While the 2009 CIF track and field season is over, some of the county’s top track and field athletes have taken their acts to the national stage, as the 2009 World Youth Track and Field Trials got underway today at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
 
In the boys 110 qualifying race, Mission Viejo senior Devalle Pedrogo posted a wind-aided 13.88 to finish second in his heat and with second best time of the day. 

 CIF state champion Dale Morgan of Taft High (13.80) was the top overall qualifier heading into the finals.
 
El Toro junior Brad Bolton enjoyed a fine day in the hammer throw finals, placing second with a throw of 219 feet, eight inches. 
 

After three events in the girls’ heptathlon competition, Dana Hills senior Kimmie Conner (2020 points) is in fourth place overall. Conner, the 2009 Arcadia heptathlon champion, placed third in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.11. She also posted marks of 5-3 in the high jump and 29-2 in the shot put.
 
Orange Lutheran’s Chelsea Larson is currently 10th in the competition.
 
Trabuco Hills senior Monica Todd qualified for the finals of the 400m hurdles, finishing fourth in her heat with a time of 1:03.27. 
 
She also finished seventh in the finals of the long jump with a mark of 17-10 ¾. 
 
The two day trials conclude Wednesday, and based on performance and the meeting of qualifying standards, the USTAF will select athletes to compete for the United States in the 2009 IAAF World Youth Championships, scheduled for July 8th-12th in Bressanone, Italy.