O.C. Athletes Make Their Mark

SACRAMENTO — Travis Vandrovec of Fountain Valley High and Scott Moser of Huntington Beach took opposite routes Friday but still posted top marks to qualify for tonight’s finals of the state track and field championships.

Vandrovec, the Sunset League, Southern Section Division I and Masters Meet champion, tried to avoid the heat by staying under an umbrella while waiting for his turn to qualify in the pole vault at Sacramento City College. He emerged to compete three times, clearing the bar each time on his first attempt. He nicked the bar at 14 feet 8 inches and again at 15 feet.

Moser, also a Sunset League, Southern Section and Masters Meet champion, needed only his first toss to set the tone in the boys’ discus. Moser is the defending state champion and set the state record of 213-11 this year. He tossed it 190-7 Friday, then passed on his final two attempts. Rancho Cucamonga’s John Bello, who has been chasing Moser all season, was second at 186-4.

“I was just looking to qualify,” Moser said. “I just stepped out of the ring on my final two attempts.”

Later, however, Moser failed to qualify in the shotput.

Vandrovec said he was nervous as he waited to compete in the pole vault, but after watching several jumpers with better qualifying marks than his 14-6, miss first attempts at 14-8, he gained confidence.

“Hopefully, I can beat them on height if [today’s] finals are close,” he said.

Jim Norum of Brea Olinda qualified fourth in the discus at 170-5.

Lester DeRaad of Tustin easily cleared 6-8 to qualify in the high jump. El Toro’s Elliott Parks, the county record-holder and defending state champion, also cleared 6-8 to qualify.

Mission Viejo’s Ashley Bethel qualified fifth in the long jump (18-3 1/4), went 5-5 in the high jump to qualify and also made today’s final in the 110-meter high hurdles. Tayyiba Haneef of Laguna Hills went 5-6 in the high jump. Carrie Axton of Los Amigos qualified in the discus with a toss of 141-7, fifth best mark of the day.

Sarah Highan of Mission Viejo and Katie Rorem of Marina both went 11-4 to qualify in the pole vault.

Running events began in the early afternoon with a head wind of nearly 2 mph. Bethel came out of the starting blocks high but held off Hannah Cooper of Hawthorne to win her heat in the 100-meter high hurdles in 14.49 seconds, third best time of the day.

The Woodbridge girls’ 400-meter relay team (47.57) got an explosive anchor leg from Jackie Dix to grab the final qualifying spot.

In that same heat, Long Beach Wilson was disqualified for a bad handoff. The Bruins were expected to challenge Playa del Rey St. Bernard and Long Beach Poly for the girls’ team title. Poly won the heat in a time of 45.84.

St. Bernard set the pace for tonight’s finals by setting a state meet mark and recording the nation’s second-best time, 45.08.

Dominique DeGrammont of Tustin had a terrible start, trailed going into the third hurdle, but still won his heat in the boys’ 110-meter high hurdles with a time of 14.04, second best to Sharif Paxton of Los Angeles Crenshaw (13.92). Kenyon Rambo of Long Beach Poly had the third-best time (14.05). DeGrammont and Al Williams of Irvine qualified in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.

The laces on the right shoe of Summer Shaw of Huntington Beach came loose on the final lap of her 800-meter heat and her second-place time of 2:16.16 was not good enough to qualify. But Liz Morse of Corona del Mar ran the third-best time of the day (2:13.38) and qualified, as did Makia Nelson of Brea Olinda (2:14.95).