2011 Season Updates & Photos

Maile Davis placed second in the 800 meter run to secure her second place overall finish and nationals qualifying spot.

PVHS athletes Maile Davis, Brendan Weaver, and Taylor Gilbertson competed unattached at the USATF Region 15 Multi-Event Championships in Chino, CA.

Demonstrating her intentions to be the newest star in the Palos Verdes High School tradition of national class multi-event athletes, PVHS rising sophomore Maile Davis stunned the field and in her very first multi-event competition took second place in the Intermediate Girls (15-16 years old age bracket) Heptathlon at the USATF Region 15 Decathlon and Heptathlon Championships in Chino this weekend, qualifying for the USATF Junior Olympics national championships on July 26-27 in Wichita, Kansas. Davis, the 2011 Girls Frosh-Soph Bay League Champion in the 100 meter hurdles and the 300 meter hurdles, becomes the fourth Sea King in recent years to qualify for the Junior Olympics Multi-Event nationals, joining Whitney Liehr (2007), Keiko Hector (2010), and Brendan Weaver (2010).

After the first day's events (100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, and 200 meters) and the first two events of the second day (long jump and javelin), Davis was sitting in third place by just eight points and needed to move into second place, which was the final qualifying spot as only the top two finishers at the regional meets automatically advance to nationals. But in the final event, the 800 meters, Davis secured her second place finish and nationals qualifying spot in dramatic fashion, leading the 800 meters from the gun and all the way to the very end. Although another competitor edged Davis at the wire, Davis's surprising time of 2:33 in her first 800 meter race ever was well better than the time of the second place competitor and pushed Davis into second place overall. Davis's complete series of marks was as follows: 100mh: 17.52; high jump: 4'6"; shot put: 21'2"; 200 meters: 29.84; long jump: 13'5"; javelin: 69'2"; 800m: 2:33.28.

Another rising PVHS sophomore, Taylor Gilbertson, also performed well in her first ever heptathlon, placing fifth overall and especially impressing in the 200 meters (27.99), shot put (25'10"), and the long jump (15'4"). Rising PVHS junior Brendan Weaver, who placed seventh nationally in 2010 in the Intermediate Boys Decathlon and won 2011 varsity Bay League titles in the 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles, and high jump, competed very well in the Young Men's division (17-18 years old age bracket) of the Decathlon, placing fifth with strong marks in multiple events including the high jump (6'2"), 100m (11.97), and long jump (20'2"). As Brendan was one of the younger athletes in the division this year, he will have the opportunity to return next year as one of the favorites to place in the top two and advance to nationals.

Update -- June 28-29, 2011 -- Mehra 3rd at US Youth Trials in Girls 2000m Steeplechase.

Rising senior distance star Rebecca Mehra claimed the bronze medal with a third place finish in the Girls 2000 meter steeplechase at the US World Youth Team Trials in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina this week. While the accomplishment left Rebecca just short of making the US Team, it was a great finish to another tremendous season for her. Great job, Rebecca!

Update -- June 16-18 -- Mehra wins her 2000m steeplechase heat at New Balance Nationals in new CA state record time!

Running in her very first 2000 meter steeplechase ever, rising senior Rebecca Mehra won her heat and placed seventh overall at the prestigious New Balance Nationals meet in Greensboro, North Carolina. Rebecca plans to return to the East Coast later this month and attempt to qualify for the USA Youth Worlds team. Her time of 7:02.27 established a new California high school girls state record! Congratulations and good luck, Rebecca!

Jonah Diaz's new school record put him among some of the nation's best 3200m runners. Photo by Mark Sidor.

Complete state meet results can be found at: https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/June/04-CIF-State-Finals.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC and https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/June/03-CIF-State-Prelims.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC. Hit Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.

Rebecca Mehra and Jonah Diaz celebrate qualifying for the state championships.

Results from the Masters meet can be found at: https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/May/27-Southern-Section-Masters.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC. Hit Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.

Update – May 23, 2011 – Brendan Weaver Named 2011 Boys MVP, Keiko Hector Three-peats For Girls MVP.

The Sea Kings held their annual season-ending banquet on Monday, May 23, and celebrated another season of tremendous accomplishments throughout all divisions of the program.

2011 Award Winners were as follows:

• Captains: Matt Bell, Erica Capellino, Q’Marth Ghaemi, Keiko Hector, Amy Letwin, Rebecca Mehra, and Brendan Weaver,
• Outstanding Freshman Girls: Candace Johnson, Cate Ryant
• Outstanding Freshman Boy: Miles Irish
• Most Inspirational Girl: Lauren Gagnon
• Most Inspirational Boy: Matt Bell
• Most Improved Girl: Amy Letwin
• Most Improved Boys: Ryland Dreibelbis, Tomas Snur
• Female Senior Athlete of the Year Nominee: Keiko Hector
• Male Senior Athlete of the Year Nominee: Q’Marth Ghaemi
• Most Valuable Girl: Keiko Hector
• Most Valuable Boy: Brendan Weaver

Senior Amy Letwin and Keiko Hector celebrate their last PVHS banquet with Coach Capozzola.

