1977 Track: Lady Colts, David Russell Reach the Heights

San Diego produced three state champions, the most since 1929.

David Russell of Patrick Henry won the boys’ 100 (:09.61) and 220 (20.97 with 2.2 wind, over the allowable 2.0), and the Crawford girls’ 440 relay squad of Danita Young, Judy Reed, Jewell Lovelady, and Katie Gaston, set a national record, :46.14.

Forty-eight years before San Diego High had won the state championship in the Los Angeles Coliseum with four individual winners:  Jimmy Willson, 100 and 220 (:09.8 and :21.4, and the last time there had been a double sprint champion from the border city); Irvine (Cotton) Warburton, 440 (:49.6), and Bill Miller, pole vault (12-6).

Russell stayed in his blocks through three false starts in the 100 and then raced away from the field and runner-up Ivan Cleveland of Pasadena, who ran :09.74.

Electronic time for sprints is about .24 hundredths slower than hand time, meaning Russell probably covered the distance in :09.4, according to previous methods.

Russell, not ready for prime time, with two disappointing efforts in the 1976 state trials in Berkeley, again jumped the field in the 220 and outpaced Pasadena’s favored James Sanford, who had won the 440 in :46.6 just minutes before but was second in :21.24.

Russell had become a fan favorite among the 16,200 at UCLA’s Drake Stadium.

Gambling is de rigueur at big, or small, track meets and fans showed their appreciation, showering the surprised Russell with a fistful of money as he took a “victory lap” through a section of the stands.

VERY FAST COLTS

Danita Young, Judy Reed, and Jewell Lovelady gave anchor Katie Gaston space in the 440 relay. Compton Centennial, with future (1984) Olympian 4×100 relay member Jeannette Bolden anchoring, closed fast but was second in :46.42.

5/4/77

An anticipated 440 race between Patrick Henry’s David Russell (:49.2) and San Diego’s Danny Stewart (:49.9) didn’t materialize.

Russell won the 100 (:09.7) and anchored a :42.6 440 relay win.  Stewart was headed to a personal best but cramped in the stretch and settled for a :50.6 victory.

The Patriots settled for a 98-36 Eastern League dual-meet win.

5/5/77

—Danita Young of Crawford ran the 100 in :10.8 in the Crawford girls’ 83-21 win over Clairemont. Mike Brown clocked :09.8 in the 100 in a meet the day before in the Colt boys’ 89 ½-46 ½ victory.

5/6/77

—Alex Williams high jumped 6-6 ¾ and triple jumped 44-1 1/2 in El Camino’s 82-54 win over Torrey Pines.

—Howard Wickham of Bonita Vista ran the 300 low hurdles in :38.9, fastest time in the County, and took the 100 in :10.3 in the Barons’ 98-37 cruise against Mar Vista.

—Randy Wagner’s wind-aided :14.5 in the 120 high hurdles took the County lead and Hilltop posted a 73-63 win over favored Castle Park, which found solace in Charles Kathan’s wind-aided :09.7 100 and :22.2 220.

—Randy Wallace’s 6-6 ¾ high jump in Grossmont’s 75-61 win over Santana bettered the school record of 6-6 by Bill Jones in 1961.

5/10/77

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE TRIALS, @SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE

Harlow Naase won 100 and 220 heats in :09.7 and :21.7 and his Castle Park teammate Charles Kathan doubled in :09.8 and :21.9.

Naase was asked by Nick Canepa of the Evening Tribune about a potential race against Patrick Henry’s David Russell, unbeaten this year: “I’m certainly not in awe of Russell.  As far as I am concerned he’s just another guy. Now if he were out running :09.3s and :09.4s I might be in awe.”

—Bonita Vista’s Laura Nagel’s :14.5 was fastest of the year in the 110 hurdles in the City Conference Girls Trials in Balboa Stadium.

Crawford’s Danita Young and Judy Reed tied at :10.9 in the 100.  The Colts ran :47.5 in the 440 relay and Jewell Lovelady led long jumpers at 18 feet, 1 inch.

GROSSMONT LEAGUE TRIALS, @EL CAPITAN

Ken Pole of El Capitan put the shot 59 feet, 2 inches and Matt Gauthier of Valhalla followed at 57-7.

—Marc Keller of Helix ran a 4:21.9 mile.  Carol Keller, Mark’s sister, logged a 5:12.8, with Cheryl Flowers of Valhalla trailing in 5:20.5.

5/11/77

CITY CONFERENCE (EASTERN & WESTERN LEAGUES) TRIALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

David Russell, citing a sore leg, eased to a :09.8 100 but blazed a :21.2 220, while Patrick Henry teammate Kipperr Bell turned in :09.9 and :21.7 times.

—Six ran :50.6 or better in the 440, led by the :49.6 of San Diego’s Danny Stewart and six timed at least 1:59.3 in the 880 led by the 1:56.8 of Morse’s Richard Wheeler.

—Lincoln and Crawford each ran :42.5 in the 440 relay, Morse :42.7, San Diego :43.1.  Morse came in at 3:20.5 in the mile relay, San Diego at 3:23.3.

—James Shine of San Diego ran a :09.9 100 and took the long jump at 23-7 ½.  Nine others made at least 22-0 1/2.

—Team favorite Patrick Henry was disqualified for a lane violation in the 440, keeping with an Eastern League tradition of baton-changing mishaps.

