Gilroy freshman Kathleen Miller couldn’t be hampered by a fall
during the 1600-meter event at the Live Oak track on Wednesday
afternoon.
By LeAnn Shea, Staff Writer
Morgan Hill – Gilroy freshman Kathleen Miller couldn’t be hampered by a fall during the 1600-meter event at the Live Oak track on Wednesday afternoon.
Instead, Miller brushed off her spill in the last lap of the 1600 and came back to overtake several runners, earning second place by finishing in 5:53 behind Live Oak’s senior standout Cobbie Jones.
“It was kind of a shock,” Miller said of the fall that skinned her knees, leaving two large raspberries.
Miller wasn’t sure if her feet got tangled or what caused the fall, but she bounced back up and finished the race strong. After having her knees wrapped, Miller ran off to keep warm for her next two events, the 800- and 3200 -meter runs. Miller placed first in the 3200 with a time of 12:47 and second in the 800 (2:44), just behind the Acorns’ Jones.
“My strategy is sprinting,” said Miller, who has been running since the seventh grade. “I guess I’m just trying to beat myself.”
The Gilroy Mustangs boys’ varsity track and field team (1-1 TCAL) defeated the Live Oak Acorn boys, 93-41, while the Mustang girls’ varsity team (0-2 TCAL) fell to the Acorns girls varsity, 79-56, at the one-day premature Tri-County Athletic League meet. Both Gilroy and Live Oak coaches agreed to the schedule change to avoid the rainy weather that had been pounding the area.
“It was our first away meet and we were a little off all day,” said Gilroy head coach Jeff Myers. “We’ve been at home all season training and having to travel and getting used to a new field and track, it was kind of weird.”
Steven Heisey won the 200 (23.9 seconds) and also earned first place in the 400-meter run, finishing with a time of 55.2 seconds. Teammate Arnulfo Velasquez captured first place in the 1600- (4:51) and 3200- (11:17) meter events.
“The boys competed well,” said Myers. “We’re a little thin across the board. It’s a rebuilding season. The kids did a great job.”
Mustang senior Bobby Best threw a personal best in the discus, his throw of 147-1 earned him a first place finish. Best also competed in the shot put, finishing first with a throw of 48-10.
“Bobby is getting better at the discus and shotput,” said Myers. “He is coming along just fine.”
For the Mustang girls’ team, Carly Kennedy took first place in the pole vault (6-0), earned second place in the discus (77-10) and finished in third place in the shot put (24-10).
“Our kids are doing outstanding. They have great team spirit and give everything they have,” Myers said.
The Mustangs junior varsity teams both triumphed over the Acorns’ squads, with the girls winning 44-26 and the boys winning 70-48. The junior varsity squads for both the Mustangs and Acorns are low on numbers.
For the Mustangs boys JV team, freshman Jaime Reyes dusted his competition in the 1600, finishing first with a time of 5:03. Reyes opened up a commanding lead as soon as the gun went off and finished the race strong, coming in at least 300 meters ahead of his closest competitor.
“I think that’s how I figured it was going to go,” said Reyes, attempting to catch his breath following the 1600. “It was a good way to open up the meet. For me it’s all about running, just running. That’s what I enjoy.”
Added Myers, “Right now we’re so thin, we keep most of our top athletes on varsity. We just want the JV athletes to gain some experience.”
The Gilroy and Live Oak teams meet up again this Saturday as the Acorns host the Raymond Relays in Morgan Hill at 9am. The Mustangs return to TCAL action next Thursday at home when they take on the North Salinas Vikings.
Gilroy’s Best
Gilroy Boys First-Place Finishes
Shotput- Bobby Best (48’10”)
Discus- Bobby Best (147’1″)
1600 m- Arnulfo Velasquez (4:51)
3200 m- Velasquez (11:17)
800 m- Velasquez (2:14.7)
400 m- Steven Hiesey (55.2)
200m- Hiesey (23.9)
110 m hurdles- Gurnther (16.7)
High jump- Miles Amodeo (5’6″)
Gilroy Girls First-Place Finishes:
Pole vault- Carly Kennedy (6’0″)
3200 m- Kathleen Miller (12:47)
400 m- Leuchars (n/a)
100 meter- Vera (13.42)