Coach Capozzola (middle) congratulates Amy Letwin, Erica Capellino, Keiko Hector, and Rebecca Mehra on their fourth place finish in the 4x400m relay in 3:57.78, the second-fastest time in PVHS history.

Justin Unno finishes his terrific 1600m race. Photo courtesy Duncan Selby, www.selbyphotography.com.

The Sea Kings enjoyed a number of tremendous performances at the CIF Southern Section Division III Finals today at Cerritos College. Everybody who competed received a medal of some kind.

The PVHS girls ended up placing fourth in the overall team standings, led by second place finishes from senior Erica Capellino in both the 1600 meters (4:51.10, a new PVHS school record) and the 800 meters (2:14.35). Junior Rebecca Mehra added a second place finish in the 3200m in 10:40.93. Senior Keiko Hector scored in the 100m hurdles and the high jump, then blasted a huge personal best of 44.84 seconds in the 300m hurdles to take fourth in that event. Finally, to close out the meet all three girls joined up with senior Amy Letwin in the 4x400m relay. Letwin opened up with a sub-60 leg, Capellino followed in 60-point, then Hector and Mehra ran back to back sub-58 and sub-60 legs to push PV to a fourth place finish and a final time of 3:57.78, currently the #30 time in California.

For the boys, sophomore Brendan Weaver kicked things off with a sixth place finish in the high jump at 6'2". Junior Justin Unno finished fifth in the 1600m in 4:16.79. Finally, junior Jonah Diaz closed out the PVHS boys efforts with a huge race, clocking 9:05.55 for third place in the 3200m.

Capellino, Mehra, and Diaz all move on to the Southern Section championships (Masters Meet) on Friday at Cerritos College.

Results from the Divisional Finals can be found here: https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/May/21-SS-Finals.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC. (Hit Ctrl-F to search by athlete name).

Erica Capellino impressed with heat victories in both her 1600m and 800m prelims. Photo courtesy Lewis Wong.

The girls varsity 4x100 meter relay team of Amy Letwin, Candace Johnson, Cate Ryant, and Kelly Wong set a new school record of 50.45 seconds.

The Sea Kings got through the CIF-SS Div. III Prelims relatively unscathed, as everybody who was supposed to advance did so, at least in one event. Erica Capellino led the way, cruising to heat victories and automatic qualifying spots in the 1600 meters (5:08.65) and 800 meters (2:16.69), and also running a solid 60-point second leg on the 4x400 relay team, which qualified as a heat winner and had the third fastest time of the day in a seasonal best 3:57.92. Everyone on that 4x400 relay team came through with shining performances to cap off a long day of competition. Amy Letwin led off with a 60-point in her third race of the day, Keiko Hector blasted a low-58 in her fourth event of the day, and Rebecca Mehra anchored with a strong mid-58 less than an hour after a convincing victory in her 3200 meter heat in 11:08.18. Hector also qualified in her other three events, the 100m hurdles (15.00), the 300m hurdles (46.13), and the high jump (5'2"). Also, although not quite advancing, the 4x100 meter relay team of Letwin, Candace Johnson, Cate Ryant, and Kelly Wong took second in their heat and set a new PVHS school record of 50.45 seconds. With Johnson, Ryant, and alternate Megan Wooley all underclass, the future looks bright for PVHS in that event in the coming years.

On the boys side, Justin Unno cruised to a qualifying spot in the 1600 meters, running 4:21.87. In the 3200 meters, Jonah Diaz turned in a very quick 9:15.73 to qualify as the #2 seed for next week's final, and Tomas Snur and Ryland Dreibelbis also gained valuable experience for next year, running 9:39.99 and 9:49.85 respectively. Brendan Weaver battled through an illness to qualify in the high jump at 6'3" and sits as the first alternate in the 300m hurdles after his 40.48 prelim race.

The Sea Kings now look ahead to the CIF-SS Division III Finals at Cerritos College next Saturday. All PV qualifiers have very good chances to medal and perhaps move on to Masters and State, and the PV Girls will look to do some damage in the team competition, as they currently stand ranked as the #4 team in CIF-SS Div. III.

Full Prelims results can be found at https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/May/14-SS-D3-Prelims.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC (Hit Ctrl-F to locate athlete names).

Justin Unno won the boys varsity 1600 meters with a blistering last lap. Photo courtesy Bill Leung.

