Track And Field

Ginny English had a decision to make prior to her junior year at Burbank High. She had just completed her sophomore season with the Bulldog track and field team in which she set a lower-division school record in the girls' pole vault. Things looked set for her final two seasons in track, as she had her sights set on breaking the varsity pole vault mark. The only problem was English was also a member of the Burbank choir, and singing had become an important part of her life.

GLENDALE ? It took less than a year before Matt Tappin suffered his first concussion. Then 11 months old, Tappin was on his concrete driveway at his Altadena home when his Rottweiler, Fred, knocked him over while chasing a squirrel. Tappin said he hit the back of his head on the driveway, leading to his initial concussion. What Tappin, who starred in football and track and field at Flintridge Prep before moving on to Washington University in St. Louis, couldn't fathom was that he would suffer at least 10 more concussions over an 18-year stretch.

GLENDALE — One of the best seasons in program history for Holy Family’s track and field came to an end on Friday. Competing in the Horizon League finals at Cantwell Sacred Heart in Montebello, the Gaels did not capture any individual league titles and failed to qualify any athletes or relay teams for the CIF Southern Section prelims. But with a league team tri-title already in hand, the school’s first since 1992, Coach Robert Bringas said it was a season of great accomplishment for the Gaels nonetheless.

NORWALK — Having overachieved all year in putting together a highly competitive season that culminated in qualifying five athletes for the CIF finals, the members of the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy track and field team could have been happy just to be at the 2010 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals at Cerritos College on Saturday. The Tologs came to race, though, and put a fitting exclamation point on the end of a surprising campaign with a fifth-place finish by sophomores Drew Washington and Stephanie Vargas and freshmen Daelyn Moon and Noelle Niederhaus in the Division IV 4x400-yard relay to close a day that also saw sophomore standout Paulina Antaplyan close out her rookie season with two personal records and another pair of fifth-place finishes in her individual events.

NORWALK — Cecilia Nicolas hoped to break the Glendale Community College women's track and field record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, but winning was the only thing on her mind in the middle of the race. Nicolas hit both marks, as she took first and bested the previous record by about four seconds with a time of 11 minutes 06.26 seconds Saturday in the 2012 California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College. "I wanted to break the school record, but at the same time, I wasn't worried about the time, just go and push to the end," Nicolas said.

NORWALK — On June 2, 1979, at Sacramento’s Hughes Stadium, then Glendale High senior Lee Balkin turned in the greatest high jump performance ever to be recorded at the CIF State Track and Field Championships. Twenty-nine years later, his record-breaking leap of 7 feet, 3 1/4 inches still stands as the meet record. For his efforts, Balkin was one of four athletes honored in a special ceremony prior to the start of Saturday’s 90th version of the state championships at Cerritos College.

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE - Though the Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy and St. Francis High track and field teams lost in a Mission League dual meet Thursday afternoon to Alemany at St. Francis, the Tologs and Golden Knights opted to look ahead toward the end of the regular season. Flintridge Sacred Heart is looking for its athletes to gradually reduce their times leading up to the Mission League final in early May. While St. Francis showed some signs of fatigue while taking part in their fourth league meet in as many weeks, there may be good news on the horizon for the Golden Knights in their bid to get back on track.

VALLEY GLEN — Strategy can go a long way for Neil Jones. When pounding the all-weather tracks across Southern California, there's many things to consider for the Glendale Community College men's track and field athlete. Even the smallest detail can make the slightest difference. Jones shook off the hot weather in the heart of the San Fernando Valley, winning two individual events to help Glendale college win the men's portion of a six-team Western State Conference meet Friday afternoon at L.A. Valley College.

CLOVIS - Although he didn't walk away with a top three medal, Glendale High junior Michael Davis earned something he can carry with him into next season. Davis can consider himself one of the state's best athletes, having advanced to Saturday's final day of the prep track and field season at the CIF State Championships at Buchanan High after finishing seventh in the 200-meter run with a time of 21.82 seconds. "I didn't do my best, so I'm a little disappointed," Davis said.

BURBANK - There have been a number of close calls for the Crescenta Valley High boys' and girls' track and field teams this season. That wasn't the case Wednesday for the Falcons in a Pacific League tri-meet with Hoover and host Burroughs, as both CV squads picked up commanding sweeps. "We've got some kids who are healthy who maybe haven't been yet this year so they're starting to feel better and race a lot better," Crescenta Valley Coach Mark Evans said. "I think we're coming around, the training is paying off and we're starting to peak when we want to. " Crescenta Valley's boys dominated all five field events - thanks to wins from Parker Averill in the shot put with a mark of 36 feet 11.5 inches and discus at 110-6 - en route to a 109-31 victory over the Indians (2-3)

Somewhere between uncertainty and faith is where Crescenta Valley High sophomore Megan Melnyk finds herself. The La Crescenta resident is one of three local athletes who qualified to Friday night's prestigious CIF Southern Section Track and Field Masters Meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk. Melnyk is slated to participate in the girls' 800-meter run at 7:22 p.m., either hoping to garner a top-six finish or hit the at-large qualifying mark of 2 minutes, 12.10 seconds to advance to the following week's season-ending CIF State Track and Field Championships at Clovis Buchanan High on May 31 and June 1. Ask Melnyk how she punched her ticket to the Masters Meet and her answer is part fact, part fable.

