Carson track opens on fast note

Even on a day when its top gun was sidelined because of illness, the Carson High track and field team flashed some quality speed to open the season during a Northern 4A four-way meet held at Spanish Springs.

Julianna King, Caleb Carter, Floyd Hernandez and Christy Works led the sprinters, and Mike Arnold won the pole vault with an impressive effort during competition on an ideal spring day.

"It was a little cold early on, but it turned out to be a great day," first-year Carson coach Robert Maw said of the weather conditions. "We were really happy with the kids. They've been working hard and it showed today."

From a team standpoint, Carson's girls won by a 103-80 score over Bishop Manogue and the boys finished second to Manogue by a 108-68 margin. Spanish Springs and North Valleys were the other two teams that competed in the meet.

Kayla Sanchez, a senior who has already signed to run at Arizona State, missed the opener due to illness, according to Maw.

King, a senior, ran 26.9 to win the girls 200-meter dash, to go along with third-place in the 100 (12.6) and third in the 400 (1:04.4). Works won the 400 in 1:01.7, placed second in the 100 (12.51) and took fourth in the 800 (2:42). The duo also combined with sisters Gloria and Laura Sosa for a wire-to-wire victory in the 4x400 relay (4:20).

Meanwhile, Carter and Hernandez placed second and fourth in the boys 100 with respective times of 10.9 and 11.1. Carter motored to a 22.8 clocking for second-place in the 200, just ahead of Hernandez in third (23.02) and Ean Witter in fifth (23.9). Carter also took fourth in the long jump with a leap of 18-2.

Arnold, a senior who expects to rank among the North's top pole vaulters this spring, won his specialty with a 14-6 clearance.

Carson's girls got a big boost from a 1-2-3 sweep of the long jump. Sarah Anderson won with a leap of 13-5, followed by Kailey Taylor (13-4) and Stephanie Adamson (12-10). Taylor also won the triple jump (30-6 1/2) and Alex Fallon took third (29-1-1/2).

Freshman Brittany Dixon won the girls discus with a throw of 81-6 to go along with a fifth-place mark of 24-1 in the shot put.

Fallon placed second in the 300-meter low hurdles (55.1), just ahead of teammate Caroline Montiel in third (55.2). Anderson and Montiel placed second and third in the 100-meter hurdles with respective times of 17.6 and 21.1.

In the distance events, Richard Shroy ran a personal record 4:57 to place third in the boys 1,600, followed by Logan Philippi in fourth (5:10). Shroy placed in the 3,200 (10:56) and Evan Richards fourth. Gloria Sosa also placed second in the girls 800 (2:37), while Jenny Mital placed third in the 3,200 (13:54) and fourth in the 1,600 (6:07).

Luke Carter, Mike McSweeney, Witter and Hernandez combined to place third in the 4x100 relay (46.0).

Other highlights for the Senators included: Brandon Buonacorsi third in the 400 (1:01.8); David McMasters fourth (2:16) and Robby Barlow fifth (2:17) in the 800; Phillip O'Neal fourth (17.26) and Luke Carter fifth (17.9) in the 110 high hurdles; Nick Peternell fourth in the high jump (5-6); Chris Coninago fourth in the pole vault (9-6).

On the girls side, Kelsea Chicuara placed third (29.3) and Amy Ward fifth (29.7) in the 200; Gloria and Laura Sosa fourth and fifth (1:05.5 and 1:09.9) in the 400; Alissa Sharp fourth (4-4) in the high jump and fourth in the pole vault (7-0); Adamson fifth in the pole vault (6-6); Meredith Hutchins fifth (21.3) in the 100 hurdles; and Michelle Landry fifth in the discus (62-1).

"It was a great day. We set the bar, now we want to keep raising it," said Maw, who will take a small group of athletes to the Sacramento State Classic at Hornet Stadium next Saturday.