Brendan Weaver on his way to the boys varsity 110h Bay League title and the #1 frosh-soph auto, wind-legal time in California at 15.02 seconds. Photo courtesy Bill Leung.

Senior Amy Letwin seizes the moment and wins the Bay League title in the girls varsity 400 meters. Photo courtesy Bill Leung.

Erica Capellino followed her girls varsity 1600 meter championship by cruising to victory in the 800 meters. Photo courtesy Bill Leung.

The Sea Kings wrapped up Bay League competition with an awesome display of individual dominance at Friday’s Bay League Finals at Mira Costa High School. PV athletes won the most individual titles, an astounding eleven of the thirty-two varsity events, four more than host and nearest competitor Mira Costa. All the PVHS coaches were very pleased with how their athletes performed. Perhaps most significant was that at the Bay League Finals many of PV’s athletes peaked at the right time to beat competitors who had beaten them earlier in the year.

Sophomore Brendan Weaver was a perfect three for three, winning the varsity high jump, 110 meter hurdles, and 300 meter hurdles, all in extremely impressive fashion adding to his credentials as one of the best young high school multi-event athletes in the country. His 6’4” high jump ranks him fifth among all frosh-soph athletes in California. Literally fifteen minutes later, his 15.02 second (auto-timed, wind-legal) 110m hurdles put him at the top of the heap, #1 among all California frosh-soph athletes in that event. Finally, Brendan cemented his evening with a thrilling, come-from-behind victory in the 300 meter hurdles, in the process lowering his PVHS varsity school record to 40.13 seconds.

Fellow multi-event athlete Keiko Hector also had an outstanding evening in her last Bay League Finals, winning both the 100m hurdles and the 300m hurdles. She also finished second in the high jump and anchored the 4x400m relay team to a second place finish. Freshman Maile Davis and sophomore Sam Pond added to the PV hurdles parade with great results of their own, as Davis won both frosh-soph girls hurdles races and Pond placed second in the boys frosh-soph 300m hurdles. Pond also took third in the 400 meters in 54.64 seconds.

The Sea Kings also dominated the distance races, winning five of the six varsity races, an especially astonishing accomplishment given that the Bay League is one of the strongest distance leagues in the state if not the entire country. In the girls 800 and 1600 meters, Erica Capellino twice trumped all of Redondo’s best, including last year’s third place finisher in the 1600 meters at the California State Meet, winning the 800 in 2:20 and the 1600 in 5:02. And in the 3200 meters, Rebecca Mehra was simply in another class, easing away from a chase pack of six Seahawks and Mustangs to a convincing victory in 10:48. On the boys side, PV’s distance duo of Justin Unno and Jonah Diaz were almost as dominant, Unno winning the 1600 meters and Diaz winning the 3200 meters, with times of 4:18 and 9:27, respectively. Tomas Snur and Ryland Dreibelbis also ran well in the 3200 meters, finishing 4th and 5th in 9:35 and 9:36, under the 9:37 automatic qualifying standard for CIF Division III Prelims next week at Estancia HS.

Senior Amy Letwin stunned the field to claim first place in the Girls Varsity 400 meters in a time of 60.28 seconds. Letwin also ran on both of PV’s CIF-qualifying girls varsity relay teams. In the 4x100, PV edged rival Peninsula, 51.85 to 51.89, to claim the third and final CIF qualifying spot. Freshman Candace Johnson, sophomore Megan Wooley, and senior Kelly Wong joined Letwin on that team. In the 4x400, PV’s team of Letwin, Capellino, Mehra, and Hector ran a strong seasonal-best time of 4:00.81 seconds to take second behind Mira Costa and move on to CIF competition along with third place Redondo.

PV also had a number of very strong frosh-soph performers. Miles Irish won the 1600 meters and placed second in the 3200 meters. Michelle Kagei was second in the 3200 meters and third in the 1600 meters. Justin Palmer pole vaulted 11’0” for second place and a new PVHS frosh-soph record. Austin Yu was third in the triple jump. Will Ricci was second in the shot put, and Dylan Refeld was third in the discus. Kate Ryant had a great meet, taking second in the 100 meters, the long jump, and the triple jump. Finally, Chloe Solandt finished second in the discus.

Full Bay League Prelims & Finals results are available at: https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/May/06-Bay-Finals.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC. Press Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.

Update -- May 3, 2011 -- Sea Kings Look Strong At Bay League Prelims.

The Sea Kings positioned themselves well for Friday's Varsity Bay League Finals meet today, and brought home some impressive hardware in some of the frosh-soph finals that were also held today at Mira Costa.