A year ago Grace Graham-Zamudio settled for runner-up, third- and fourth-place finishes at the state championships. The Glendale Community College women's track and field star wouldn't settle for anything less that first in 2013. It resulted in Zamudio leaving the California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field State Championships, which was held at the College of San Mateo, and Glendale college with a triple crown. “The last race was definitely special, I know during the last lap I was thinking, 'This is my last lap as a Vaquero,'” said Zamudio, who capped off an incredible two-year career with the team by winning the 1,500-meter race in four minutes 36.13 seconds and the 5,000-meter in 17:41.

WALNUT - While Saturday afternoon marked the conclusion of the season for the majority of local competitors, Glendale High's Michael Davis, Crescenta Valley's Megan Melnyk and St. Francis' Caleb Simmeth proved themselves masters of advancing at the CIF Southern Section Divisional Track and Field Championships at Mt. San Antonio College. All three competitors qualified to the following week's Masters Meet at Cerritos College by posting a qualifying finish. Maybe there was no surprise that Davis, a state qualifier, would advance in the 200-meter run. The BYU-bound senior recovered from a disappointing effort in the 100 by finishing second in Division I in the 200 with a mark of 21.39 seconds.

In beginning her quest Friday to win a triple crown at the California Community College Track and Field Championships, Grace Zamudio didn't change her racing strategy. With a light breeze blowing, the Glendale Community College women's distance runner broke past the starting line in the 10,000-meter event and paced herself before breaking away from the pack in the final mile. Zamudio cleared the first hurdle in her quest to win three state championships, as she clocked 37 minutes:22.19 seconds to win the event at College of San Mateo and earn her first state title in track and field.

Qualifying to Saturday's CIF Southern Section Track and Field Divisional Championships at Mt. San Antonio College required the local entrants who earned such advancement to turn in very good results at last weekend's divisional prelims all over Southern California. This weekend, however, the bar will be raised from very good to exceptional. Of course, that's to be expected as divisional championships and CIF-Southern Section Masters Meet berths are on the line with the trip to Cerritos College available for the top 12 finishers in the 800-meter, 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs and top nine in every other event.

Having already captured three Western State Conference and Southern California championships, Grace Zamudio would next like to make a name for herself statewide. The Glendale Community College standout distance runner will seek to complete the task when she takes to the track Friday and Saturday at the California Community College Athletic Assn. Track and Field State Championships at College of San Mateo. The sophomore will look to close out her fabulous career at Glendale by attempting to win the 10,000-meter race Friday and the 5,000 and 1,500 on Saturday.

Six local schools participated Saturday in the CIF Southern Section Division prelims at various locations across Southern California. The following is a roundup of those who advanced to the CIF finals next Saturday. DIVISION I BOYS Crescenta Valley and Glendale at Trabuco Hills High: Michael Davis of Glendale and Gabe Collison of Crescenta Valley punched their tickets to the division finals on Saturday at Mount San Antonio College. Davis, who advanced to the state meet in the 200-meter dash last season, clocked 21.41 in the event Saturday to take third.

Grace Zamudio likely won't have any trouble getting motivated with another trip to the California Community College Track and Field Championships at stake. Zamudio will lead a group of Vaqueros scheduled to compete in the Southern California Championship on Saturday at Antelope Valley College. The field events begin at 11 a.m., followed by the running events at 1 p.m. Zamudio, who has already advanced to the state meet in the 10,000 on Saturday after clocking 39 minutes 15.48 seconds for a victory at the Southern California Regionals prelims at Antelope Valley College, will attempt to win the 1,500- and 5,000-meter races Saturday.

ARCADIA - On an evening in which the Crescenta Valley High track and field teams proved themselves the dominant area program within the Pacific League, both Glendale and Hoover highs also enjoyed some success at Friday night's Pacific League Finals at Arcadia's Salter Stadium. A few victories came from multiple-event winners, including by the Falcons' super sophomore tandem of Megan Melnyk and Emmie Walker. Melnyk was dominant in the distances, coming from behind to clinch the 800-meter run, while holding off a hard-charging challenger in the 1,600.