June 08, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

Desire delivers in state meet

by Keith Peters

When Gunn High senior Tori Tyler lost the lead in the 3,200 meters at the CIF State Track and Field Championships, she didn't give up.

When Menlo School senior Libby Jenke had what seemed like the entire field of the girls' 800 chasing her down on the final straightaway, she didn't give up.

When Evan Anderson found himself in last place in the boys' 1,600, he didn't give up.

All three discovered something special in their own moment of truth - a motivating desire to finish off their high school careers the best way they could.

Tyler wound up winning the 3,200 in 10:38.90. Jenke won the gold medal in the 800 in 2:10.39. Anderson brought home third place in the 1,600 in 4:13.66. All three improved upon their finishes of a year ago during Saturday's state championships at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento.

For Tyler, headed for the University of Washington, twice responding to challenges surprised her.

"I didn't think I could do that, either mentally or physically," she said. "I guess it was desire."

After leading throughout the eight-lap race, Tyler slowed considerably on the seventh lap (a pedestrian 84 seconds) and the field closed the gap. Amanda Moreno of Escalon passed Tyler with 300 meters to go before Tyler retook the lead. Then, with 100 meters remaining, Tyler was passed by Lauren Saylor of Buchanan.

At that point, Tyler just reacted.

"I think when you really want it, you do it," Tyler said. "I didn't want to lead the whole race and get outkicked by two runners at the end. Saylor had beaten me before so I didn't want her to do it again."

Tyler, not known for her finishing kick, dug deep and overtook Saylor with about 40 meters to go to win the first state track title - boys' or girls' - in Gunn history.

"It was something different for me," Tyler said of the finish. "I don't think I'd ever run a race like that before. I guess I found something I didn't know I had."

Gunn coach Ernie Lee probably felt the same way.

"When Tori was passed by Amanda Moreno with 300 to go, we were worried that Tori had run out of gas and, that hopefully, she could hold on before the pack caught her," Lee explained. "Then, on that backstretch, she responded and actually passed Moreno back. That move right there pretty much assured her that the pack wouldn't catch her.

"But Lauren Saylor was moving very strongly. When Saylor passed Tori off the last turn, we figured that was it and that Tori would hold on for second or third. But then Tori came up with a kick that we still don't know where it came from. To say that we were surprised by her kick would be an understatement . . . it was fantastic. That was the first time she has ever come from behind late in the race."

As Tyler said later, "This was for the state title. This was my last high school race."

And what a finish to a marvelous high school career. Tyler was 16th in the 2004 state finals, but improved her speed and consistency.

"The big improvement she showed during the cross country season carried over to track," Lee explained. "She is simply running at a much-higher level than she was last year. Also, just with race experience - especially in high-level races - she was more comfortable in competitive races."

Tyler came into the state finals as the No. 1 qualifier in a school-record 10:31.04.

"Obviously, with the fastest qualifying time, we (Lee and assistant Matt Tompkins) believed that she could win it . . . it was really difficult to come up with any sort of 'chances of victory' since it was so dependent on how the others in the field ran. By the same token, it made Tori's race strategy pretty simple: run an even, strong pace and see who could hang on."

Tyler will be back on the track this weekend, competing in the mile at the annual adidas Golden West Invitational at Folsom High. The meet brings together many of the top prep athletes in the nation.

After that, Tyler will run the 5,000 at the U.S. Junior National Championships in Carson on June 23-26. Also competing will be Duke-bound Jenke in the 800.

It may be hard to Jenke to find the same satisfaction at junior nationals that she enjoyed at Sacramento City College on Saturday, becoming the first Menlo School girl and only the second athlete in school history to win an individual state title in the sport. Herbert Fleishhacker Jr., won the boys' shot put in 1949.

Like Tyler, Jenke improved upon last year's finish in the state meet, when she took second.

"I was happy because I ran a PR, but at the same time I was disappointed because I didn't win," Jenke said of the 2004 state finals. "I felt I had run a good race, but I wanted to win a state championship."

While Jenke didn't come into this meet as the top qualifier, she was picked to win - based on her consistency and the fact she was the top returnee from '04.