Miles Irish and Michelle Kagei got things started for PV with a pair of second place finishes in the frosh-soph boys and girls 3200 meters. In the field, the rising young PV throwing crew flexed its muscle, resulting in a second in the shot put (Will Ricci, 45'2.5") and a pair of thirds in the discus (Dylan Refeld 99'9" and Chloe Solandt 78' even). Justin Palmer took second in the pole vault with 11' even, tying the frosh-soph school record. Kate Ryant was second in the long jump and triple jump with impressive marks of 16'9" and 33'10.75". Finally, Austin Yu was third in the triple jump at 36'9.5".

Notable varsity prelim results included Brendan Weaver leading the 110 field with a wind-legal (and new PVHS frosh-soph record) mark of 15.21 seconds, currently the #2 California frosh-soph time. Freshman Candace Johnson qualified sixth in both the varsity girls 100 and 200 meters with fine wind-legal times of 12.97 and 26.86 seconds. And senior Erica Capellino cruised through the prelims in the 1600 and 800 meter races, with heat victories in both.

Varsity field events begin at 5 pm and all division running events begin at 6 pm on Friday at the Bay League Finals meet at Mira Costa.

Full Bay League preliminary results will be available soon on www.dyestatcal.com

Senior sprinter Kelly Wong thrilled the alumni in the meet's opening moments by holding on for an upset victory in the Girls 4x100 meter relay. Photo by Teresa Durko.

PV's distances were strong throughout the meet. Here Michelle Cohen and Hannah Richland pull away from their competition in the girls frosh-soph 1600 meter run. Photo by Teresa Durko.

Full PVHS results are being compiled and will be available on Edline.

Head Coach Renee Capozzola and other staff members welcomed the PVHS Track & Field and Cross-Country Alumni from the early 1960s to the annual rivalry meet. Many of the great early athletes who set records that still stand were in attendance.

Sophomore Brendan Weaver won both hurdles races, including a new stadium record of 39.9 seconds in the 300m hurdles. Photo by Teresa Durko.

Update -- 4/21/2011 -- Sea Kings Win Both Varsity Divisions and Boys Frosh-Soph Against West.

The Sea Kings looked very sharp today at West Torrance, enjoying high quality performances across all events and all divisions.

The varsity team scores were PV 80 West 56 for boys and PV 86 West 50 for girls. For frosh-soph, they were 69-63 for PV boys and 77-50 for West girls. The PV varsity boys are now 2-2 in the Bay League, 2-3 overall. PV varsity girls are now 2-1-1 in the Bay League, 3-1-1 overall. Boys frosh-soph are 2-2, 3-2, and girls frosh-soph are likewise 2-2, 3-2.

Highlights for PV included double wins from Justin Unno in the boys varsity 800 & 1600 and Brendan Weaver in the boys varsity 110h (15.08) and 300h (41.18). Weaver also tied for 1st in the high jump with teammate Q'marth Ghaemi. For girls, big contributors for PV were Amy Letwin winning in the 200 (26.78) and 400 (62.81) and Keiko Hector with a triple win in the 100h (15.24), 300h (47.37) and high jump (5'0"). The distances were very strong as well, with Justin Unno, Jonah Diaz, Thomas Snur, and Ryland Dreibelbis teaming up over the three distance races for a 26-1 combined score, while Rebecca Mehra, Erica Capellino, Michelle Kagei, and Sierra Ponthier went 16-0 in the 1600 and 800, helping to wrap up the girls varsity division before the 3200 even started. For good measure, Lauren Gagnon won the 3200 in a respectable 12:13 in the typical late afternoon winds at West. Finally, pole vaulter Justin Palmer was the hero of the boys frosh-soph division, securing the overall meet victory with a nice vault to win the event in 9-6.

The Sea Kings have no meet this Easter weekend, and ready themselves to host next Thursday's rivalry meet against Peninsula.

Once they are compiled, full PVHS results will be available on Edline.

Freshman Kate Ryant took second in the girls varsity triple jump. Photo by Ian Jones.	Justin Unno (r) and Jonah Diaz (l) went 1-2 for PV in the boys varsity 800 meters. Photo by Ian Jones.
Kelly Wong (3rd), Candace Johnson (1st), and Kate Ryant (2nd, not pictured) swept the girls varsity 100 meters for PV. Photo by Ian Jones.	Freshman Maile Davis finished second in both varsity hurdles races. Photo by Ian Jones.

Will Ricci and Austin McGibbon medaled in the frosh-soph shot put at South Bay Championships.

