PHOTO FINISH -- Eagle Whitney Belovicz falls across finish line just ahead of Griffin Beatriz Nallar in girls 800. Jonatan Muñoz, International Sofia Sotelo, Hailey White and Renzo Pinto of Cooperative, Whitney Belovicz of Christian Learning, and the International 4 x 100 boys relay team all set new league records in running events at the first day of the first track meet of the season held at Tahuichi Stadium Friday.
Belovicz' record-setting victory in the girls 800 meter race was perhaps the most spectacular -- and frightening -- event of the day.
The Eagle junior had stayed back in second place for most of the race, letting International standout Beatriz Nallar set the pace, which she had done since the start.
Belovicz started her kick at the top of the homestretch with a gap of about 25 meters to close, but Nallar answered the challenge and with about 20 yards to go seemed to have the victory in hand. But at that point Nallar, a ninth grader and star tennis player, suddenly began to stagger and lose speed while Belovicz kept coming.
Then Naller somehow recovered and, with a few steps to go, the two girls appeared even. Each was clearly making a maximum, gut-bursting effort, and they fell together across the finish line.
The judges decided -- and photos confirmed, that Belowicz had won -- by a head. (Fortunately, neither girl seemed to have sustained a serious injury.) The winning time of 2:47.5 eclipsed the old record of 2:52.6. set last year.
In the 1500 meters Sotelo beat her own record. She was clocked this time at 5:54.5, breaking her old mark of 5:56.8 set last year. Her time also set a new Cooperative school record, which Sotelo also already held.
White, Sotelo's eighth grade classmate at Cooperative, knocked just over three seconds off the old record in the girls 400 meters with a time of 1:09.5. The old record had been set last year by Ana Laura Gutierrez of International.
Pinto, a Cooperative ninth grader, set a new record inthe boys 200 meters with a time of :24.69, breaking the record of :24.84 by David Jusiniano of Christian Learning, which had stood for two years. Pinto also won the boys 400, but not in record time.
The International boys 4 x 100 relay of Juan Estenssoro, Marco Parada, Christopher Saltzieder, and Jean Ivo Sochtig was timed at :49.39, breaking the record of :50.21, which had been set by Cooperative back in 2006.
A running team score was not available yesterday, and will be combined with the results from Saturday's field events. Those events will be held at International beginning at 9.
International appeared to be doing well in its effort to remain the dominant team in the league in track and field, though Cooperative is probably not far behind. Griffin athletes won six of the 14 events run Friday. Cooperative won five, Christian Learning three, and Cambridge none.
The first three finishers in Fridays running events were as follows, according to preliminary unoffical results:
Girls 1500 meters -- Sofia Sotelo, Cooperative; Maria Victoria Gutierrez, International, Katie Wilcke, Christian Learning. Time: 5:54.49.
Boys 1500 meters -- Martin Fernandez, International; Junior Sanchez, Cambridge; Alexander Nagel, Cambridge. Winning time: 5:09.82
Girls 800 meters -- Whitney Belovicz, Christian Learning; Beatriz Nallar, International; Sofia Sotelo, Cooperative. Time: 2:47.52
Boys 800 meters -- Jan Ivo Sochtig, International; Alex Apodaca, Christian Learning; Victor Arias, Cambridge. Time: 2:38.13
Girls 400 meters -- Hailey White, Cooperative; Jessica Smith, Christian Learning; Maria Isabel Barrenechea, International. Time: 1:09.49
Boys 400 meters -- Renzo Pinto, Cooperative; Juan Javier Estenssoro, International; Andre Shin, Cooperative. Time: 59.51.
Girls 200 meters -- Fabiana Murillo, International; Marianne Encina, Christian Learning; Jennifer Lau, Christian Learning. Time: 31.57.
Boys 200 meters -- Renzo Pinto, Cooperative; Jorge Harriague, International; Christopher Saltzsieder, International. Time: 24.69.
Girls 100 meters -- Dominique Harrison, Cooperative; Fabiana Murillo, International; Gabi Tang, Christian Learning. Time: 14.43.
Boys 100 meters -- Jan Ivo Sochtig, International; Jorge Harriague, International; Esteban Gomez, Cooperative. Time: 12.25.
Girls 4 x 100 relay -- Christian Learning; Cooperative; International. Time: :59.62
Boys 4 x 100 relay -- International (Juan Estenssoro, Marco Parada, Christopher Saltzieder, Jean Ivo Sochtig); Cooperative; Cambridge. Time: 49.39. Girls 4 x 400 relay -- Christian Learning, Cooperative, International. Time: 5:17.9.
Boys 4 x 400 relay -- International, Cooperative, Christian Learning. Time: 4:03.41.
SMOOTH HANDOFF -- Griffin Marco Parada takes baton from Juan Estenssoro after first leg of record run in 4 X 100 relay. Jonatan Muñoz, International
