O’brian finishes fourth for Haybalers despite recovering from an
injury
Athletes who work year-round at staying in shape usually get results. This is true of San Benito’s Jaime O’brian, Jesse Rice and Jonathan Rivera.
Rivera, the Tri-County Athletic League cross country champion last fall, works year-round with coach Jess Morales.
O’brian placed 11th in CCS last year with a state-qualifying time of 19:56 in her first year of running cross country. Rice worked with coach Iran White after water polo was over.
Last Wednesday, Rice beat the third-ranked CCS 400-meter runner Luke Lippincott, and Friday won the 400-meter dash at the Central Coast Section Top 8 Classic at Los Gatos with a season’s best 50.66.
Rice was ahead most of the way but was passed on the home stretch before pulling away for the win.
Rivera had a similar race in the 1600-meter race. The top runners ran in a group for the last part of the race, and only a few seconds separated them.
Rivera placed fourth with a time of 4:21.54 – just six inches out of third and two seconds away from first.
Only the top 16 athletes in each event in the section are invited to the meet. The San Benito boys placed ninth as a team, and the girls finished 31st.
O’brian placed fourth in the girls 400-meter dash with a 59.64.
“It was a good race for her, but she still can run faster,” said coach Jennifer Logue. “She just has to keep working at it and get a little more experience in the race. Her hamstring is still bothering her a bit.”
Many other Baler runners also had good showings. The boys 4 by 400-meter relay team placed seventh in a season’s best 4:29.22. The girls 4 by 400-meter team placed tenth.
Siljef Tabancay came in sixth in the long jump, and Willie Sanchez was tenth. Tabancay also competed in the 100 meter high hurdles and finished 14th with a time of 16.57.
John DiSalvo placed eighth in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 42.05.
On Thursday, the Balers will compete at Salinas in what will probably be the toughest meet of the year for both teams. The girls meet will decide the league championship.
Salinas’ Kristen Montgomery will give the Balers fits in the jumps, and Stephanie Christie will do the same in the hurdles.
The boys will face the only team to beat them in a dual meet last year.
Their jumpers will face Cory Barone, and the distance team will face Omar Mendoza, one of the area’s better distance runners.
