GIRLS' TRACK AND FIELD DAILY NEWS ALL-AREA TEAM AND HIGHLIGHTS.Byline: MATTHEW KREDELL/ STAFF WRITER Athlete of the Year Athlete of the Year
ELIZABETH OLEAR Louisville, Sr. Though she did not win a state title, Olear was happy with the way she finished a high-school career that put her behind only Allyson Felix Allyson Felix (born November 18, 1985 in Los Angeles, California) is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for the United States in the 200 meters. Felix, born and raised in southern California, is also a devout Christian and is the daughter of an ordained and Marion Jones Marion Jones, also known as Marion Jones-Thompson (born October 12, 1975 in Los Angeles, California), is an American former athlete in track and field. She was the winner of five medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, which she later relinquished after among the area's best prep sprinters of all time.For the first time since her freshman year, Olear finished the season running in peak form. No nagging hamstring injuries hamstring injury Sports medicine A muscle injury of biceps femoris, seen in sprinters and runners, when a contracted muscle meets a lengthening force, overpowering intrinsic muscle resiliency Management RICE, NSAIDs, gradual ↑ of pain-free activity–eg, were holding her back.Her best was good enough for two second-place finishes Noun 1. second-place finish - a finish in second place (as in a race) runner-up finish finish - designated event that concludes a contest (especially a race); "excitement grew as the finish neared"; "my horse was several lengths behind at the finish"; "the in the state. The USC-bound athlete's season was more impressive when looked at from a national perspective. She ranked third in nation with her time of 11.45 in the 100 meters at the Masters meet, and fourth in the nation with her 23.36 in the 200 meters at the state prelims. She also placed second in the 200 at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. For her career, Olear earned three seconds, a third and two fourth-place finishes at state. Coach of the Year LAWRENCE WEBSTER Louisville One of the smallest schools in the area ended up scoring the most points at the state finals, with much credit to Webster. Elizabeth Olear, a youth phenom phe·nom n. Slang A phenomenon, especially a remarkable or outstanding person. in track, chose to attend Louisville because of her respect for Webster, who had coached her older sister. Webster not only coached Olear to two second-place finishes and high jumper Camilla Dencer to another, but he also got the 1,600-meter relay team to the state finals. Overall, it was by far the best track performance in school history. Newcomer of the Year NICOLE NICOLE Nearly Intelligent Computer Operated Language Examiner (chatterbot) BLOOD Royal, Sr. Blood moved with her family from New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of to California prior to the season. Back East, prep track wasn't a challenge to her anymore. After leading the nation in the 1,600 meters as a sophomore, she didn't compete in high school as a junior. She found California more difficult. After an enjoyable back-and-forth rivalry with Saugus' Shannon Murakami during the postseason, she faded at the end of the state finals to finish fifth. Still, her best time placed her seventh in the country. First Team NIJIA NELMS NELMS New England League of Middle Schools Birmingham, So. Sprints Won the City Section title in the 100 meters for the second year in a row and upset defending champion defending champion n (SPORT) → defensor/a m/f del título defending champion n (Sport) → champion(ne) en titre Myra Hasson of Gardena in the 200, running personal bests of 11.97 and 24.32. She couldn't match those times at the state prelims but was an alternate in both races with 11th-place finishes, a top-three display for an underclassman. BROOKE RUSSELL Hart, Sr. Distance Russell had long done well in the Foothill League but struggled when facing elite runners in the postseason. This year she made it all the way to the state meet to take part in the best field of 1,600 runners in California history. SHANNON MURAKAMI Saugus, Jr. Distance Murakami could have done well in all three distance races at state. She finished the season ranked third in the state and fourth in the country in the 1,600 (4:43.04), second in the state in the 800 (2:10.03), an event in which she was the national leader, and fifth in the 3,200 (10.35.90). That she chose to focus on the 1,600 and face the toughest field in state history for the event shows her competitiveness. She finished third in a race that featured six of the top 12 times in the nation. ANNA SPERRY Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. , Jr. Distance With two of the top distance runners distance runner n. A runner who competes in distance races. in the nation nearby, Sperry often was overshadowed. Her personal best of 4:46.77 in the 1,600 at the Southern Section Div. II finals placed her seventh in the state. She ended up finishing seventh in the state finals as well, though she slipped back over 4:50 for both races the final weekend. CAMILLA DENCER Louisville, Sr. Jumps With Dencer's help, Louisville became known for more than just Elizabeth Olear. Dencer finished second in the state in the high jump, giving the school eight of its 24 points for a third-place team finish. She also ran the opening leg of the 1,600-meter relay that made it to the state finals. LAUREN MOORE Saugus, Sr. Jumps Moore consistently cleared the minimum height needed to advance in the high jump, giving Saugus three girls in the state finals. She jumped 5-5 for a seventh-place finish in the state. Her personal best was a 5-6 to win the Foothill League title, as she swept the long, triple and high jump events. JEANETTE McCONNELL Saugus, Sr. Throws McConnell gave Saugus two medalists at state by placing fourth in the discus discus /dis·cus/ (dis´kus) pl. dis´ci [L.] disk. dis·cus n. pl. dis·ci A flat circular surface; a disk. discus pl. disci [L.] 1. with a throw of 144-10. The Div. I champion in the discus and the shot put nearly made it to the finals in a second event, finishing one spot out of advancing with 10th place in the shot put at the state prelims. LAUREN REID Rio Mesa, Sr. Jumps After battling injuries the past two seasons, Reid was able to fulfill some of the potential she displayed as a freshman. Reid missed the end of her sophomore season with a hamstring injury, then all of her junior year because of a turn anterior cruciate ligament anterior cruciate ligament n. Abbr. ACL The cruciate ligament of the knee that crosses from the anterior intercondylar area of the tibia to the posterior part of the lateral condyle of the femur. in her left knee. With her left leg still weak, Reid learned to jump off her right leg this year. She finished fifth in the state, jumping a personal record 19-4 3/4 along the way. CAPTION(S): 11 photos, 5 boxes Photo: (1) ELIZABETH OLEAR (2) LAWRENCE WEBSTER (3) NICOLE BLOOD (4) NIJIA NELMS (5) BROOKE RUSSELL (6) SHANNON MURAKAMI (7) ANNA SPERRY (8) CAMILIA DENCER (9) LAUREN MOORE (10) JEANETTE McCONNELL (11) LAUREN REID Box: (1) Second Team (2) Honorable Mention (3) Top 10 (4) Season's Top Times (5) Best Race |
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