5/13/77

GROSSMONT LEAGUE FINALS, @EL CAPITAN

Sophomore Cheryl Flowers of Valhalla set a County record of 5:01.78 in the mile, defeating Helix’ Carol Keller, who returned the favor, beating Flowers with a record 11:08.2 in the two-mile.

Second-place times were 5:10.4 in the mile for Keller and 11:26.8 in the long race for Flowers.

—Carol Keller’s brother Marc doubled in the mile (4:19.1) and two-mile (9:27.8).

—Matt Gauthier won a shot put battle with El Capitan’s Ken Pole when Gauthier, coming from behind, pushed the 12-pound ball 59 feet, 8 ¾ inches, on his last try. Pole reached 59-5 ½.

Gauthier whirled the discus to the third longest distance in County history, 191-2, behind only Mount Miguel’s Billy Joe Winchester, 195-8 in 1970, and El Cajon Valley’s Mark Malone, 192-6 in 1976.

—Helix’ Mike Durden won the 440 in :50 and El Capitan’s Robert Klemmer pole vaulted 14 feet.

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE FINALS, @SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE

Harlow Naase won the sprint duel with Castle Park teammate Charles Kathan, running :09.8 in the 100 and :21.9 in the 220.  Kathan was second in :09.9 and :22.3.

—Bonita Vista sophomore Mike (Ace) Adkins won the 440 in :49.8 and Rick Krueger took the 880 in 1:58.4. The Barons won the mile relay in 3:24.6 and were team champions, outscoring runner-up Castle Park, 71-39.

—Billy Wagner of Hilltop doubled in the hurdles, :14.8 in the 120 highs and a County-leading :38.3 in the 330 lows.

—Debbie Wilford of Castle Park long jumped a County-leading 19-2.

5/14/77

CITY CONFERENCE (EASTERN AND WESTERN LEAGUES) FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Glenn Vieira of Madison pole vaulted 14-4 to break a 13-year-old County record of 14-3 ¼ by Lincoln’s Vic Montano in 1964.

—A Morse foursome of Donald Guillory (:49.4), Terrell Williams (50.6), Richard Wheeler (:49.6) and sophomore Tony Banks (:48.4) ran 3:18.0, third fastest mile relay in County history.

Lincoln ran 3:15.5 in 1968 and Morse 3:16.8 in 1974.

—The 9:09.7 two-mile by Kearny’s Ricky Perez bettered the record of 9:11.6 by Kirk Pfeffer of Crawford in 1974.

AVOCADO CONFERENCE TRIALS, @ESCONDIDO

Dokie Williams of El Camino led qualifiers in the long jump at 23-10 ½.  Teammate Craig Montgomery was the triple jump leader at 47-1/2.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE FINALS

Christian won nine of 14 events and repeated as team champion with 190 points.  Army-Navy, with 89, and Mountain Empire, with 84, followed.

5/16/77

AVOCADO LEAGUE FINALS, @VISTA

Vicky Belser was excelling on her home turf.

The Panthers’ senior won the 100-yard dash in :10.8, the 220 in :25, and the discus with a toss of 125-7.

Postponed twice because of rain, league athletes competed on a dry track amid a chilling wind.

“My start has been terrible,” said Belser, who revealed that she competes in the sprints in starting blocks but  from a standing position.

—El Camino’s Craig Montgomery leaped 47-8 ½ to win the triple jump, edging Dokie Williams’ brother Alex, who bounded 47-2 ½.

Dokie Williams, apparently ailing, did not participate and was byed into the San Diego Section trials.

5/21/77

SAN DIEGO SECTION TRIALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

Crawford girls Danita Young, Judy Reed, Jewell Lovelady, and Katie Gaston stunned the crowd when they blazed the 440 relay.

A few moments later, track announcer Augie Escamilla, uttered his trademark, “Listen to this one, ladies and gentlemen!” and told the gathering that the Colts had just set a national record of :46.6.

Crawford bettered the :46.7, set a couple weeks earlier in the Texas state meet by Fort Worth Trimble Tech.  The Colts also shattered the San Diego Section record of :48.4 by Point Loma in 1976.

Crawford had run :47.6, :47.3, and :47 earlier and Danita Young was asked if the foursome felt the pressure.

“We’re always being pressed—by the clock,” said the 17-year-old junior, who also won a 220 heat in :24.4—The Crawford boys’ :42.4 also was No. 1 in the 440 relay. Morse ran 3:17.6 in the mile relay.

—Patrick Henry’s David Russell, concerned about balky hamstrings, won his 100 trial in :09.8 and then his :21 bettered Russell’s and Elijah Jefferson’s mark of :21.1 in the 220.

5/28/77

Morse, by winning the mile relay in 3:19.7 (“We won it with our passes,” said coach Jim Cerveny), with 27 points, outlasted Patrick Henry (23) and El Camino (23), for the team championship.

Crawford, with 45 points, won the girls’ team championship, topping Vista’s 34.

Two boys meet records (*) and seven girls meet records were set or tied (+):

17^TH SAN DIEGO SECTION FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

 4^th GIRLS SAN DIEGO SECTION FINALS, @BALBOA STADIUM

6/3/77

59^TH BOYS STATE TRACK TRIALS, DRAKE STADIUM, @UCLA

3^rd GIRLS STATE TRACK TRIALS, @DRAKE STADIUM, UCLA

6/4/77

59^th BOYS STATE TRACK FINALS, @DRAKE STADIUM, UCLA

6/4/77

4^th GIRLS STATE TRACK FINALS, @DRAKE STADIUM, UCLA

Print