Bethel, Haneef, Axton Come Up Big

LONG BEACH —  Orange County’s headliners didn’t disappoint at the Southern Section Masters girls’ track and field meet Friday at Veterans Stadium.

Mission Viejo’s Ashley Bethel qualified for the state meet in three events--100-meter hurdles, long jump and high jump--Laguna Hills’ Tayyiba Haneef won the high jump and Los Amigos’ Carrie Axton won the discus.

Axton was one of three county athletes to qualify in the discus. Axton won with a throw of 144 feet and Edison’s Jami Questa earned the final qualifying spot, finishing fifth (123 feet 7 inches).

Loara’s Melissa Price became the first girl to qualify for the state meet in school history, finishing second with a mark of 132-8.

“This is exhilarating, I don’t know how to explain it,” Price said. “I was a little upset how I finished at the CIF meet (127-4), so this was nice.”

Bethel finished second in the 100 hurdles (13.62 seconds) behind Riverside North’s Nicole Hoxie (13.43, wind aided).

Bethel finished fourth to qualify for state in the long jump (18-11 3/4) and she also qualified in the high jump (5-4) with Newport Harbor freshman April Ross (5-4) and Haneef (5-6). Haneef cleared 5-6 on her first jump then missed on three attempts at 5-8, which she cleared last week at the section finals.

Three county runners qualified in the 800, including Huntington Beach’s Summer Shaw finishing second (2 minutes 12.03 seconds) to Long Beach Poly freshman Angelita Green (2:10.50). Corona del Mar freshman Liz Morse finished fourth (2:12.53) and Brea Olinda’s Makia Nelson (2:14.15) was fifth.

Notes

Mission Viejo’s Sara Higham cleared 11-6 in the pole vault to finish third and Marina’s Katie Rorem also qualified for state, finishing fifth, clearing 11-0. . . . Woodbridge’s Mary Moore (5:06.67) and Buena Park’s Heather Garritson (5:07.04) both qualified in the 1,600, finishing third and fourth. Santa Margarita’s Katie Nuanes didn’t qualify, finishing seventh in 5:15.35. . . . Edison’s Jenny Shutt qualified in the shot put, finishing fourth at 39-6 3/4. . . . In the 300 hurdles, Sunny Nicholas of Sunny Hills (44.58) finished third and Brea Olinda’s Sarah Bonilla (45.50) finished fifth to qualify. . . . University’s Allyson Marquand qualified in the 3,200, finishing fifth (10:52.62). . . . Woodbridge’s Jackie Dix ran anchor legs for both the 400 and 1,600 relay teams, helping both qualify by finishing fifth.