Several records in danger at county championships

For two of the oldest records in the history of the Ventura County Championships, there have been too many hurdles to overcome.

After decades of assaults, the girls’ 100 hurdles and boys’ 300 hurdles records could fall Friday at Moorpark High.

Staci Leach of Thousand Oaks set the existing girls’ 100 hurdles record of 14.44 seconds in 1987. Challengers to Leach’s mark could be Simi Valley’s Jaimie McCormack, who has a wind-aided 14.41, and Oak Park’s Tayler Johnson, who has a best of 14.46.

Charlie Brown of Channel Islands has owned the boys’ 300 hurdles record of 38.54 since 1988.

That record could fall to either Agoura’s Jonathan Cabral, who ranks among national leaders with a best of 36.83 this season, or Royal’s Thomas Garner (38.86).

Cabral could challenge Garner’s year-old meet record of 14.17 in the 110 hurdles. Cabral has had several sub-14.0 times, including an area all-time best of 13.91.

Garner was a three-event winner — 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles and long jump — at last year’s county meet.

In all, 14 meet records are in danger of being broken this week.

With girls’ high jump season-bests of 5 feet, 8 inches, Lydia French of Thousand Oaks and Johnson could not only better the 10-year-old record of 5-6 set by Camarillo’s Lisa Wygant, they could approach the county record of 5-10 set by Simi Valley’s Ann Marie Turpin in 1999. If Pacifica’s Jazzalena Black matches her 37-1 performance at Saturday’s Gordon Steward meet, she will break the 23-year-old county meet girls’ triple jump record.

Returning as defending invitational division champions are: Travis Edwards, Royal, boys’ 1,600; Heyden Wooff, Camarillo, boys’ 3,200; Liberty Miller, Simi Valley, girls’ 1,600; Kayla Batom, Oak Park, girls’ 300 hurdles; Madison Stark, Oak Park, girls’ pole vault; Kristen Wilson, Ventura, girls’ shot put and discus.

With the right conditions, Edwards could make a run at the meet record in the boys’ 1,600 of 4:13.78. Edwards was a 2009 state finalist.

The girls’ 1,600 could see a rematch of last year’s final, won by Miller over Oak Park’s Melissa Skiba, 4:58.54-5:00.68.

Don’t count out Ventura freshman sensation Hannah Kirkegaard, who had a 1,600-3,200 double of 5:11.42 and 11:07.34 last Friday against Buena.

Ventura’s Alex Morgan, who set the county girls’ discus record at the Mount San Antonio College Relays, will be looking to add the county meet mark as well.

Wooff, a state finalist in the 3,200, has had only limited appearances this spring because of an injury. He registered a county qualifying mark of 9:29.06 last week in a dual meet against Channel Islands.

The Camarillo runner isn’t the only county headliner to be slowed by injuries.

La Reina is missing distance runners Tara Blanchard and Sarah Pearson. Defending girls’ state 100 champion Valexsia Droughn of Rio Mesa missed nearly a month with an injury.

T.O. dominates: In capturing the Marmonte League boys’ and girls’ team titles with unbeaten records in the same year for the first time since 1996, Thousand Oaks put on a demonstration of why the program consistently ranks among the top in Ventura County.

In a double dual meet with Simi Valley and Agoura, the Thousand Oaks boys had three of the top four finishers in eight events, including a 1--4 sweep in discus.

With Lydia French matching her career best in the high jump at 5-8 and Caitlin Turner having an impressive 800-1,600 double of 2:20.56-5:12.52, the Lancers girls’ team placed 1-2 in six events.

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