Pando vaults 14'1" to win Bronco Invite

Fallbrook High School junior Anthony Pando cleared 14’1” to take first place in the boys’ pole vault at track and field’s Bronco Invitational held March 14 at Rancho Bernardo High School.

“That is the kind of mark that will get him in there with the top in the county and move him up on the state list as well,” said Fallbrook head coach Troy Hamlin.

Pando had cleared 13’6” both at a non-scoring dual meet at Ramona March 5 and at the Big Dual Invitational meet March 7 at Vista High School. The Bronco Invitational included athletes from 28 schools, including teams from Riverside and Los Angeles counties. “It’s just a really high-level competition,” Hamlin said. “It is truly an invitational.”

In the girls’ pole vault, Fallbrook senior Olivia Tidd took second with a height of 8’7”. Fallbrook junior Deanna Doss medaled in two field events, throwing the discus 96 feet, 6.5 inches for third place and hurling the shot put 29 feet, 5 inches for fifth place.

Matt Day tied for third in the boys’ high jump by clearing 5’8” and Marquis Sumpter placed sixth in the boys triple jump with a personal record 40 feet, 4.25 inches.

Sumpter had been ill during the week and settled for third in the 400-meter run. Ramona’s Ryan Morgan won the race in 49.80 seconds, Elliott Sanders of Hoover finished second with a time of 49.91 seconds, and Sumpter took 51.13 seconds.

Fallbrook took second in both the girls’ and boys’ frosh-soph 800 sprint medley, which consists of legs of 100, 100, 200, and 400 meters. The Warrior girls’ team of freshman Hannah Wilson, freshman Sarah Samaradivakara, sophomore Tara Burke, and freshman Briana Rothert had a time of 1:57.84, placing second to the 1:57.65 of Steele Canyon. “We were closing the whole way,” Hamlin said.

The boys’ team also closed in on the first-place team but fell short. Sophomores Nick Morr, Mark Ripley, Victor Lopez, and Justin Jones had a time of 1:42.51 to place behind the 1:41.75 of Torrey Pines. Jones completed his 400-meter portion in 53.6 seconds.

The boys’ 4x100 relay team of Marquis Sumpter, Caleb Sumpter, Kameron Drawhorn, and Jones had a time of 44.80 seconds to place third in their heat, while the girls’ 4x100 team of Wilson, Samaradivakara, Burke, and Rothert also finished third in their heat with a time of 53.59 seconds. Although Burke is a sophomore, this is her first year running track. “53.59 for this young a team, I’m very impressed with that,” Hamlin said.

Senior Noelle Garcia’s first-ever 3,200-meter run earned fifth place in the girls’ division. Kelly Thompson of Vista won the race in 11:14.41, Caroline Draper of Rancho Bernardo and Emily Birch of Escondido both had times of 11:21, fourth-place Chelsey

Cortez of Ramona completed the distance in 11:28, and Garcia’s time was 11:34.28. “It was a very solid run for her,” Hamlin said. “I was very impressed with her performance out there.”

Two Warriors finished sixth in the freshman 1,600-meter races. Enrique Rivera’s time of 4:53.88 in the boys’ race was his first time under five minutes in the metric mile, although only his third 1,600-meter race, while Mercedes Cortez finished the girls’ race in 5:48.04.

Although Fallbrook senior Uriel Aguirre didn’t medal in the boys’ 3,200-meter run, his time of 9:57.72 was his first finish in that event under ten minutes. Ten runners completed the distance in under 9:55.

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