Hoping for Daylight

Steve Virgen

One of a few ad slogans for the Arcadia Invitational is, “When the

lights go on the stars come out.” That is truly the case when it

comes to Costa Mesa High senior Sharon Day.

Day, the CIF state defending high jump champion and Orange County

record holder, will compete in the high jump at the 36th annual

Arcadia Invitational today. The high jump is scheduled to begin at 5

p.m.

Day will display her talents on a bigger stage than last weekend,

when her clearance of 6 feet, 2 inches gave her the title at the

Trabuco Hills Invitational and gave her the Orange County record and

school record. Her previous best was 5-11, which gave her the

championship at last year’s State Finals at Cerritos College.

One of the reasons Day has improved on her high jump mark is

because the Costa Mesa girls track and field team has added depth

this season, Coach Glenn Mitchell said. The Mustangs’ added depth has

allowed Day to focus more on the high jump, rather than attempt to

collect points in various events.

“She has not had to carry the team,” Mitchell said of his star

athlete. “She doesn’t really have to do the relays and she’s been

having some real good jump workouts.”

Mitchell also said Day has been enjoying herself this year and

that, too, has helped lead the senior to success. Day helped lead the

Mustangs to win the Golden West League title in volleyball, and as

the goal-scoring leader of the girls soccer team she led Costa Mesa

to a share of its first CIF championship.

Now, most of her teammates from that soccer team have joined Day

on the track and field squad. In addition, her younger sister Jasmin,

who was also integral for the soccer team, is jumping and training

with Sharon and Eugene Day, their father, is the jumps coach.

“She’s really having fun out there,” Mitchell said of Sharon Day,

who will compete in soccer and track and field at Cal Poly San Luis

Obispo next school year. “I think having her friends out there is

letting her relax a lot more. Overall, it’s just a lot more fun for

her. I’m just telling her to tell me what she wants to do.”

Mitchell said Day will not compete in the 400 meters, as she did

last season in the Arcadia Invitational. That should allow more

concentration toward the high jump and maintain her momentum for next

weekend’s Mt. San Antonio College Invitational, Mitchell said.

Corona del Mar, meanwhile, sends a bevy of athletes to the meet,

all in the Open Division.

Chris Ringstrom, a junior who tuned up for today’s boys 400 with a

sizzling 22.0 in the 200 on Thursday in a Pacific Coast League meet

with Calvary Chapel, enters with the No. 2 time in Orange County with

a time of 49.76 in the 400. His race is scheduled for 1:39 p.m.

In the girls 400, set for 1:27 p.m., will be Corona del Mar

sophomore Melissa Swigert, who had a best of 58.8.

Freshman Anne St. Geme is the first from Corona del Mar to compete

when she races in the girls 1,600, starting at 11:36 a.m. Her

entering mark is 5:10.

The Sea Kings have two 1,600 relay teams entered.

The boys, Kevin Artz, Matt Morris, Brandon Borcoman and Ringstrom,

No. 2 in Orange County to Santa Margarita, race at 3:45 p.m .

The girls, Sara Claster, Whitney Widener, Kelly Morgan and

Swigert, also second only to Santa Margarita in Orange County, will

race at 3:50 p.m.