Saratoga's David Cheng raced to wins in both hurdle events to lead the Falcons to a team win over Lynbrook last week. The Falcons beat the Vikings in three of four divisions in the meet.
Photograph by Tsutomu Fujita
Falcons run past Lynbrook
Saratoga wins three of four divisions
By Dick Sparrer
Marshall Clark couldn't have asked for a better track and field showing when his Saratoga squad battled Lynbrook in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League last week.
Well, maybe just a little better.
Clark's Falcons romped to wins over Lynbrook in three of four divisions on the Saratoga oval.
The Falcons won every event in an 88-34 win over Lynbrook in the boys varsity division, and they came through with a strong finish to pull out a thrilling 64-58 win over the Vikings in the girls varsity division.
Saratoga beat Lynbrook 65-62 in girls junior varsity action, but lost a tough 63-59 nod to the Vikes in boys frosh-soph competition.
Double winners Jesse Alejandro, David Cheng, Don Prolo and Alexi Sevastopoulos sparked the Falcons to big wins in the boys varsity division.
"We won every event on the track and in the field," said Clark.
Alejandro raced to wins in the 200 meters (23.0) and the 400 meters (54.6), and Cheng rambled to firsts in the 110-meter high hurdles (16.6) and 300-meter intermediate hurdles (44.7). They also teamed with Arnold Chu and John Griffin for a win in the 400-meter relay (45.3).
Prolo won the distance events for the Falcons, running the 1,600 meters in 4:49 and the 3,200 meters in 10:57, and Sevastopoulos took the jumps, taking the high jump at 5-10 and the triple jump at 36-4.
Griffin breezed to a first in the 100 meters in 11.6, David La took the 800 meters in 2:08, Frank Lee won the long jump at 18-0, Connor Peck was first in the shot put at 39-7 and Jim Cummins won the discus at 115-8.
Things were a little closer in the girls varsity division, but the Falcons pulled out a win.
"There was a big rush at the end," said Clark, whose Falcons went one-two in the 200 and two-three in the 3,200 to pull out the team win.
Julia Stewens was the big winner for the Falcons. She was first in the 200 (28.6), the high jump (4-10) and the long jump (15-10) and she teamed with Eevi Aura, Jamie Pfeifer and Neha Taireja for a win in the 400 relay (52.7).
Aura was a winner in the 100 (13.3), Pfeifer took the 400 (65.2) and Samantha Smith won the 300 low hurdles (51.0).
Rachel Foust didn't win an event, but she did pick up two key seconds in the 1,600 (6:11) and the 3,200 (14:12).
"That was a nice double," said Clark.
It took a win in the final event, the 1,600-meter relay, to lift Saratoga to a girls JV win over Lynbrook. Allie Dunn, Candis Teerlink, Kira Noodleman and Claire Tero ran 4:56.8 to win the event and the meet for the Falcons.
Jessica Tu nailed wins in the 100 hurdles (19.1), the 300 hurdles (59.5) and the triple jump (27-11) to lead the Saratoga girls.
Tero took the 400 (67.2), Teerlink the 800 (2:55), Jessi Joplin the 100 (14.1), Carol Liu the 3,200 (14:26) and Shaheen Jafri the high jump (4-2).
Aaron Blair was a double winner, but the Saratoga boys lost the frosh-soph decision to Lynbrook.
Blair took the 65 high hurdles (10.9) and the 300 intermediates (47.8). Other Saratoga winners were Dayne McGee in the 200 (25.4), Conway Teng in the 800 (2:19), Roy Jang in the shot put (38-8), Jeff Lee in the discus (92-8) and Gene Lu in the long jump (17-3). McGee, Lu, Teng and Pat McKenna won the 1,600 relay (4:43).
The Saratoga girls had opened the league season with a couple of losses to St. Francis. The Falcons lost 95-32 in the varsity division and 85-37 at the JV level.
Stewens was first in the high jump (4-8) and the long jump (16-5 1/2) and second in the 200 (28.2), and Aura was first in the 100 (13.2) and third in the 200 (28.9). The two teamed with Pfeifer and Talreja to win the 400 relay (52.0).
Pfeifer ran to a second in the 400 (65.4) with Elizabeth Howe third (68.0), and Angela Tsai was third in both the triple jump (29-1) and the long jump (13-9 1/4).
Smith won two events for the Saratoga JVs, taking the low hurdles (52.5) and the high jump (4-6). Ashley Whisnant was first in the 100 (14.0).
The Falcons will be back in action this week when they host Los Gatos on March 14, 3:15 p.m. Saratoga will take part in the West Valley Relays this weekend at West Valley Community College. The frosh-soph event is March 16, 2:30 p.m., with varsity action March 17, 9 a.m.
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