High School Athletics Orange County

A five-person CIF appeals panel meeting last week in Sacramento rejected a bid by Santa Margarita High officials to avoid placement in a private-school sports league. Santa Margarita appealed a Southern Section decision to move it into a private-school league, along with Mater Dei, Rosary and Servite, starting with the 1999-2000 school year. The main objection raised by the school, located in South Orange County, was travel time and expense.

When Darnesha Griffith returned to Orange County for her senior year, she brought a tremendous amount of flair back to the Trabuco Hills track and field program. But there was still some lingering uncertainty. Would she be the same athlete who finished second in the triple jump at the state finals as a freshman, or the one who wanted to quit the team the following year?

DARNESHA GRIFFITH High jump, Long jump, Triple jump Trabuco Hills, Sr. Advanced to state and posted top mark in county in three events. Cleared 19-4 1/4 in the long jump and 5-9 in the high jump at Masters Meet, which were among top marks in state. Won Division II titles in high jump and long jump, Orange County title in long jump. ALLYSON MARQUAND 1,600, 3,200 University, Jr. Dominated distance events with county-best times by nearly six seconds in the 1,600 (4:55.

100: Crystal Davis, Santa Ana Valley, Fr. Time: 12.14. Finished fourth in Division II after running county's second-best time. * 200: Crystal Davis, Santa Ana Valley, Fr. Time: 24.64. Only .02 seconds behind Stone in the Division II final. * 400: Meghan Atkinson, Santa Margarita, So. Time: 57.52. Placed second at Orange County Championships, eighth at Masters (57.80). * 800: Maribeth Buche, Esperanza, Fr. Time: 2:14.12. Ran county's fastest time at divisional finals. Sunset League champion.

Mission Viejo's Mark Gleason had always enjoyed team sports from a distance. He admired the group effort that made football, baseball or basketball so appealing, but he didn't have much experience celebrating with teammates. Gleason usually had to depend on himself to achieve the feeling of success. Running track and cross-country and wrestling did involve team competitions, but that hardly affected Gleason's individual performances.

When Jamie Cail pulled herself out of the pool after beating Olympian Amanda Beard in the 200 individual medley at the Foothill Swim Games, two Fountain Valley swimmers asked each other, "Where did she come from?" Cail, the Times Orange County girls' swimmer of the year, moved with her family from Florida last fall so she could train with Olympian Janet Evans' former Coach Bud McAllister. The move was a dream come true for Cail, who considers Evans her hero.

50 freestyle: Leslie Christiansen, Irvine Fr. Time: 24.19. Christiansen held the top time in the county until Jones knocked her off. 100 freestyle: Jessica Hayes, University Fr. Time: 51.41. Hayes made the difference in many of University's relay finishes. 200 freestyle: Ari Gardner, San Clemente Jr. Time: 1:51.86. Strong all season, she had the second-fastest time in the county. 500 freestyle: Shauna Barnard, Laguna Hills So. Time: 4:54.20. She was Swimmer of the Meet at Division II finals.

JAMIE CAIL, 200 IM, 500 freestyle, Marina, Jr. Cail defeated Olympian Amanda Beard of Irvine to win the 200 IM (2:02.63) at Southern Section Division I finals. She then came back to win the 500 free in 4:44.69, which is the nation's fastest prep time. JESSICA HAYES, 200 freestyle, University, Fr. Don't be fooled by Hayes' freshman status. She is among the nation's best prep freestylers. Her Division II-winning time of 1:49.92 was almost three seconds faster than the county's second-best time.

Frank Uxa admits he was a bundle of nerves at the Southern Section Division I swimming finals last month. He remembers his doubts and concerns before the start of his two individual events at Long Beach Belmont Plaza Pool. "I knew the guys I would be swimming against. I have competed against them at one time or another, and I knew how well they swim. So I was a bit nervous before I swam," Uxa said.

50 freestyle: Kyle Baumgarner, Villa Park Sr. Time: 21.44. Water polo standout Baumgarner finished second at the Division I finals. * 100 freestyle: Frank Uxa, Santa Margarita Sr. Time: 47.50. Uxa recorded the county's second-fastest time at the Foothill Swim Games. * 200 freestyle: Toyokazu Tsujino, El Modena Sr. Time: 1:43.17. Tsujino had the county's second-fastest time this season. * 500 freestyle: Jon Hanna, Los Alamitos Fr. Time: 4:36.81. Hanna took fourth at the Division I finals.