She proved the prognosticators correct by bolting to the lead just into the second lap, racing past Serrano freshman Kauren Tarver after the two had run shoulder to shoulder the first 400.

"I just decided that when I made my move, I wanted it to be a dominant one," Jenke said. "This is what I have been pointing for since September of my junior year. The main thing was the desire to win. I really, really wanted to win."

Jenke said she was much more aggressive in her third 200, making sure there was no chance of being boxed in - which is what happened at the Central Coast Section finals when Jenke had to settle for second behind Saratoga's Alicia Follmar.

Follmar, headed for Stanford in the fall, was not a factor this time. Her attempt at winning the 1,600 and 800 proved to be double trouble with Friday's preliminaries taking their toll. Follmar struggled home fourth in the 1,600, collapsing at the finish line. In the 800, she was a badly beaten ninth.

Even if Follmar had been at her best, beating Jenke still might have been a stretch. The Menlo senior was on a mission and nothing was going to stand in her way. She made that clear when she bolted to the lead and dared the field to catch her.

Scott Evans, who coaches Jenke, discussed race strategy with her Saturday morning. It was clear that Jenke couldn't hang with the pack and give the other runners hope. She had to grab the lead.

"I'm a lot stronger this year than last year," Jenke said. "I felt I could run a race like that."

Jenke opened a large gap and came off the final turn in good shape.

"I was so close to being a state champion," Jenke thought to herself at that point. I just told myself to put one foot in front of the other. I just wanted to get it in."

Having a big lead paid off, as the field closed on Jenke before running out of track.

"I could hear the crowd cheering as I was coming in," Jenke said. "But I didn't know if was for me."

It really didn't matter when Jenke crossed the finish line.

"It was a great feeling," she said. "Taking first is really fun."

Menlo-Atherton's Anderson didn't quite have the same feeling, but his experience Saturday far surpassed the '04 state finals when he finished sixth.

"I was happy with two 4:13s," said Anderson, who ran 4:13.38 in Friday's prelims and came back with a 4:13.66 on Saturday.

Anderson actually finished fourth, but was moved to third when AJ Acosta of El Camino (San Diego) was ruled to have interfered with another runner. After the first lap, however, Anderson was dead last.

"I was kind of worried," Anderson said of that first lap, a slow 66 seconds for him. "I didn't have very good race tactics. I didn't want to be at the front and have to battle the wind, but I thought it would go out faster (than 61 seconds for the leaders).

Anderson wound up running negative splits, with each lap faster than the previous. His second lap was 64, followed by a 62 and a final 400 of 59 seconds.

Desire kicked in on the final lap, especially when Anderson came off the final turn and saw he could pick off a few runners.

"I saved a little too much," said Anderson. "I should have stayed with the leaders. I was worried the race was going to be incredibly fast."

But it wasn't. Defending champ Mark Matusak won in 4:10.72, well off his national lead of 4:07. Still, Anderson's PR of 4:11.41 would have gotten him only second.

"I was happy with third," said Anderson, headed for Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo this fall. "My season is done; my high school career is over."

For Castilleja sophomore Tori Anthony, her career as a pole vaulter is just taking off. She has been vaulting less than a year, but cleared a personal best of 12 feet, 8 inches Saturday to finish fourth. It was the same height as third-place finisher Rachel Simmons of Rocklin. Brysun Stately of Cordova won at 13-4.

It was her first state meet, but likely not her last. Anthony was the top CCS finisher in Sacramento, as section champ Natasha Barthel of St. Francis went out at 12-0 after clearing 12-9 earlier this season.

In Friday's preliminaries:

Palo Alto freshman Mia Lattanzi was third in her heat of the 400 in 56.75 to finish 13th, missing the finals by four spots. Saturday's winner was Sade Williams of Rancho Cucamonga in a national best of 52.35.

The Paly girls' 400 relay team of Ranecia Fields, Katy Wanner, Katrina Zawojski and Alyson Seedman was 19th overall in 48.67. Saturday's winning time was 44.84 by Long Beach Wilson.

Menlo-Atherton senior Laurie Roberts tied for 10th in the high jump prelims at 5-4. Saturday's winning height was 5-9 by Desirae Gonder of Stockdale.

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