The Frosh-Soph division of the South Bay Championships was held on Friday, with the younger Sea Kings taking full advantage of their opportunity to shine. Throwers Will Ricci and Austin McGibbon took second and third in the shot put with marks of 44-6 and 42-7. Ricci and McGibbon were also top-ten finishers in the discus, joined by Dylan Refeld who led the Sea Kings’ efforts at 87-8 for sixth place. Brendan Weaver dominated the long jump with a fine winning mark of 20'8". Maile Davis took fourth in both hurdles races with times of 18.46 in the 100h and 51.86 in the 300h. Avery Durko took sixth place in the 400 with a time of 65.30. The distance runners also ran well: Kylie Butler was 4th in the girls 800 at 2:28, Michelle Kagei and Maddy Decker were 3rd and 4th in the girls 3200m at 12:07 and 12:22, and Lucas Robinson was 7th in the boys 3200m at 10:23. Kate Ryant was 3rd in the girls long jump at 15-6 and 4th in the triple jump at 31-10. Chloe Solandt took third in the girls discus at 77-3.

The Sea Kings resume Bay League dual meet competition this week at West Torrance on Thursday afternoon.

Full results for the South Bay Championships can be found here:
https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/April/16-South-Bay.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC (Press Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.)

Full results for the Mt. SAC Invitational can be found here:
https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/April/15-Mt-SAC-Relays.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC (Press Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.)

Update -- April 9, 2011 -- Capellino Wins Seeded Mile To Lead PVHS Arcadia Invitational Highlights.

Senior Erica Capellino ran a smart tactical race and pulled away from the field over the last 200 meters to win the girls' seeded mile run in 4:57.31 on Saturday, a time which would have been good for fifth place in the invitational mile. Rebecca Mehra and Jonah Diaz followed Erica's great mile with terrific performances of their own in the girls' invitational 3200 meters and the boys' seeded 3200 meters. Mehra finished 5th in 10:30.23 and Diaz was 9th in 9:11.83. Keiko Hector also participated in the prestigious night section of the meet, clearing a respectable 5'2" in the high jump

Earlier in the meet on Saturday, Justin Unno blasted a big PR of 4:20.19 to win his heat in the open mile, and Brendan Weaver ran a fine time of 15.46 into a headwind in the 110m hurdles. On Friday night as part of the "Burnin' Batons" relays the frosh-soph team of Kylie Butler, Michelle Kagei, Lauren Gagnon, and Sierra Ponthier stepped up to compete well with the other schools' varsity teams in the 4x1600m relay, in the process setting a new PVHS frosh-soph record time of 22:16.02.

School resumes this week at PVHS. The Sea Kings have no league meet this week but are back in action on Friday and Saturday, splitting the squad between the South Bay Championships at West Torrance and the Mt. SAC Invitational in Walnut.

Full results for the Arcadia Invitational can be found here:
https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/April/08-Arcadia.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC (Press Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.)

Justin Unno breaks away from the pack and wins his mile heat in 4:20.19. Photo courtesy Andrew McClanahan	Jonah Diaz rolling to an impressive 9:11 3200m. Photo courtesy Dean Lofgren.

Keiko Hector and Brendan Weaver celebrate Weaver's event victory in the 1500m to cap off two great days of multi-event competition.

Update -- April 7/8, 2011 -- Keiko Hector 6th Place Medalist, Brendan Weaver Top Ten Finisher As A Sophomore At The 2011 Arcadia Heptathlon / Decathlon.

Senior Keiko Hector and Sophomore Brendan Weaver continued their tremendous years on the track and in the field, showcasing their broad range of talents at the unofficial in-season national mutli-events championships at Arcadia.

Hector opened her competition with a fine time of 15.44 seconds in the 100m hurdles and maintained solid consistent performances throughout the other events including a 5-2 high jump and a 16-10 long jump, positioning herself in seventh overall -- one out of the medals -- heading into the final event, the 800 meter run. In cool blustery conditions, Hector blew away her competition by over six seconds to finish in 2:20.28 and leapfrog into a final position in the prestigious top six at Arcadia.

Weaver followed a similar playbook, riding an excellent 110 hurdles race (15.35, currently CA #2 frosh-soph) and solid other events (including a 5-10 high jump and a 20-3 long jump) to find himself in eleventh heading into the 1500 meters, the final event. Brendan ran a brilliant strategic race and kicked down the leader over the last 100 meters to take the event in an outstanding time of 4:30.91, moving into a fantastic top-ten finish overall as a sophomore.

Weaver and Hector both compete individually on Saturday as well, Weaver in the open 110m hurdles and Hector in the invitational high jump. Joining Weaver and Hector will be distance superstars Rebecca Mehra and Erica Capellino, as well as other Sea Kings looking to carve a name for themselves in the history of Arcadia.

Full results for the Arcadia Multis can be found here:
https://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?do=info&year=2011&event_id=1663 (Press Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.)

Avery Durko anchored the PV girls frosh-soph 4x100 meter relay team to a fourth place finish at the Los Angeles County Championships.

