MOORPARK TRACK TEAM FLIRTING WITH GREATNESS; 10-0 RECORD INDICATES DOMINANCE.Byline: Jim Inghram Daily News Staff Writer After four events against 10 opponents, the one thing that the Moorpark College Moorpark College is a California-state funded community college located on a 134 acre (542,000 m²) property reclining on a hill in Moorpark, a town in Ventura County, California. women's track team is still in search of is . . . competition. The team is 10-0, has run away, literally and figuratively, from the competition and is one of the best teams in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . An excellent combination of talent, depth and the ability to score in almost every event has merged to form a potential powerhouse. ``All of those things put together give us some promise,'' Moorpark track coach Doni Green said. ``We get numerous girls finishing first and high finishes in other events, and we're able to compile points.'' Green, who guided the men's cross country team to a state title in the fall, is pleased with what he has seen early, but he cautioned that the team needs to keep progressing in order to compete with the elite. ``We need to keep going in the right direction,'' Green said. ``We've had some good times, but some of them have come unchallenged. I'd like to see how we do when we're challenged.'' Said assistant coach John Keever: ``If we can keep everyone healthy I think some good things can happen.'' Keever, the school's athletic director Athletic director (commonly, "athletics director") is a position at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, which oversees the work of the coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic , is in charge of the field events. The team's next event, March 20 against Bakersfield and Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. at Bakersfield, will give the team a better idea of where it fits in. ``Those two teams will be our best competition,'' Green said. A recent invitational with Cuesta cuesta (kwĕs`tə), asymmetric ridge characterized by a short, steep escarpment on one side, and a long, gentle slope on the other. The steep side exposes the edge of erosion-resistant rock layers that form the cuestas. , Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. and Hancock illustrates the Raiders' domination. In that event, Moorpark had 13 first-place finishes. The Raiders had 110 points, Cuesta was second with 28, Santa Monica had 19 and Hancock 15. Dolores Dolores (or Delores) was a common given name (until the 1960s in the USA); it is cognate with the English word "dolorous" (meaning sorrowful) and equivalent in meaning. Tuimoloau had three first-place finishes (shot put, hammer and 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. ), Erica Arana (pole vault pole vault Track-and-field event consisting of a vault for height over a crossbar with the aid of a long pole. It became a competitive sport in the mid-19th century and was included in the first modern Olympic Games. , long jump) and Stacey Higgins (100 meters, 200 meters) had two each while Shannon Livingston (100 hurdles), Chrystall De Naeyer (400 meters), Catrina Carruth (800 meters) and Chelsea Christensen (400 hurdles) had one each. The team also captured the 400 relay and 1,600 relay. ``It's pretty balanced,'' Green said. ``We have hurdlers, sprinters and throwers that all can score.'' It's established that the team has talent and depth, but it takes more than that to make a winner. The biggest factor, according the team members, is commitment. ``There is a lot of dedication on this team,'' Livingston, a sophomore from 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. , said. ``Sometimes we all don't make it to practice on the same day, but everyone puts in their time.'' Said Christensen, a sophomore from Newbury Park, ``There is a lot of talent, but people are very committed to to their sport and are able to excel in their events. We also have excellent coaching.'' Field events specialist Amanda Grubb agreed, but added another facet. ``Teamwork is a big part of it,'' she said. ``Everyone listens to the coaches. And the younger ones, like me, have learned from the older athletes who have been through it.'' Others that have contributed to the team's success are Korene Bronkowski, Burgandy Dreiling, Teresa Kenhamer, Jennifer Kinard, Denaye Lakotich, Brandy Lara, Jennifer Milgram, Stacey Riggio and Silvia Velasquez. ``Things are going well right now,'' Green said. ``We have to just stay focused and keep improving.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Amanda Grubb is one of a handful of talented throwers for Moorpark College. John McCoy/Daily News |
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