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Published on 06/09/1999 All articles from this issue

Blach & Egan excel at county

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By Pete Borello / Town Crier Staff Writer

Based on the results of the county intermediate school track and field meet, the local high schools should be well stocked with runners, jumpers and throwers in the coming years.

Track teams from both Los Altos schools - Blach Junior High and Egan Intermediate - excelled at the May 27 competition at Los Gatos High.

Blach qualified 42 athletes for the meet and 30 of them placed in the top six in at least one event. Egan sent 34 competitors and placed 28 of them.

Blach took third overall and Egan finished fourth out of 35 schools.

Blach's seventh-grade girls dominated their division, racking up 56 points to easily defeat runner-up Kennedy (32).

Dawn Maxey led Blach to victory by placing in three individual events and as part of a relay team. Maxey won the 70-yard hurdles with a time of 10.51 seconds, which set a new school record. She claimed second in the 100 dash (12.23) and fifth in the triple jump (31 feet, 2 1/4 inches).

However, Maxey's best performance may have come in the 880 relay, which she ran with Ragini Shyam, Amanda Butler and Nora Germano. Blach trailed by 10-15 yards when Maxey took the baton in the last leg, but she steadily made up ground and managed to pull ahead at the end. Blach wound up with a time of 1:56, edging Ocala by one-twentieth of a second.

"She did a great job," Blach coach Steve Kane said. "She has raw speed and worked real hard this year."

Alyce Jorgenson also provided key points for Blach, taking second in the shot put (32-2 1/2) and third in the discus (75-10 1/2).

Sparked by the efforts of Colby Lyman and Andrea Cummings, Egan's eighth-grade girls placed second in their division.

Although it wasn't her best time, Lyman still captured the 70 hurdles by clocking a 10.25. The week before, she ran a 9.79 to set a new league and school record. Cummings won the long jump (15-9) and placed sixth in the hurdles (11.2).

Cummings and Lyman also joined up with Lisa Battle and Lindsay Parker to finish second in the 440 relay (53.7).

In addition, Egan got fourth-place points from Lindsey Fish in the long jump (15-0) and Anna Hennings in the high jump (4-8).

Blach's C-division girls also came away with a second-place finish in their class. Kaytlyn Taylor prevailed in the long jump by leaping 14-5 and teammate Marissa Degner followed with a jump of 13-10 3/4. Taylor later took second in the shot put (29-7 1/2), while Emily Keenan was second in the triple jump (30-0).

Blach or Egan didn't finish among the top three in any other division, but both schools received some fine performances from athletes competing in these classes.

Blach's Justin Fritzley, a C boy, placed in three individual events. He finished third in the triple jump (32-6), tied for third in the 70 hurdles (10.87) and sixth in the high jump (4-6). Fritzley then teamed up with Henry Freedland, Ryan Reid and Mark Morgan to take third in the mile relay (4:19).

Other Blach highlights included B boy Aaron Blumenshine's second-place finish in the discus (100-0) and A boy Kyle Mcmillan's fifth-place mark in the mile (5:08). Blach's A mile relay nabbed fifth by clocking 3:58.24 - the school's first sub-four time in four years. The team was comprised of Kevin Roy, Mcmillan, Trevor Tyler and Chris Malatesta.

Blach's eighth-grade girls had a pair of top-three finishes: Laurie Russo was second in the high jump (4-10) and Kristen Mulenberg took third in the shot put (35-2 1/2). Mulenberg improved more than eight feet from the start of the year, Kane said.

Egan's A boys were led by Ramsey Ackad, who notched second in the mile with a 4:56 - a new school record. He then combined forces with Sean Wang, Garrett Herfkens and Erik Connell to take third in the 440-relay (48.7).

Kip Hanson finish third in the B boys mile (5:15) and later joined Jeremy Taylor, Alex Fishwick and Eric Cheng to place fourth in the mile relay (4:08).

Taff Dirks was second in the C boys mile (5:11) and teammate Kevin Chaves was third (5:22). Dirks earned third in the 880 run (2:25), while Fletcher Adam occupied the same spot in the shot (33-6).

Turning to the Egan girls, seventh-grader Lisa Serventi placed fourth in the triple jump (31-3) and sixth in the 100 dash (12.6). Juli Winterbotham grabbed sixth in the 70 hurdles (11.42).

The C girls won three events. Allie Miller prevailed in the 70 hurdles (10.45) and Ciera Kash captured the 100 (12.24). Miller and Kash then teamed with Abby Mills and Stephanie Yung to win the 440 relay (54.99).

"The 440 team worked hard all year," Egan coach Brian Sullivan said, "and that hard work paid off."

Miller also ran the 100, taking sixth (12.8). Joan Danver was fourth in the mile (5:57.6) and Tiffanie Wen took sixth in the triple jump (28-6). The 880 relay team of Danver, Jessica Whalen, Margo Liptsin and Suzanne Garcia came in fourth (2:03).