Update -- April 2, 2011 -- Sea Kings Excel At LA County Championships

A small group of Sea Kings spent the first Saturday of spring break competing at the LA County Championships at Warren High School, and they were rewarded with great marks and lots of medals for their efforts. Keiko Hector again led the way, showing that she is ready for the upcoming Arcadia Heptathlon with top-five medals in each of her four events: 100h (2nd place, 15.88), 400m (3rd place, 59.18), long jump (3rd place, 16-10), and 800m (fourth place, 2:22). Freshman Maile Davis joined in the medals haul with three in the frosh-soph 100h, high jump, and 4x100 relay (along with Kristine Kivuls, Avery Durko, and Tanis Dabney). Dabney and Durko also ran strong in the frosh-soph 400 meters with seasonal bests of 63 and 64 seconds respectively. Senior Amy Letwin enjoyed a heat victory and new personal best of 60.88 in the girls varsity 400 meters, and Q'marth Ghaemi made a statement by grabbing third place in the boys varsity high jump.

Up next for a select few Sea Kings will be the prestigious Arcadia Invitational, which each year brings the best competition in the country to our doorstep. Keiko Hector and Brendan Weaver kick things off in the multi-events on Thursday.

Full results for the LA County Championships can be found here:
https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/April/02-LA-County.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC (Press Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.)

Rebecca Mehra and Erica Capellino stormed to a 1-2 finish in the 1600 meters. Photo by Elisa Liehr

Star senior high jumper Q'marth Ghaemi sails gracefully over the bar. Photo by Elisa Liehr

Brendan Weaver leaves the competition in his wake. Photo by Elisa Liehr

Update -- March 31, 2011 -- Redondo to Bay League: "We're the team to beat"; Mehra, Capellino, Weaver provide highlights for PV.

The Sea Kings hosted a double dual league meet today against Leuzinger and Redondo. The Seahawks boys and girls varsity showed strong depth across all divisions and secured solid victories over PV in both varsity divisions, clearly announcing their intentions to defend their 2010 girls league championship and reclaim the championship on the boys side. Redondo also won the boys frosh-soph divison but PV was able to win the girls frosh-soph division. PV beat Leuzinger in all four divisions.

Shining brightest for PV against the tough competition were Rebecca Mehra, Erica Capellino, and Brendan Weaver. Up against one of the fastest and deepest girls distance squads in the state, if not the nation, Mehra and Capellino actually outscored the Seahawks in the distance races, 14-13, on the strength of dramatic 1-2 and 1-3 finishes in the 1600 and 800 meter races. Weaver cruised to victories in both hurdles races and won the boys varsity high jump with a leap of 6'0", earning a share of the stadium record.

The upcoming week is spring break at PVHS. A small contingent of Sea Kings will see action at the LA County Championships this Saturday, and then the Sea King's elite athletes will take on the best the country can offer at the Arcadia Invitational, starting with Brendan Weaver and Keiko Hector in the Decathlon / Heptathlon.

Full PVHS results are available on Edline.

Senior Keiko Hector gives the baton to anchor leg freshman Candace Johnson en route to a PV victory in the girls varsity 4x200 meters in 1:47.48. Photo by Lewis Wong.

Some of the key members of PV Hurdle Nation 2.0 celebrate a fantastic day at Mustang Relays. Pictured: Hurdles Coach Jeannette Stojcevski, Maile Davis, Garrett Rule, Matt Gysel, Brendan Weaver, Keiko Hector, Alex Farrow, and Special Hurdles Assistant Armond Goodin.

The PVHS "coaches" were bronze medalists in the Coaches 4x100m Relay at Mustang Relays. L-R: Brandon Tung, Chase Zuckerman, Jeannette Stojcevski, and Damian Capozzola.

Update -- March 26, 2011 -- HURDLE NATION 2.0! Keiko Hector Wins Athlete of the Meet at Mustang Relays; Brendan Weaver Sets New Varsity School Record at 300m Hurdles! PV Girls 4x800 Wins Stanford Invitational with Time of 9:25.04, Current CA #1 and US #3!

PVHS enjoyed an absolutely amazing day of performances at the Mustang Relays and Stanford Invitational on Saturday.

At Mustang Relays, senior Keiko Hector was female Athlete of the Meet, thanks to her victories in the 100m hurdles, high jump, and 4x200m relay (along with Amy Letwin, Candace Johnson, and Kelly Wong), and second place finish in the 300m hurdles. Fellow multi-event athlete and budding superstar sophomore hurdler Brendan Weaver took second in the boys 110h and high jump, and then astonished his competition by winning the 300m hurdles in a huge personal best and new varsity school record time of 40.90 seconds. Perhaps appropriately, Hector and Weaver also both received official notice on Saturday that they (along with junior Mika Davis) had been accepted into the Arcadia Multi-Events meet early next month.

