West Valley Team Captures Age-Group Relay Crown

Last year, the West Valley Eagles track club was known for its superb sprint corps, which included the likes of Quincy Watts and Bryan Bridgewater.

Watts and Bridgewater are competing for the Win America Track and Athletics Club this summer, however, so the Eagles are making a name for themselves in the middle-distance and distance events.

Thursday, the Eagles won the youth boys’ (for athletes born in 1973 and ‘74) 3,200-meter relay at The Athletics Congress National Youth track and field championships at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

The West Valley foursome of Mike McKay, Brian Dawson, Eric Steele and Michael Krentzen combined to clock 8 minutes, 53.10 seconds, an average of 2:13.3 per 800-meter leg.

The Eagles’ victory did not come as a surprise as Krentzen had won the 1,600- and 3,200-meter events at the Valley Conference Individual Event Competition earlier this month at UCLA. Steele placed second in the 800 and 3,200 and Dawson was third in the 800.

In other events Thursday, Michael Tomasulo of the Southern California Roadrunners took nearly two seconds off the national age-group record in the youth boys’ 3,000-meter walk, clocking 15:31.03.