BINGHAM, STONE SET MARKS IN HURDLES, POLE VAULT: PUMA GIRLS DOMINATE WITH 93 POINTS, 39 MORE THAN RUNNER-UP CASA GRANDE

Headed by record-setting efforts from Ursuline's Michelle Stone and Healdsburg's Claire Bingham, athletes from the North Bay and Sonoma County leagues captured 18 events at Saturday's NCS Redwood Empire track and field championships.

The winners, and in most cases the top six finishers in each event, advance to the Meet of Champions at Cal. The trials will be Friday at Edwards Stadium with the finals on Saturday.

Maria Carrillo won the team title Saturday with 136.5 points, the bulk of that total provided by the girls.

The Puma girls earned 93 points and were followed by Casa Grande (54), Healdsburg (32) and Petaluma (29). The boys title went to Novato with 68 points, two more than runner-up Terra Linda. Rounding out the top five were Healdsburg (46), Maria Carrillo (43.5) and Santa Rosa (43).

Besides the NBL and SCL, athletes from Marin County Athletic and Humboldt Del Norte leagues participated.

Bingham was the first to write her name in the record books when the senior completed the 100-meter hurdles in 14.87 seconds. That eclipsed the previous mark of 14.91 set by Santa Rosa's Suzanne Howard in 2006.

Stone, who has been setting pole-vault records throughout her senior year, had a personal best 12-1 to take the gold. The previous record was 12 feet, set by Del Norte's Kelsy Hintz in 2007.

"I wasn't expecting a record," Stone said. "I've got a cold that's been bothering me and also I thought the wind would affect my take-off and ability to get up that high."

The wind was steady throughout the day at Redwood High's stadium with gusts that definitely hindered the athletes.

Stone, who came into the meet with a personal best of 12 feet, assured herself a blue ribbon when she cleared 11 feet on her second attempt. Petaluma sophomore Danielle Steffen, the only competitor left at that height, knocked the bar off in her three attempts. Both girls had cleared 10-8.

Knowing she was going back to the Meet of Champions, where she finished second last year, Stone instructed officials to move the bar to 11-8. The senior cleared that height on her first attempt.

"I was getting great take-offs and thought I might as well go for the meet record," the senior said.

Stone cleared 12-1 in her first attempt. The bar was then raised to 12-4, where she missed on all three attempts.

Stone, who was recently honored as the Empire's top large-school female scholar-athlete, finished seventh at last year's state meet.

Bruce Hotaling, her coach, said Stone might go higher in the weeks ahead.

"We'll make a few adjustments," he said. "I'd like to see her rotate more when she gets up in the air. We'll work on that."

Bingham was the only athlete from the NBL or SCL to win two individual events. Following her record-setting run in 100 high hurdles, the senior took the 300 hurdles in 46.62. Arcata's Tichelle Daggs was second with a 46.93.

Bingham was one of the favorites to win both events last year when disaster struck three days before the meet. While doing a conditioning drill, she stretched ligaments in her left ankle and couldn't compete.

"I waited a year for this," Bingham said. "I was so upset last year at this time. I was just doing easy movements when I came down wrong and rolled my ankle. I was lucky I was only a junior when it happened, so I had another chance to compete here."

Bingham's record-setting mark was nearly two seconds quicker than the 16.34 turned in by runner-up Camila Flowerman of Drake.

"Because of the wind I didn't feel like I was going in record-setting time," Bingham said. "I was surprised when I heard the time. I was getting over the hurdles smoothly and when I do that, I do well."

The Carrillo girls took first in three individual events: Cara Curtin (400 meters in 59.85), Laurel Shepperd (long jump 17-3) and Kathleen Durand (discus 120-6). Shepperd and Durand are freshmen.

Shepperd then showed her versatility by coming back to run the first leg on the Pumas' triumphant 4x100 relay team. Other runners were Kassie Russell, Jamaeca Dedrick and Erin Netherda.

Casa also had three girls go home with blue ribbons: Eva Luu (800 meters), Jacque Taylor (1,600) and Elaine Weaver (shot put).

Taylor, who finished fourth in the state meet in 2009, was timed in 5:03.73, nearly nine seconds slower than her best time this year.

"The wind was in my face on the backside," Taylor said. "It was like hitting a brick wall. That really slowed me down, I think I could've gone in around 4:55 in normal conditions."

Taylor, who will compete for North Carolina in 2011, took the lead at the start and was always in control.

The other two local girls to win were: Petaluma's Courtney Tuck in the high jump and Sonoma Valley's Ellen Everidge in the triple jump.

Area boys took both relays, Cardinal Newman getting home first in the 4x100 and Healdsburg taking the 4x400.

Running for Newman were Bryson Dumont, Bryan Nunez, Willis Nelson and Ryan McCandless. Their time was 43.81.

Andrew and Thomas Kozel ran for Healdsburg, along with Gerado Cervantes and Malcolm Beltran. Their winning time was 3:30.45.

Tom Kozel also won the 200 meters and finished second in the 100. He's a senior and his brother is a freshman.

"I think I'm improving going into the Meet of Champions," the elder Kozel said. "My weakness has been coming out of the blocks. Once I get going, I'm fine. Today, I was happy with the start I got in both races. Even though I didn't win the 100, my time (10.96) was a personal best."

Other area male winners were: Petaluma's Hugh Dowdy (800), Analy's Aidan O'Donnell (high jump) and Santa Rosa's Travis Baker (discus).

The Panthers' Reesey Byers, the top distance runner in the NBL and SCL, was soundly beaten by Novato's Erik Olson in the 1,600 and 3,200. However, Byers was still feeling the effects of a fever that hit him mid-week. After becoming the first Empire runner to shade nine minutes earlier this year, he was time in 9:27.31 on Saturday. That was eight seconds behind Olson.