TRACK: Woodside Shows Talent & Depth at Stanford

The Woodside High track team returns nearly all the key members of what was one of the Peninsula’s top programs last year. So naturally the Wildcats have high hopes of an even better 2011 season.

That pursuit reached an early checkpoint at the Stanford Invitational on Saturday as several Woodside athletes tested themselves against some of the state’s top competitors. None of the Wildcats deemed their marks particularly strong on a day that was cold and often rainy, but the team’s talent and depth were nevertheless on display.

In individual events, Christina Dobbins led the way by clearing 5 feet, one-quarter inch to place eighth in the girls high jump, and Chris Waschura finished eighth in the fast heat of the boys mile at 4 minutes, 24.47 seconds. Both walked away less than pleased with their performances, but were eager to work on the lessons learned from an early-season test on a big stage.

Dobbins, the defending Peninsula Athletic League high jump champion and a big part of the Woodside girls’ tie for second in the PAL team standings, topped her season best of 5-0 in conditions that included a steady rain and puddles throughout the approach.

“I didn’t do as well as I wanted to, but considering the weather …” the senior said. “Just being here is pretty cool because last year I didn’t qualify.”

Dobbins identified making the Central Coast Section finals as a goal, and she said improving her arch and leg kick are two key technique areas she needs to improve to get there.

Waschura, whose standout sophomore season included setting a school record in the 1600-meter race and a trip to the California Interscholastic Federation championships, graded his Stanford showing more harshly than did Dobbins. The junior slipped to the back of the pack early in the mile, got boxed in and saw the lead runners pull away for good in the second lap.

“I just wasn’t able to get up there with the pack, and they were gone by the time I wanted to turn it on,” said Waschura, who collected PAL titles in the 800 and 1600 last year as the Wildcat boys won the team championship. “All your failures are going to eventually refine what your success will be. I just found one way to not win a race.”

After finishing fourth in the CCS finals in the 1600 as a sophomore, Waschura began the year as the section’s top returning runner in that event. But he got a good look at some potential roadblocks for the CCS title in his heat on Saturday, and he knows he’ll have some stiff competition to claim the top spot on the podium two months from now in Gilroy.

Monta Vista’s Kevin Bishop, one of Waschura’s training partners, won the mile – a similar event to the 1600 -- in 4:18.58, and Bellarmine’s Kyle Rae (4:21.48) and Willow Glen’s Donald Plazola (4:22.37) also posted solid marks.

Racing in a later heat of the mile, Woodside’s Kyle Feuerhelm finished 10^th of 14 runners in 4:31.06.

Woodside’s top overall finish at Stanford came in the boys 4x800 relay. Jason Chandler, Richard Mendelsohn, Feuerhelm and Waschura took seventh in 8:11.94.

Stephanie Cerini, Lily Krosse, Taylor Duffner and Dobbins teamed together to finish 26^th in the 4x100 relay at 52.18 – running in a constant rain that made the track appear treacherous.

In the girls 100 hurdles, Dobbins and Duffner raced in different heats but finished back-to-back. Dobbins (16.28) was 12^th of the 24 runners, followed by Duffner at 16.45. Both runners set their season bests.

Duffner, named the PAL forward of the year in girls soccer, got a late start to track after Woodside’s run to the CCS Division I semifinals, and she said it’s been difficult to get into top form with only two days of consistent practice. The senior said her technique requires her to vault the first hurdle with her right leg to set up an alternating pattern.

“It’s hard to get it right,” said Duffner, who will play soccer at U.C. Davis. “It’s kind of a mind … a mentality thing.”

Another Wildcat playing catch-up after starring in a winter sport is Chandler. On the heels of a great finish to the basketball season, the senior has responded very well to an aggressive training regimen -- already setting PR’s this season in the 100 and 200.

On Saturday, Chandler finished a solid 11.34 in the 100, putting him 22^nd among the 52 sprinters.

“We hope (the PRs) keep coming and I peak at the right time,” said Chandler, who is adding the high jump to his repertoire. “(My coaches) are just trying to cram as much in … because I’m not in total track shape.”

Chandler said he started receiving recruiting attention from U.C. Davis, Sacramento State and Cal State Northridge after a junior year that included a seventh-place CCS finish in the 400 and PAL titles in the 200 and 400. He’s hoping to catch the eye of more colleges this spring.

Serra’s Chad Baur, a Redwood City resident, finished just in front of Chandler in the 100. Baur was 20^th in 11.32.

Though he termed his showing “a slow time,” Baur called competing at Stanford “a big confidence boost” because of the elite field.

“I feel like it helps me out a lot – they’re some of the top guys in the state,” said the junior, whose goal is to qualify for the CCS finals in the 100 or 200 this year. “It lets me know what I’m up against.”