and had a super frosh year. Sharif was the Big 12 Indoor Conference Champ at 52-01.25, a mark that has held up as his yearly best, with a ninth place in the NCAA Indoor Division I Championships in March. This past weekend he was second in the Midwest Regional in the TJ at 51-10.5w, with a 52-00.5w outdoors for third in the Big 12 Conference Meet. He sits 14th on the NCAA Divison I lists prior to this past Regional weekend.

Darius Savage Shot Put Discus - (Morse HS, San Diego - UCLA) - Savage had a super first year at Bruin-ville, throwing the Shot Put 59-03 and the Discus an impressive 200-05 and leaving Coach Art Venegas, who has coached the best, with very positive comments on the San Diegan In an April interview Art noted that throwers like John Godina had bests of 58 feet and 188 feet as first year UCLA athletes. In a tough Pac 10 Conference Meet he was 8th in both the Discus and the Shot with 58-08 and 189-01 efforts, with only redshirt frosh Ryan Whiting from Arizona State ahead of him at his grade level. He was 9th in the past weekend’s Regional Shot Put at 57-07.5 and 12th in the Discus at 182-09. Darius hopes to play for the Bruins in football in the fall, with part of his scholarship the ability to do track all spring season.

Message board! Message board!