Jim Riggio
ARCADIA-- Hoover High track and field Coach Greg Switzer said has
seen many races in his career.
Friday evening in the Pacific League finals at Arcadia High, Switzer
was able to link the varsity girls' 800-meter race between Hoover's Anita
Siraki and Crescenta Valley's Janelle Del Soldato to a race he had
witnessed 21 years ago in the Foothill League finals.
Switzer, who coached at Burroughs High at the time, said Paul Murphy,
his top 800-meter runner, defeated Burbank's Jeff Nelson in the 800.
Nelson is the national record holder in the two-mile run.
"It was just like that race," Switzer said. "A distance runner just
doesn't have the speed in the end."
Sure enough, Siraki, who has the fastest time in the nation in the
3,200 this year, was outdistanced by Del Soldato in the 800, as she ran a
personal best 2 minutes 14.4 seconds.
Siraki finished second to the former Falcon sprinter, running 2:15.62.
"I wasn't expecting it," said Del Soldato of her time, which is the
11th best mark in the state this year. "I had no idea what I was going to
go."
The loss in the girls' 800 by Siraki was the only one Hoover would
have in the varsity distance events.
The Tornadoes took the boys' 800, 1,600 and 3,200-meter titles, as
Ivan Alvarado won the 800 and Efrain Olivares took the other two. Siraki
won both the girls' 1,600 and 3,200, setting a meet record in the latter.
Crescenta Valley's Jason Hogan ran big in the 400, where he placed
second in 50.74 seconds.
Although he ran on the frosh-soph level, CV freshman Brent Smith had
an outstanding meet, winning the 200 meters ahead of Daniel Nembhard of
Pasadena, who is the Bullodgs' top running back on the football team.
Emily Forstyhe won her specialty, the high jump, going five feet four
inches.
Glendale High's Sam Waldbaum soared high in taking the pole vault with
a best of 13 feet 6 inches.
Teammate Ebony Henry qualified for CIF in both the 110-meter high and
300 intermediate hurdles, finishing third and second.
Glendale's Robert Cousens also had a solid day, as he qualified for
CIF in the 800.
The top three finishers in each event qualify for the CIF
preliminaries, May 13.
