Welcome to the 91st Annual Russell Cup Track & Field Invitational. The 2010 edition of the meet promises to be another great showcase for outstanding small school programs from all over Southern California and beyond.
A special welcome goes out to Houston Christian for making the trip from Texas for the second year in a row.
This year’s Russell Cup features a multitude of outstanding athletes. Six athletes are ranked on the state’s top 10 list, 3 of whom were CIF Champions last year. A total of 12 girls will be looking to defend their 2009 Russell Cup title. The boys will have 8 returning champions.
The boys varsity shapes up to be a great competition between Oak Park, Oaks Christian, and St. Joseph. Any one of the three appears poised to take home the championship cup. Niko De Martino is a heavy favorite in the long jump. The Oaks Christian junior won the prestigious Arcadia Invitational last week and is ranked #2 in the state with a 23’ 10” leap. The Carpinteria High Stadium record holder will be looking to break the oldest record in the Russell Cup books, a 22’ 5” leap by Jack Laughner of Long Beach Wilson in 1939. De Martino is also the fastest entry in the 200 meters. It will be tough to beat the Lions in the sprints, as Oaks Christian also has the fastest entry time in the 100 meters. Vincent Saucer is the #1 freshman in the CIF Southern Section and is ranked #6 overall. Surprisingly enough, Oaks also has the fastest entry time in the 4×100 relay.
Oak Park will rely on excellent team balance in addition to fine individual talent. Always known for their distance runners, Oak Park has become a force in the pole vault as well. Austin Gill and Parker Markham are ranked first and third on this year’s depth chart. Gill has cleared 14’ 9” this year. The Eagles highest ranked vaulter will be looking to break the Russell Cup record in the frosh/soph competition. Sophomore Connor Stark is ranked #10 in the state with a 15’ 1” clearance and is well above the current record of 13’ 6”.
The throwing corps will lead St. Joseph into the fray. Zach Perron is the leading shot putter with a 53 foot heave. He is also ranked third in the discus. Sean McCormack and Nick Lahr won frosh/soph Russell Cup titles in the 300 meter hurdles and the long jump last year. They will be looking to make an impact in the varsity hurdles and long jump this year.
Others to watch include Phillip McCullum from Garces Memorial in Bakersfield. McCullum won the high jump last year at 6’ 6” and this year will be aiming for the Russell Cup record of 6’ 8”. Doug Bogie of Malibu has also cleared 6’ 6” in the high jump and will give McCullum a run for his money. James Shipe of Morro Bay won the CIF Division 4 cross country title this past fall and will be one the favorites in the 1600 and 3200 meters at the Russell Cup.
The St. Joseph girls are ready to defend their 2009 title. The Knight’s will look to the field events to power their title run. Teresa Loya is the #2 ranked shot putter in CIF this year with a toss of 45 feet. She is also ranked #5 in the discus and was CIF Champion in both events last year. Natasha Kolbo is in the CIF top 15 in the long jump, high jump and pole vault. Being one the best in the CIF won’t guarantee Kolbo anything, as all three of her events feature very strong competition.
Oak Park has the talent to challenge Kolbo and could very well end up winning the team title. Tayler Johnson is tied for #2 in the state high jump rankings with a 5’ 8” clearance. The Oak Park senior was second to Kolbo in last year’s Russell Cup. All was not lost for Johnson in the 2009 Cup. She broke the Russell Cup record in both the 100 meter hurdles and the long jump. These accomplishments earned her the outstanding female athlete of the 2009 meet. Johnson wasn’t the only Eagle to set a record last year. Melissa Skiba broke Russell Cup records in the 1600 and 3200 meters and is looking to defend her titles again this spring. Skiba is the defending CIF 3200 meter champ and finished second in the state cross country championships last fall. Kayla Batom set frosh/soph records in both hurdle races last year and hopes to make her mark in the varsity races this season.
The speed of Oaks Christian will be a factor in the girls title quest also. Alexandra Courtnall is ranked #6 in the CIF for 200 meters and #10 in the 100 meter dash. Her times of 12.25 and 25.01 make her the top contender for the Russell Cup as well. The 400 meters could be the domain of Dani Alakija. The OC freshman has the top entry time of 59.88 seconds. Oaks Christian also appears to be the team to beat in both relays.
The distance races will feature great match-ups for the girls. Melissa Skiba who was runnerup in CIF Divison 3 cross country will battle CIF Division 4 champ Catherine Hasbrouk of Nordhoff and Dot Silverman of Flintridge Prep. The field events will feature Danielle Meliton of Houston Christian trying defend her Russell Cup title in the triple jump.
Carpinteria will be lead by junior Shelby Dunlap again this year. She has earned the Barney Milne Trophy for being the Warriors’ high point scorer the past two Russell Cups. Her prowess in the 300 meter hurdle race and the high jump could help her earn the trophy again this year. Shelby and Caitlin Wallace have been battling each other all season in their quest for the school record in the high jump. Maybe the Russell Cup will provide the stage for a new CHS record. On the boys side, first year senior Cody Labrum has performed well in his debut season. He will be looking to score points for the Warriors in the long and triple jump.
