Manhart Enjoys the Comforts of Home

MISSION VIEJO — Saturday’s 1,600-meter qualifying event was special for Trabuco Hills’ Jason Manhart.

Not only did the senior distance runner set a personal best in winning his heat at the Southern Section Division II track and field preliminary meet, he did it on his home track five minutes from his house and in front of Mustang supporters.

His effort was only one of several outstanding ones turned in by county athletes Saturday.

Mission Viejo pole vaulter Sarah Higham was the last participant to leave the field. She cleared 11 feet 9 inches on her first attempt, the best mark in the county this season and also a divisional record. The bar was reset to 12-1--which would have been a county record--but she missed all three attempts.

“I think I can go 12-3 or 12-6 before the season is over,” she said.

Meanwhile, Manhart didn’t disappoint the home crowd, running 4 minutes 20.72 seconds, .63 of a second behind David Jackson of Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World, who also won his heat.

“I’m used to running here, so that helped me a little bit,” said Manhart, who shaved more than two seconds off the time he posted in the South Coast League meet last week.

It might have been an even better day if it weren’t for Riverside Poly’s Irving Moreno, who nosed out Manhart at the finish line of their 3,200-meter heat. But, Manhart, who only Monday made up his mind to run in the event, qualified for Saturday’s finals with a time of 9:31.39.

Many other Orange County athletes fared well on a hot and humid afternoon. A sporadic breeze aided a few finishers, a number of technical glitches plagued event managers and a rash of injuries and falls caused a few upsets.

Dominique DeGrammont of Tustin blew away the competition in the boys’ 110 hurdles with a wind-aided time of 13.37. But a malfunction in the automatic timer was detected and he was officially listed as the winner without a time. Later, DeGrammont slipped at the start of his heat in the 300 hurdles, but recovered to post the best time of the day at 38.72.

Woodbridge sprinter Jackie Dix won heats in the 100 and 200 preliminaries, posting times of 11.99 and 25.16.

Ashley Bethel of Mission Viejo took her 100-hurdle heat in 14.22, the second-best time of the day. She also posted the best 200 heat time (24.83), had the best qualifying mark in the long jump (17-10), and qualified in the high jump, clearing 5-2 on her first attempt at that height. Freshman April Ross of Newport Harbor also qualified on her first try at 5-2.

Katie Nuanes of Santa Margarita easily ran to top finishes in heats of the 800 (2:19.83) and 1,600 (5:10.64). Mike McNair of Mater Dei doubled with victories in heats of the 100 (10.72) and 200 (21.67).

Loara’s Melissa Price had the top throw in the discus (134-7).

There were a few disappointments, however.

Sophomore Amanda Shanklin of Santa Margarita, a favorite, pulled up sharply in her 100 hurdle heat, when she injured her right hamstring on the second-to-last hurdle. She crashed into the final hurdle and did not qualify.

“I hurt it in practice on Wednesday,” said Shanklin, who underwent early-morning therapy to help repair the pull. “It just went out again on me.”