New school records were also set by the boys frosh-soph distance medley team (11:10.84, Irish, Froom, Beall, Z. Diaz) and the girls frosh-soph 4x200m relay team (1:54.33, Kivuls, Taylor, Ryant, Durko). Cate Ryant won the girls frosh-soph triple jump and placed third in the long jump. Freshman Maile Davis was second in the girls 300m hurdles and winner of the girls 100m hurdles for frosh-soph. The boys and girls frosh-soph relay teams finished 4th and 2nd, respectively. And frosh-soph throwers Austin McGibbon, Paige Mueller, and Dylan Refeld bombed their ways to a respective second (Mueller in discus), third (McGibbon in shot put), and fourth (Refeld in discus) respectively, in the 4x100 meters.

Meanwhile, up at Stanford, an elite crew of PVHS distance runners braved some Bay Area late March rain and cold to take on the best Northern California had to offer. The girls varsity 4x800 team of Erica Capellino, Rebecca Mehra, Sierra Ponthier, and Kylie Butler tore through the conditions and their competition to win in 9:25.08, just two seconds shy of the school record and currently the leading California mark as well as the #3 US mark at that event. Justin Unno and Jonah Diaz also performed well, placing third and fourth in their respective mile heats in 4:24.71 and 4:27.09.

The Sea Kings will look to ride all of this momentum into Thursday's dual meet with Redondo. The Seahawks are the defending Bay League Champions for girls varsity, and having tied Mira Costa the Sea Kings girls varsity will be looking for the upset win over Redondo to keep their hopes for a league title alive.

Full results for the Mustang Relays can be found here:
https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/March/26-Mustang-Relays.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC (Press Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.)

Full results for the Stanford Invitational can be found here:
https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/March/26-Stanford.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC (Press Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.)

Star thrower Ho Jae Chung took second in the boys' varsity discus against Mira Costa.

Keiko Hector won the high jump and the 300m hurdles to help push the Palos Verdes Sea Kings girls varsity to a 68-68 tie with host Mira Costa at the opening Bay League dual meet on Thursday. Palos Verdes’ twin distance superstars Rebecca Mehra and Erica Capellino did quadruple duty, teaming up to score an amazing 21 points against the powerful Mustangs distance girls in the 1600m, 800m, and 3200m. Mehra and Capellino also ran on the PV 4x400 relay team and helped the Sea Kings to a fine early season time of 4:06, but it was not enough against a sterling 4:03 effort from Mira Costa. Candace Johnson and Kelly Wong took seconds in the 100m and 200m, and Christy Poropat and Katie Ricci added critical thirds in the 100h and discus. Mika Davis toook second in both the high jump and long jump, and Amy Letwin was second in the 400m.

The Mira Costa boys varsity rode strong depth across the board and eventually pulled away for a 91-45 victory. Palos Verdes super sophomore Brendan Weaver led the Sea King boys’ effort, winning the long jump in 21-4 (currently the #5 boys frosh-soph mark in California) and taking second place in the high jump and both hurdles races. Teammate Q’marth Ghaemi won the high jump with a solid mark of 6’0”. Justin Unno won the 1600m and Miles Irish won the 3200m. The Sea Kings also dropped the frosh-soph divisions, 86-50 for the boys and 90-46 for the girls.

Most of the Sea Kings will be back at the fine Mira Costa facility in two days for the Mustang Relays on Saturday, while some of PV's elite distance runners journey to Palo Alto for the Stanford Invitational.

Full PVHS results for this dual meet are still being compiled and will be placed on Edline.

Update -- March 19, 2011 -- Day 2 of California Relays Brings More PVHS Records and Personal Bests.

Forecasts for inclement weather never materialized at Day 2 of the 2011 California Relays, and the Sea Kings took full advantage of the decent conditions by posting more historic and outstanding results. Both frosh-soph 4x1600 teams competed well at the varsity level and set new frosh-soph records. The boys team of Miles Irish, Ryland Dreibelbis, Zach Diaz, and Lucas Robinson went 18:47.43 and the girls team of Lauren Gagnon, Michelle Kagei, Kylie Butler, and Sierra Pontheir went 22:26.53. Sophomore Brendan Weaver lowered his frosh-soph 300m hurdles record to a crisp 41.85 seconds (currently the fifth fastest frosh-soph time in California), and followed that effort later in the day with a heat victory in the 400m at 52.74. Fellow sophomore Megan Wooley also ran a fine 400 meters, knocking a big chunk of time from her previous best to win her heat with a lunge at the tape in 60.89. Freshman Candace Johnson ran 27.47 in the open 200m. Junior Justin Unno blasted a 9:26 3200 meters in his debut at that event and Alec Dunton and Jonah Diaz were 4:37 and 4:28 for 1600m respectively, while Sara Keller went 2:26.27 for 800m.

