Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Cats, Longhorns among track's best of the best

By Dick Sparrer

Only the best track and field athletes qualify for Central Coast Section competition.

But only the best of the best advance to the CCS finals.

Both Los Gatos and Leigh have athletes who fall into that category, and they'll be in the field when the best of the best compete in the CCS finals on May 29, 6 p.m., at San Jose City College.

Los Gatos had four athletes and a relay team place high enough at the CCS semifinals last weekend at San Jose City College to earn berths in the section finals. And Leigh had two athletes in four events claim spots in the finals.

Guy McGowan and Cinty McGowan starred for Leigh in the semis last weekend.

G. McGowan was first in the boys' 110-meter high hurdles in 13.6 and he added a second in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 39.5 to clinch two spots in the CCS championship meet this week.

C. McGowan will also compete in two events on Friday after finishing fourth in the 200 meters in 25.5 and seventh in the 100 in 12.3.

Amy LaPine, Sarah High, Lina Biber-Ferro and Rusty Martin of Los Gatos each placed high enough at the semifinals to qualify for the championship meet. Los Gatos also qualified in the mile relay.

LaPine finished second in her heat to Colleen Wrenn of Palo Alto in the 800 meters. Wrenn is the CCS leader in the 800, and she finished first at the semis in 2:15.7 with LaPine second in 2:15.9.

"She finished a step behind," Los Gatos coach Willie Harmatz said of LaPine. "She ran great."

LaPine's 2:15.7 is a lifetime best and punches her to No. 5 on the Los Gatos all-time list.

LaPine, just a junior, had run 2:20.56 to finish fifth in the 800 at the CCS North Subsection a week earlier. She was also eighth in the 1,600 in 5:19.76.

"Amy has a good chance to make it to state," added Harmatz. The top three finishers at CCS advance to the state meet.

LaPine also ran an outstanding 58.4 split on the mile relay to help the Wildcats finish seventh and qualify for the CCS finals.

The Gatos quartet clocked in at 4:05.7 with Rebecca Fong (63.9), LaPine (58.4) and freshman Emily King (62.3) each running personal bests and Biber-Ferro (60.8) running a season best. The four had run 4:10.68 for sixth at the subsection meet.

Biber-Ferro had already clinched a spot in the CCS finals with a 10th in the 1,600 meters in 5:23.7. It marks her fourth trip to the CCS championship meet.

"That's quite a feat," said Harmatz of Biber-Ferro's accomplishment. "She's the only distance runner in Los Gatos history to get to the CCS finals all four years."

Stephanie Chavez (sprints, 800 meters, relays), Heidi Ruiz (shot put, discus, relays) and Leslie Jensen (400, long jump, relays) were other Gatos girls who competed at the CCS finals four times each.

High earned a place in the CCS finals with a 12th in the 3,200 meters at the CCS semis. She ran 11:53.8 after running 11:53.52 for 11th in the subsection meet.

King had finished fifth in the long jump at 16-3 in the subsection meet, but failed to qualify for the CCS finals with a 16-0 effort at the semis. Still, her 16-3 ranks as the second-best mark for a freshman jumper in CCS.

"She had a great season," said Harmatz of King. "She's one of our up and comers."

Martin advanced to the boys' CCS finals by placing 11th in the 3,200 meters.

Martin was sixth in the subsection meet in 9:43.03, breaking the frosh-soph school record of 9:47.0 set in 1987 by James Metcalf. Martin came back to snap his own school mark at the CCS semis, running 9:40.4.

The McGowans had each starred for Leigh in the CCS South Subsection meet.

G. McGowan won the 110 highs in 13.96 and was third in the 300 intermediates in 40.09. Matt Pfiffer added an eighth in the high jump at 6-0.

C. McGowan was fifth in the 100 in 12.81 and she helped Leigh to a third in the 1,600 relay in 4:09.85 and a seventh in the 400 relay in 50:89.

Alicia Cados was third in the 800 in 2:24.7 for the Longhorns and Erin Kupka was 12th in the 1,600 in 5:40.70.

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