STATE TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS : Davidson, Taylor Finally Run Their Races

NORWALK —  One was engrossed in a season-long pursuit of the perfect race, one flawless charge down the track. The other simply wanted to run a race she could be proud of, one that lived up to her high expectations.

Charlie Davidson of Saddleback came off the track at the State meet Saturday at Cerritos College calm and composed. Only after a little prodding would he admit that, yes, this had finally been the race he had hoped for all along.

Shelley Taylor of Edison was so excited after her race that she was shaking like a leaf in the cool breeze that blew Saturday.

In the biggest meet of the season, Davidson and Taylor came through with overwhelmingly pleasing, winning performances. For Davidson, it was a victory in the 110-meter high hurdles in a wind-aided 13.94 seconds. For Taylor, a resounding romp in the 1,600 in a national-leading 4:48.52.

There also were two field event champions from Orange County, neither of whom figured earlier this season to reach the top step of the awards podium.

But by meet’s end, there stood Kristy Kierulff, Esperanza’s freshman high jumper, and Tony Parrish, Marina’s fast-improving triple jumper, accepting their first-place medals in front of 10,320.

Kierulff won with a leap of 5 feet 10 inches, surpassing her county freshman record of 5-8 1/2 set March 26 in an Empire League dual meet against Katella.

Saturday’s triple jump of 49-1 marked the third consecutive winning weekend for Parrish. He won last week at the Masters meet and became the third-longest jumper in county history with a leap of 49-4 1/4. Two weeks ago, he won the Southern Section 3-A title by covering a then personal-best 47-1 1/2.

Foothill’s Nate Kuchera, Ethan Taub, Tad Heath and Aaron Taub finished second in the boys’ 1,600 relay in 3:16.81. And if not for three truly dreadful handoffs, Foothill might have given winner Inglewood Morningside (3:15.37) a better run for first.

Ocean View’s Christie Engesser finished a strong second in the 800 and lowered her personal best to 2:11.23, the fifth-fastest time in the country this year. She said she had the hammer down in the final 150 meters, but so did Miesha Marzell of Oakland Bishop O’Dowd, who held on for the victory in 2:10.29 (fourth-best in the nation).

Heather Sterlin of Mission Viejo came within a half-inch of the county record in the long jump with a second-place jump of 19-8 1/2. She jumped 19-9 in the preliminaries Friday, but was aided by a tailwind of 4.5 meters per second. Kam Warner of Bakersfield West needed a 20-6 1/4 jump on her final attempt to beat Sterlin.

In the girls’ 3,200, Carrie Garritson tried to stay with Milena Glusac of Fallbrook, but wound up fading to fourth place in 10:54.27. Glusac won in 10:28.62, just missing Garritson’s national-leading mark of 10:28.20 set last week.

There was little doubt in Davidson’s mind that he would win and finish his season undefeated. So often this season, he had won in convincing fashion, but so often he seemed unsatisfied with his time.

That was not the case Saturday.

“I know my goal was 13.5, but I wanted to concentrate on winning the race,” Davidson said. “I’m more than satisfied.”

Like most of his races this season, Davidson rocketed out of the blocks, cleared the first hurdle before anyone else and kept attacking.

“This was the best race I’ve ever run,” he said. “Everything went just about how I thought it would go.”

Demond Smith of Hawthorne was second in 14.10 and Drue Powell of Reseda was third in 14.16. Ryan Crane of Dana Hills finished a solid sixth in 14.37.

Three times in the past, Taylor had come to the State meet hoping to run a quality race. But each time, she’d gone home disappointed.

As a freshman, she was disqualified after bumping with Karen Hecox of West Covina South Hills. As a sophomore, she was fifth in 4:57.20. As a junior, she came into the meet with a personal-best of 4:52.38, set only the week before, but came down with a cold and finished a frustrated seventh in 5:01.29.

After towing the field at a sluggish pace to the halfway point Saturday, Taylor began to push hard. Only Barbara Boisvert, a freshman from Orange Lutheran, and Fillmore’s Nikki Shaw, who came into the meet with a national-leading 4:50.40, followed.

With a lap to go, Boisvert faded and Taylor had only Shaw along for company. Down the final backstretch, Taylor powered away from Shaw and keep driving. In the final meters, she was all alone.

“I kept waiting for Nikki to come up,” said Taylor of Shaw, who would finish second in 4:53.40. Boisvert hung on for fifth in 5:00.59.

“I was just staring at that clock,” Taylor said. “(I was thinking) ‘Please get me there in time. Come closer finish line.’ ”

The end came with a mixture of happiness and relief for Taylor. Finally, she came away a winner at the State meet.

State track notes

Thousand Oaks’ Marion Jones set a national record and then a State meet mark in the sprints. She won the 100 meters in 11.14, breaking her previous national best of 11.17, and took the 200 in 22.83, off her own national record of 22.67. . . . In the girls’ team title race, Long Beach Poly defeated Inglewood Morningside, 39 points to 28. . . . Twila Sims of Lompoc joined Jones as the meet’s only other two-event winner by capturing titles in the 100 and 300 low hurdles, in 13.83 and 42.75. . . . Bakersfield won the boys’ team title with 25 points, ahead of Morningside (24) and Hawthorne (22). Jeff Buckey led Bakersfield by winning the discus with a toss of 186 feet 10 inches and finished second in the shotput with a mark of 60-9 1/2.