The Sea Kings begin Bay League action this week with a dual meet at Mira Costa on Thursday, 3/24.

Full results for the California Relays can be found here:
https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/March/19-California-Relays.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC (Press Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.)

The victorious PVHS DMR team celebrates its tremendous race. Pictured L-R: Coach Alex Broughton, Coach Jeff Atkinson, Kylie Butler, Sierra Ponthier, Erica Capellino, Rebecca Mehra, Coach Brian Shapiro.

Full results for the California Relays can be found here:
https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/March/19-California-Relays.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC (Press Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.)

Update -- March 12, 2011 -- Sea Kings Shatter Records at Culver City & Azusa Cougar Cassic Invitationals.

The record-setting girls 4x100 meter relay team of Johnson, Wong, Hector, and Letwin, celebrate with Head Coach Renee Capozzola.

The Sea Kings split their squad in search of strong competition in all the different events this weekend, and doing so brought out the best in the Sea Kings. Senior stars Amy Letwin, Keiko Hector, and Kelly Wong and freshman phenom Candace Johnson (running in her very first high school weekend invitational) set a new school record in the 4x100 meter relay with an impressive time of 51.05, beating the old record of 51.87 set in 1987 by Marci Rae Blue, Barbara Busby, Nancy Dudman and Renee Grinnell (now better known as Head Coach Capozzola!). The PV team also ran faster than the "A" team from Mira Costa, setting the stage for a very competitive and important opening 4x100 meter relay at the upcoming Bay League dual meet with the Mustangs. The PV girls frosh-soph team (Christine Kivuls, Khalia Taylor, Nicole Wilkinson, and Kate Ryant) finished third in the 4x100 relay and also set a frosh-soph school record of 52.99 seconds. Meanwhile, out at the Azusa Cougar Classic invitational, distance aces Erica Capellino and Rebecca Mehra were doing what they do best: winning races and setting records. Capellino won the girls 1600 meter run in a meet record of 5:03 and Mehra won the girls 3200 meter run in a meet record of 11:04.

Full results for the Cougar Classic can be found here:
https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/March/12-Cougar-Classic.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC (Press Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.)

Full results for the Culver City Invite can be found here:
https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/March/12-Culver-City.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC (Press Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.)

Up and coming freshman star Kate Ryant leaps to victory in the girls frosh-soph long jump.	Kelly Wong takes the baton from Keiko Hector and heads towards a heat victory and a new school record in the girls varsity 4x100 meter relay.

Other top three / noteworthy performances on Saturday included efforts at Culver City from Chloe Solandt (third in GFS discus), Austin McGibbon (second and third in BFS shot put and discus), Ho Jae Chung (winner of BV discus), Maile Davis (2nd in GFS 300h), Sam Pond (2nd in BFS 300h) and the GV 4x400 meter relay team which placed third (Letwin, Johnson, Hector, and sophomore Megan Wooley), and at Azusa from Lauren Gagnon (11:33 3200m PR), Justin Unno with a 2:00 800m, and Jonah Diaz with a 9:27 3200m.

The Sea Kings are next in action on March 18-19 at the California Relays.

Full results for the Culver City Invite can be found here:
https://rise.espn.go.com/track-and-xc/california/2011-track/Results/March/12-Culver-City.aspx?pursuit=TrackAndXC (Press Ctrl+F to search for athletes by name.)

Update -- March 3, 2011 -- Sea Kings Varsity Teams Split Season Opener with Culver City; Frosh-Soph Teams Sweep

Erica Capellino and Lauren Gagnon hit the gas in the season-opener against Culver City. Capellino set a new stadium record of 4:54.3 in the 1600 meters. Photo by Lynda Palmer.

Palos Verdes' Erica Capellino (pictured, left) and Culver City's Alex Johnson lit up the track with new PVHS stadium records in leading their respective teams to victory at their annual season opening dual meet. Culver City's boys won 76-55 and PV's girls won 120-16. Johnson won the 100 in a hand time of 10.9 to earn a piece of that event's record, then won the 200 in a blazing hand time of 21.9 to claim the 200 record for himself. For her part, Capellino blasted an astonishing early season mark of 4:54.3 to win the 1600 meter run, eclipsing the 4:55.9 mark that 2010 California State Champion Chloe Curtis of Redondo had run in 2009. Also performing well for the PV girls were double winners Candace Johnson (100, 200), Mika Davis (high jump, triple jump), and Nicole Hebert (discus, shot put), and senior Amy Letwin (who won the 400, placed second in the 300h, and anchored the winning 1600m relay team). Sophomore Brendan Weaver looked great in winning the 300 hurdles in 42.1 seconds and the distance team swept all three races in all four divisions. PV Boys frosh-soph won 85-33 and PV Girls frosh-soph won 99-33.

Full PVHS results are available on Edline.