Jumping at the chance Jumping at the chance (May 27, 2005)

Paly's Zawojski set in four events at the CCS finals

by Keith Peters

The days of Katrina Zawojski rushing from one track and field event to another is quickly coming to an end.

One more meet, maybe two, and it's over. No more 400 relay. And triple jump. And long jump. And 200. All back to back. No more sprinting between sprints.

"I look forward to doing some nothing," Zawojski said this week.

Actually, rarely a day goes by that the Palo Alto High senior isn't doing something. She had a dance last Friday, followed by the Central Coast Section track and field semifinals the next day (with four events, of course). Monday and Wednesday of this week saw club volleyball practice.

Today, Zawojski will be back on the track in the CCS championships at Los Gatos High. Field events begin at 4 p.m. and running at 6 p.m. Zawojski likely will be arriving about the time class lets out.

First up will be the girls' triple jump, where Zawojski is the CCS leader and school recordholder at 38-9 1/2 (tied for 10th in the state) in a very competitive field. That begins at 4:45 p.m.

Then it's off to the 400 relay. Zawojski runs the third leg on a squad that includes Ranecia Fields, Katy Wanner and Alyson Seedman. The Vikings qualified third in a school-record 48.34. The gun goes off at 6 p.m.

After that, it's back to the pit and the long jump, where Zawojski ranks No. 2 in the CCS with a school-record 18-9 1/4. Event time is 6:35 p.m.

Zawojski might actually have time to rest before the 200 goes off at 8:05 p.m. She qualified fourth in a personal record of 25.21.

If there is one event where Zawojski isn't favored to finish among the top three and earn a trip to the CIF State Meet on June 3-4 at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, it's the 200. Yet, she isn't planning on dropping the race or any other event in order to improve her state meet chances in another.

"I couldn't drop one," she said. "My dad said that I should enjoy this because I can't do this forever."

Zawojski did drop the 200 in last year's CCS finals, but only because she had suffered a spike injury while jumping. And, she said, "I was fed up emotionally."

Zawojski qualified for the 2004 state meet in just the long jump. Tonight, she's shooting for berths in all four events.

"I have expectations in every event," she said. And it's just not finishing among the top three.

"I'll take what I can get," she said, "but I don't want to get in with a crappy jump." Or run. Or relay leg.

Zawojski isn't into pacing herself, despite an exhausting schedule. In fact, the busier she is the better. That's why she has played club volleyball since leading the Paly volleyball team to the El Camino Division title and earning MVP honors last fall. Once track started, Zawojski has juggled both. On one occasion, she competed in the annual Paly-Gunn dual meet before catching a plane to Reno that same night for a club volleyball tournament.

Paul Jones, Paly's head track coach, says Zawojski's rigorous schedule has helped make her physically and mentally tougher. That, and hitting the weights.

"It comes under that 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' kind of thing," Jones said. "She has her body trained to do that."

Jones acknowledged that Zawojski is the best all-around female athlete he has coached in his 28 years of track-and-field duty. That's a big reason why the Vikings likely will finish among the top three at the CCS championships tonight. Paly scored only nine points last year and finished 20th. If the Vikings duplicate their finishes from the CCS semifinals, they'll have 44 points - probably enough for second behind Mt. Pleasant.

Zawojski could have a hand in 28 of those points. Those efforts would get her to the state meet in three events. No matter what happens, Zawojski will be tired. And happy.

"I feel better when I'm more active," she said. "I feel bad when I'm not doing anything."

Zawojski will force herself to goof off Saturday and Sunday, but expects to have a volleyball practice Monday. Fine tuning for the state meet likely will continue Tuesday, with state meet trials Friday and finals next Saturday.

Summer will bring more volleyball, which Zawojski will play at Colgate University in the fall. And after that? Yep, more track.

"I talked to the track coach," Zawojski said, catching Jones by surprise. I think I'll be jumping there. I don't know if I want to run, but the relay might be fun."

Looks like Zawojski doing nothing will have to wait.

While there are no guarantees on reaching the state meet, a number of other local athletes are heavily favored in their respective events.

Gunn senior Tori Tyler is a clear-cut favorite in the girls' 3,200 with no competitor within 20 seconds of her. She ranks No. 6 in the state off her season best of 10:37.63.

Menlo senior Libby Jenke is the state leader in the girls' 800 at 2:07.57 (outdoors), but the state's No. 2 (Mitty's Christine Whalen) and No. 3 (Valley Chistian's Evelyn Wing) also are from the CCS.

Menlo-Atherton senior Laurie Roberts is tied for sixth in the state in the high jump at 5-8.

Castilleja sophomore Tori Anthony is tied for fifth in the state in the girls' pole vault at 12-6 and is among three CCS vaulters who are well ahead of today's competition.

Menlo-Atherton senior Evan Anderson leads the CCS 1,600 by eight seconds and is among the state leaders. He'll double in the 3,200 tonight, but is expected to drop that event for the state meet.

Also competing in the CCS finals:

Paly senior Pierre Meloty-Kapella (200), Menlo-Atherton junior Matt Wheeler (300 hurdles), Gunn junior Chris Yu (long jump), Paly junior Elissa Chandler (100 hurdles), Menlo-Atherton senior Jennifer Connet (300 hurdles), Paly freshman Mia Lattanzi (400, 1,600 relay), Paly junior Meghan Przybyla (300 hurdles), Paly sophomore Renata Cummins (3,200) plus the Paly 400 and 1,600 relay teams and Menlo-Atherton girls' 400 relay squad.

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