Ursuline junior Michelle Stone placed seventh in the pole vault and set an Empire record with a mark of 11 feet, 10 inches. That broke the mark of 11-8 that Stone held with Santa Rosa's Emely Flores, who set the record in 2004.

In the finals of the CIF Track and Field Championships in Clovis, Casa Grande junior Jacque Taylor finished fourth in the 1,600 meters in a time of 4 minutes, 50.70 seconds. Senior Sammy Silva of Our Lady of Peace in San Diego, the top seed in the event, took the lead on the opening lap and never looked back, winning in 4:47.67.

In the finals of the CIF Track and Field Championships in Clovis, Windsor senior Mike Tracy, one of 11 finalists, failed to clear 6-foot-7 and is out of the competition. Tracy, who will compete at Cal next year, cleared the opening height of 6-5 on his second attempt. The competition is ongoing and it is not immediately known in what place Tracy finished.

Posted by: Press Democrat Staff Writer Rich Rupprecht

Potter Valley coach and athletic director Fred Austin, 62, is retiring from both teaching and coaching.

Fred coached varsity football at the school, his alma mater, for 31 years and leaves with a lifetime record of 157-134-3 meaning he coached in nearly 300 games. Fred has also coached girls' varsity basketball most recently.

This past season, the Potter Valley girls won the NCL II North championship at 14-0 and reached the NCS playoffs with a 23-3 record.

Fred always seemed to get the most out of his players and still managed to produce strong teams, and championships, with one of the smaller enrollments in the Empire.

There were never stories of undisciplined players or questionable coaching methods during Fred's coaching tenure.

From a reporter's standpoint, who counts on high school coaches to call in results and provide the Press Democrat with information, Fred was at the top of the list for helpfulness.

I'll miss Fred Austin, and I'll bet Potter Valley will too.

Posted by: Staff Writer Eric Branch

About three weeks ago, Ursuline pole vaulter Michelle Stone had a decision to make.
She had to register to take the SAT, but she had to take the test the first weekend in June, which also happened to be when the CIF Track and Field Championships were being held in Clovis.

As spring sports come to an end - only the track & field state meet is still on the agenda - a few random highlights come to mind ...