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Mt. Carmel Invitational
Reggie Wyatt is back on (against) the clock!
San Diego CA
“I want the national record (35.38 by Woodland Hills Taft’s Jeshua Anderson
in 2007), and I plan to only run the 300-meter hurdles at Arcadia (in two weeks)
so I can get it early.” - Reggie Wyatt, La Sierra HS, Riverside
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By Steve Brand
SAN DIEGO – Sitting out a year certainly has not slowed Riverside La Sierra’s Reggie Wyatt. In fact, it appears he’s a lot hungrier.
Running his first 300-meter hurdle race of the season, the 6-foot-5 USC-bound Wyatt scorched a time of 36.59 seconds just 40
minutes after flying to a 46.67 in the 400 yesterday, setting meet records in each event at the Asics Mt. Carmel Invitational.
 His hurdle time lowered the mark of 37.08 he clocked as a sophomore
when he attended Riverside J.W. North. Moving to La Sierra cost him a
year of eligibility.
On a day when there were nine state-leading marks produced, Wyatt
stood out with his electrifying double.
“It was hard (sitting out) last year, but I didn’t let it get to me,” said the
affable Wyatt, “it just made me
work harder. I want to gain some vengeance in my senior year.
“I want the national record (35.38 by Woodland Hills Taft’s Jeshua
Anderson in 2007), and I plan to only
run the 300-meter hurdles at Arcadia (in two weeks) so I can get it early.”
The thought of Wyatt focusing on just one race is scary since he admitted
yesterday that he didn’t have
much time to get ready for the hurdles after his 46.67 400 lowered the
meet record of 47.22 by San Diego
Morse’s Michael Stevenson 21 years ago.
As a result, he was just even with the field over the first hurdle but once
clear, he scorched the field the rest of the way.
“I took it out and could feel the wind in my face,” said Wyatt. “I knew I’d
have that same wind behind me
the last 100, so I just pushed and decided the last 100 I’d finish with
whatever I had left.”
That was plenty, as it turned out, as he won by almost two seconds, a
margin similar to the 2.03 seconds between Wyatt and Compton Dominguez’
Kivon Grant (48.70) in the 400.
Two of Wyatt’s victims produced state-best marks of their own.
San Marcos Mission Hills’ Joe Cooks came back after finishing third in
the 400 (49.09) to lead three runners under the previous state best in the 200 at 21.30.
The third place finisher in the state furlong last year, Cooks came off the turn with a huge lead and cruised to his personal best time.
San Diego Horizon’s Christian Johnson (21.90) and Spring Valley Mount Miguel’s
Hosea Tate (21.91) staged a stirring battle for second.
Morse’s Elijah Muhammad, who at 6-4 is almost as tall as Wyatt, sped to a 14.70-second time in the 110-meter
high hurdles, barely edging El Cajon Granite Hills junior Kevin Finley (14.75) at the tape, before finishing a distant
fourth in the longer hurdles.
It wasn’t just the short races that produced top marks.
University City’s Mac Fleet decided to step up to the 3,200-meter and worked out a game plan with Rancho
Buena Vista’s Colin Jarvis to dip below 9-minutes.
Although the plan failed because of a too-slow early pace, the race was still one of the highlights as the two
traded the lead until with 800 meters remaining, Jarvis took off and Fleet, a 4:07 indoor miler, was unable to keep
up.
Jarvis’ 9:03.68 and Fleet’s 9:11.80 became the two fastest times in the state so far.
A similar race developed in the girls metric two-mile were speedy Molly Grabill of San Diego Rancho Bernardo
and relentless Megan Morgan of Torrey Pines squared off.
Grabill ran outside of Morgan until the two started lapping runners and then with 600 meters remaining, increased
the tempo dramatically. While Morgan was momentarily left behind, she, too, made a strong move but could not
make up all of the lost ground.
Grabill’s 10:36.43 winning time was second only to the 10:27.97 she clocked in the last year’s state championships
while Morgan collected a personal best of 10:39.77.
Both of the girls’ sprints produced state-leading marks as Oxnard Rio Mesa’s Valexsia Droughn and RB’s Tenielle
Stoudenmire traded fast times.
Droughn, who came in with the lead in the 100, edged Stoudenmire by .01 at 11.92 but the Broncos senior was
easily the more impressive in the 200, winning by a full half-second in 24.35.
The other two Golden State leaders were recorded by the Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos 4x100 boys relay team
which shaved a tenth off its best to almost dip under 42 seconds at 42.03 and by El Cajon Granite Hills’ senior Aaron
Harris, who rode a friendly 1.8-meter per second wind to a 23-4 1/2 long jump victory.
Other impressive performances included a 45-foot victory in the girls shot by Los Osos’ Michelle Anumba, a 14.76
wind-legal 100-meter hurdle win by Vista’s Danielle Littleton and a season-best 58-8 in the boys shot by Carlsbad’s
Blake Asbill.
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