A not-so-tight Mesa sweep

COSTA MESA — Teagan LaBare doesn’t mind running in the heat, or the cold.

Temperatures rose and dipped in a matter of minutes during the Battle for the Bell Thursday.

LaBare came prepared for the Orange Coast League track and field opener at Estancia High. She wore tights underneath her Costa Mesa speedsuit.

“I always run with tights,” the sprinter said. “I started out [wearing them] last year. It’s a trend now, the cool thing to do.”

Beating cross-town rival Estancia won’t go out of style anytime soon either.

LaBare placed first in four events and the Mustangs easily won the girls’ meet, 100-32. Costa Mesa improved to 7-0 in girls’ league meets since joining the Orange Coast League in 2007.

The last time Costa Mesa lost a girls’ league meet, LaBare was a freshman. She’s all grown up now, so are the rest of the Mustangs. They’re strong again. Only one athlete off last year’s league championship team graduated.

With LaBare competing in multiple events, the Mustangs are primed to claim their fourth straight league title.

LaBare won the 100 meters in 13 seconds and the 200 in 27.2. The senior anchored both the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams to victories.

The last one was close until Ally Krikorian handed LaBare the baton. Coach Diane Bjelland clocked LaBare’s split in 62.7, a good one this early in the season.

On the last turn, Mariah Chapin tried her best to catch up. LaBare turned it on down the straightaway, helping the Mustangs finish in 4 minutes, 28.8 seconds, almost a second ahead of Estancia.

“I love it,” LaBare said of her second time competing on the new track at Jim Scott Stadium this season. “It’s so nice. I’m just frustrated it’s not our turf. You come from like our dirt track. Here, it’s so fun to run.”

When you win, everything is enjoyable. Bjelland said it has been five years since Estancia’s girls have beaten Costa Mesa (2-0, 1-0 in league) in league.

Other notable Mesa winners included Hunter Strodel in the 1600, Kim Bjelland in the 100 hurdles, Rachel Daley in the high jump, Tatiana Williams in the triple jump and long jump, and Seu Ieremia in the discus throw and shot put.

For Estancia (1-1, 0-1), Chapin claimed the 400 and 800 events, Diana Guido the 300 hurdles and Erika Garcia the 3,200.

Costa Mesa also won the boys’ event, 74-57. The Mustangs accomplished the sweep without their “A-Train.”

Antwon Byrd, the league’s defending 100 and 200 champ, missed the meet due to a sore hamstring. The senior was dressed in jeans, a green fleece, with a letterman jacket over it.

On the back of the jacket, it read “A-Train.” Duke Yasuda said the Mustangs didn’t really need Byrd to steamroll the Eagles (1-1, 0-1).

Yasuda won the 110 high hurdles in 17.4 and the 300 intermediate hurdles in 44.7. In the 100, it was a dead heat between Yasuda and John Huynh of Estancia.

Huynh won the sprint in 11.7, ahead of Yasuda’s 11.8. Huynh’s next shot to finish first in the 100 might come to an end next week, when Byrd expects to return.

“I’ll see them again for league finals,” Byrd said of the Eagles.

Kevin Astorino stepped in for Byrd and placed first in the 200, and he also won the 400. Thomas Guzowski took home the discus throw and shot put top honors for Costa Mesa.

There were very few honors for Estancia. Coach Charlie Appell wore a pink shirt. He wasn’t feeling too rosy.

Three of his boys won four individual events, Fernando Orozco the 1,600 and high jump, Jorge Martin the 3,200 and Huynh the 100.

“It was kind of difficult. People are still out of place,” Appell said. “We had better times at [the] Irvine [Invitational last week].

“We’re getting over the flu. A third of the [athletes] had the flu in the last 10 days.”

The changing temperatures didn’t help those under the weather Thursday. Maybe they needed a pair of tights to keep warm.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].