Sports Roundup: Laguna’s Putnam posts personal-best at Junior Olympic track meet
Coco Putnam of Laguna Beach High competed Sunday at the USA Track and Field Southern California Assn. Junior Olympic Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College in Norwalk.
Putnam, who took the College Admissions Test (ACT) the day before the meet, ran a personal-best 1 minute 4.32 seconds to take first place in the 400-meter hurdles (17-18 age division) at the qualifiers meet. Her performance in the event landed her a spot in the USATF Regional 15 Championships June 27-28 at Cerritos College.
The National Junior Olympic Championships will be held July 27-Aug. 2 at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
The top five athletes at the Region 15 Championships will qualify for the National Championships
Putnam, who completed her junior year at Laguna Thursday, will attend both the UCLA Track Camp and UC Santa Barbara Track Camp starting in mid-July.
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Spring awards
Laguna Beach High has announced team award winners for their spring sports teams. Award recipients were selected within each sports program.
Below are award recipients for three sports: swimming, boys’ golf and boys’ tennis.
Swimming
Varsity
3D (Dedication, Determination, Desire)
Girls: Harper Dix; Boys: Nolan Del Toro.
Most Improved
Girls: Kyla Whitelock; Boys: Luc Durand, Jack Dodson.
Character Award
Girls: Kirra Nash; Boys: Max Morgan.
Captains
Girls: Haley Evans, Kirra Nash; Boys: Erik Juliusson, Cade Baldridge, Nolan Del Toro.
MVP
Girls: Kasey Karkoska; Boys: Erik Juliusson, Cameron Karkoska.
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Boys’ Golf
Varsity
Team Captain: John Grayden.
Most Valuable Golfer: John Grayden.
Most Improved: Kyle Sharp, Ben Sharp.
Rookie of the Year: Drake Dvorak.
Coach’s Pick: Will Uzelac, Dylan Kramer.
Junior Varsity
Team Captain: Evan Haglund.
Most Improved: Joey Ravenna
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Boys’ Tennis
Varsity
MVP: Ryan Gee.
Sportsmanship: Hayden Seitz.
Newcomer: Charles Keller.
Junior Varsity
MVP: Dean Hodes.
Sportsmanship: Blake Hawkins.
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Middle School Surfing
The Thurston Middle School Surf Team earned a second-place finish in the Middle School division team standings of the National Scholastic Surfing Assn.’s National Interscholastic Championships June 12-14 at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point.
Five Thurston athletes reached the finals in divisional competition:
Boys’ Shortboard: Nolan Rodgers (second-place), Jonah Clark (fifth).
Girls’ Shortboard: Kayla Coscino (second), Kelly Smith (sixth).
Longboard: Jameson Roller (third).
The Thurston surf team, which finished second behind San Clemente Shorecliffs in the Middle School team standings, is coached by Bobby Lockhart and Jeff Booth.
Shorecliffs won its 12th middle school division title.
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Twitter: @MikeSciacca