Mater Dei sprinter Curtis Godin and Orange Lutheran pole vaulter Carl Johansson are making their presence known early in the track and field season by posting the state’s top marks in their events.
But there’s another Trinity League athlete who is off to a strong start: Santa Margarita’s Austin Tinsley.
Tinsley began the season by running a 14.71 in the 110-meter hurdles, then followed that up with a 38.69 in the 300 hurdles. Both of those times were state bests at the time, but now rank fifth in each category. The marks are still tops in the county this year in those events.
It’s a big difference from last season when Tinsley was running in the mid 15-second range in the 110 hurdles.
“Last year, I was transferring from (playing) lacrosse,” Tinsley said. “(I’ve had) eight months to prepare for this year. I’ve worked out with (teammate) Christian Bohuslavizki all summer.”
Since giving up lacrosse, he’s focused solely on his running.
“As far back as fall, he’s been running cross country,” Eagles coach Sean Zeitler said. “He’s been going through hurdles workouts and getting repetitions.”
Zeitler said Tinsley is also a vital part of the school’s 400 and 1,600 relays.
Tinsley favors the hurdles over the relays, though, citing the adrenaline rush he gets from running them. His goal is to run in the low 14s in the 110 hurdles and low 37s in the 300 hurdles.
TRITON INVITATIONAL TIME
The Triton Invitational is set to start this morning at San Clemente.
Tritons boys track coach Dan Johnson said there’s a large variety of schools entered, ranging from small schools to large schools.
Two athletes to keep an eye on during the meet will be San Clemente’s Kelsey Benoit and Rocky Fenton. Both rank in the top six in the state in boys shot put and in the top eight in the discus.
“They’ve been real impressive this early in the season,” Johnson said. “Rocky, especially, has improved.”
Fenton’s best mark in the shot put this season has been 58 feet, 4 inches. Benoit broke the 60-foot barrier with a best of 60-21/2.
One athlete flying under the radar and worth watching today, according to Johnson, is Arik Nestbit, who has been impressive in the long jump and triple jump.
Contact the writer: amorales@ocregister.com
