WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers COME FLY WITH ME—Simi Valley High's Jamie McCormack takes flight during a duel meet between Moorpark, Newbury Park and SVHS. McCormack was a CIF finalist long jumper last year. It's a good thing most track and field coaches carry a stopwatch because the race for a Marmonte League title in boys' and girls' track and field will be very close this spring.

Thousand Oaks and Moorpark high schools both have solid boys' and girls' squads, while Simi Valley, Agoura and Newbury Park expect to be in the hunt on the girls' side.

Royal, the defending boys' champion, is strong once again, while the Westlake boys' team also will contend.

Aside from the race for team championships, the league also features numerous athletes competing for individual titles. Here's a breakdown of the league's top athletes:

Royal

League champs on the boys' side in 2008, the Highlanders are considered an earlyseason favorite to win again.

Royal is fueled by Thomas Garner and Travis Edwards. Garner is stellar in the 110 and 300 hurdles, as well as the long jump. Edwards has proven to be a force in the 1,600.

Edwards isn't the only longdistance runner for RHS making big strides, as Paul Jesson has done well in the 3,200.

The RHS girls are led by Tammy Kumar. Kumar is one of the area's top triple-jumpers.

Simi Valley

The Pioneers have to be considered a contender on the girls' side due to junior Liberty Miller, the returning champ in the 1,600. Her best time in the 1,600 this season is 5:12.

"Miller is one of the premier runners once again in the county, and she should carry us," Simi Valley head coach Roger Evans said. "She's healthy and running strong. She wants to go undefeated in league, and she very well could."

Jamie McCormack is a force for the Simi Valley girls in the long jump and triple jump. She was a CIF finalist a year ago.

On the boys' end, seniors Steven Sembler and Bryan Reina are excellent distance runners. Senior Garrett Crow is one of the Marmonte's best in the hurdles.

Other Simi Valley athletes producing early on include Tyler Fields, Amanda Hamilton, Hannah Nelson and Savanna Panetta.

Agoura

First-year head coach Mark Benhard takes over a squad led by Kevin Graf, who is headed to USC on a football scholarship and is one of the area's finest in the shot put. The senior recently took first place in the event at the Pasadena Invitational.

Also contributing on the boys' side is sophomore Jonathan Cabral. According to Benhard, Cabral recently broke a school record in the 110 hurdles when he ran a 14.51 at the Pasadena Invitational.

On the girls' side, juniors Lily Karbassioon and senior Becky Wong lead the Chargers. Karbassioon's best event is the long jump, while Wong excels in sprinting.

Other top athletes for AHS include senior Adam Brosh along with juniors Sarah Kislak, Matt Nguyen, Nami Taghavi and Lucky Radley, one of the county's fastest sprinters.

Calabasas

Calabasas doesn't figure to be much of a threat for a league title, but the Coyotes will continue to turn out a number of stellar athletes.

Senior Josh Baynard is one of the area's best in the long jump and triple jump. Daniel Wallengren, a senior, has excelled in the sprint events.

For the girls, senior team captain April Gambardella has been a force in the distance runs, while freshman Ann Lee has shown a lot of potential with the 100 and 200 relay teams.

Calabasas head coach Steve Smith said he expects his team to do its best, win or lose.

"I tell my squad that when you cross the finish line, it doesn't matter what place you come in as much as how well you feel inside," Smith said.

"Did you give it everything you had? If you do that, then I'll be happy. We have to keep things optimistic in this league when we're going up against a lot of powerhouses."

Other Calabasas individuals giving it their all include junior Andre Sisk for the boys as well as Danielle Rider, Alli Delgizzi and Lauren Kozicki for the girls.

Moorpark

Moorpark should be a serious threat on the boys' side because of senior Max Dyce, who may be the quickest athlete in the Marmonte.

Dyce competes in the 100, 200 and both relay events. He's not the only star sprinter for the Musketeers, however.

Junior Austin Edmonson, a standout running back for MHS last fall, is also a force in the 100 and 200.

Derrious Johnson excels in the long jump, while Logan Podell is stellar in the shot put.

The Musketeer girls are led by Ariana Martinez and Lauren Rohach. Rohach's best event is the 400, while Martinez excels in the 200.

Other stars for Moorpark include Cari Rodriguez and Peter Promen in the pole vault.

Newbury Park

The Panthers are led by Sean Grumney, who is one of the finest long-distance runners in the area. His best event is the 1,600, where his times hover near the 4:20 mark.

NPHS' girls feature top athletes such as Raven Chavanne, Megan Thompson and Shannon Byrne. Chavanne and Thompson are strong in the sprint events, while Byrne anchors the distance teams.

The Lady Panthers' relay team is also one of the area's best.

Thousand Oaks

The Thousand Oaks boys' squad should be just fine thanks to its depth in distance running.

Sean Gildea, Kevin Joerger and Andrew Snyder can all star for TOHS on any given day.

Coach Shawn Morris has been pleased with Gildea's progress.

"He's been very patient this year," Morris said of Gildea. "He's shown more maturity by letting the races play out, and then finishing strong by going for the win near the end of the race."

On the girls' side, the Lancers are led by junior Lydia French, who recently broke a 29-year-old school record in the long jump by leaping 5 feet, 8 inches.

The Lancer girls should also do well in the distance events thanks to seniors Allie Lopez and Jean Kim, along with freshman Kalin Padberg.

Westlake

Although the Westlake boys lost to Thousand Oaks and Royal in a dual meet last week, the Warriors are still expected to be one of the Marmonte's best.

The boys are led by senior Cole Gauthier, who excels in the 400, and sophomore Sterling Jackson, a premier long-jumper.

Sam DeMello, Adam Augustyn and Michael Italiano give the Warriors plenty of depth.

The Warrior girls have received early-season contributions from Mary Case in the pole vault, Alyssa Gogusch in the shot put and Rachel Maurer in the hurdles. Junior Meghan Mann has proven to be a stellar distance-runner.

Jim Benkert, co-head coach for Westlake, has enjoyed the enthusiasm WHS has shown.

"I'm always walking all over the track at meets watching as many events as I can," Benkert said. "Everywhere I go, our team is coming up to me and asking, 'Where are we now, coach? What's the situation now?' You have to love that."