Willow Glen Resident

Sports

Corona, Abdalla runs to wins at BVAL track finals

By Dick Sparrer

Willow Glen's Marcos Corona didn't care much about how many placers in each event at the Blossom Valley Athletic League qualifying meet advanced to the Central Coast Section semifinals this week.

Neither did his teammate Mohamed Abdalla.

They had bigger things in mind when they took part in the BVAL meet held May 10 at Mt. Pleasant--like winning.

The two each nailed individual victories at the league meet to easily win spots in the CCS semi's that are set for May 19 at San Jose City College. Field events begin at 9:30 a.m., with running events to get under way at 11 a.m.

The top eight finishers in each event last Thursday won spots in the CCS meet, and Corona qualified in three--the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. Abdalla, a junior, will join him in the 1,600 and 3,200.

Corona, a senior, raced to a win in the 1,600 in 4:22.97 as he led a solid cast of Rams to the finish line. Abdalla was second in 4:23.62, with sophomore Nohe Lema sixth in 4:33.65, junior Julian Valentin ninth in 4:36.57 and junior Eyoel Galato 10th in 4:37.92. Willow Glen managed to jam five runners among the top 10 in the event.

Abdalla led a one-two-four Willow Glen finish in the 3,200, winning the event in 9:37.11, with Corona second in 9:49.67 and Lema fourth in 9:57.68.

Corona was also second in the 800 at the league meet, running 1:58.11. Galato finished 12th in 2:06.74.

Corona, Abdalla and Lema will be joined at CCS by teammate Rafael Barriga, who placed high in a pair of events.

Barriga, a senior, was third in the 200 in 22.89 and fourth in the 400 in 51.74.

Just missing a CCS spots was junior Ricky Huynh, who finished 10th in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 42.25.

The Rams were also 12th in the 4x100 relay in 45.96 and 14th in the 4x400 relay in 3:39.98.

Only junior distance star Michelle Moran could qualify for the CCS semi's among the Willow Glen girls in the BVAL meet. Moran nailed a seventh-place finish in the 3,200 in 12:00.93. She was also 10th in the 1,600 in 5:28.94.

Junior Andrea Martinez was 11th in the 100 in 13.25, and senior Christina Rivera was 13th in the 800 in 2:37.84 to round out the list of Willow Glen finishers.