Ridgeview shines at Foothill Invite
| Friday, Apr 30 2010 11:24 PM
Last Updated Friday, Apr 30 2010 11:24 PM
Images
Ridgeview High's Deanna Rubio gets a good mark while competing in the varsity long jump at the Foothill invitational track meet.
Ridgeview High has a solid lead as Tijerra Lynch passes the baton to Jerrid Lewis for the final leg of the 4X800 meter mixed co-ed relay at the Foothill invitational track meet.
For some, Friday's Foothill Invitational track and field meet served as a laid-back final tune-up before the start of the postseason.
For Ridgeview's Robby Baker, it was all business.
Baker, who came into the meet with goal of winning all four of the events he was entered in, came tantalizingly close to finishing with that perfect day.
"I got three of the four golds," Baker said. "But this is all about training day. That's what this meet is to me, trying to make yourself better. I felt today was a good workout."
The senior cross country standout won the boys 3,200-meter race with a time of 10:07.8 while helping the Wolf Pack win the 1,600 meter and long distance medley relays. He also finished second to his teammate Triandos Hobson in the 300 hurdles.
While the event didn't keep team scores, Ridgeview led all schools with nine first-place finishes.
Independence and Golden Valley each won four events.
Tijerra Lynch had a big hand in the Wolf Pack's success, winning the girls 3200 (12:10.0) before running the 1,200-meter leg of their winning distance medley relay team.
"I went out at a little slower pace than we usually do but I was the leader going in the second lap," Lynch said of the 3,200 meter race.
"I was starting to feel the race a lot more and I decided to take it. I felt really relaxed the entire time...I'm feeling really good. Ever since I woke up this morning I've been having a good day. I'm pretty excited."
In an aspect unique to the event, all five of the varsity relays were co-ed.
"Its awesome," Ridgeview coach Adam Setser said of the coed relay concept. "I think that right before the league meet; we're getting ready to get into the real competitive part of the season, where it's very serious.
"This is a great way to end the season for a lot of the people that aren't going to do real well at the league or area or valley meets.
"It gives them a chance to have some fun and do a different type of relay where its guys and girls together. It's neat."
Baker wasn't the only individual to win multiple gold medals.
East's Bert Flores won the boys shot put (48-01.5) and discus (137-9), and Shannon Edwards of Ridgeview won the boys long jump (21-10), and triple jump (43-03.5).
But arguably the best single performance of the day came from West sprinter Korey Thieleke, who blazed across the finish line in a hand-timed 10.7 seconds.
"It was my second best time this year," Thieleke said. " At Liberty last week I ran a 10.75. I'm already booked for state because I have the fastest time in the Central Section right now."
Last year's 3,200 meter state champion Chris Schwartz was in attendance for part of the meet.
The Foothill grad, who received a track scholarship to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, said he will be attending Bakersfield College in the fall.
Schwartz declined to comment on the circumstances of the change of schools but did say he will run cross country and track for BC.
