Photo gallery: Rio Hondo League track and field finals
SOUTH PASADENA – Chastity Fellows had no plans to leaving Blair High School after her junior year. Sydney Mosley wasn’t on planning on leaving, either.
“At first I said, ‘No, I don’t want to go,’ ” Fellows said.
To Monrovia track and field co-coach Mike Knowles, the transfers were right there with a ho-hum.
“No way did I think (Chastity would do this well),” he said. “We knew if she worked, she could. She has great work habits.”
Friday night, Fellows won the Rio Hondo League 100-meter title, finished second in the 200 and ran the anchor leg on the winning 4 x100 relay team which was timed in 47.01 seconds, a meet record and the second-fastest mark in the state this year.
Later this week Fellows, who had a forgettable league finals last year, will sign a national letter of intent to attend Fresno State next season.
“She’ kind of like a baby,” Knowles said. “She has a lot of upside. She’s just learning what to do.”
At first, she was not about to transfer, which happened last summer when she moved to Monrovia.
“It was the best decision my dad ever made,” she said. “I’m so happy. I saw myself at PCC. I never saw myself running somewhere else.”
Her best time in the 100 was a 13.1, but she ran a 12.1 this year. Her 200 time has dropped by just under two
seconds.
On Friday night, she could have had that time if she knew where the finish line was. With no judges – only a camera – at the finish, she and teammate Mosely ducked their heads 10 meters too soon.
“I thank God,” she said. “I did’t want to go, but we made a whole new family.”
Fellows won on Friday in 12.34 seconds with Mosley, a sophomore, at 12.41. Mosley won the 100 hurdles in 14.90. They were joined by Jasmine Thomas and Madison Herrera on the record-setting relay team.
It was an evening filled with injuries. Reigning state high jump champion Claire Kieffer-Wright tripped going down stairs before the meet and sprained an ankle. She still won the high jump at a league-record 5-6.
But she could only do minimal other events, meaning she missed out on opportunities to advance to next week’s CIF-Southern Section preliminaries in the long jump and 400.
“All in all, it was good,” she said. “I’ll probably be at full health next week. I know how to take care of an ankle. I’m not worried about it too much.”
Monrovia’s Amanda Mansoorbehkt, one of the state’s leading 800 runners, pulled a hamstring in practice on Thursday. It got worse on Friday and she did not compete.
, essentially meaning her high school career is over.
San Marino’s Alyssa Barraza won in 2:20.72.
“It was a totally different race,” she said. “She’s like my big sister. It’s bittersweet moment. I feel real sad for her.”
Monrovia’s Sabrina Thomas set a meet record in the discus with a throw of 119-2.
Double winners were South Pasadena’s Josh Wilson in the 1,600 in 4:37.66 and 3,200,in 10:00.68, South Pasadena’sLaura Anuakpado in the 200 in 25.03 and 400, in 56.71,South Pasadena’sHector Fernandez in the 110 highand 300 hurdles; in xxxx and 300 hurdles in 42.53,Monrovia’s Craven Gillespie in the 100 in xxxxand 200, in 22.15,Monrovia’sGeorge Frazier V in the shot put at 47-3 and discus at 138-52 and Temple City’s Benjamin Gray in the triple jump at 41-4 and pole vault at 13-3.
South Pasadena’s Sloan Mitchell qualified in three events, winning the triple jump at 35-5 and qualifying in the long jump and high jump. Gray’s win in the pole vault was the Rams’ 18 th consecutive league title in the event. Greta Xiong won the girls pole vault to extend Temple’s City league streak to 19.
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