Athletes at last Saturday's North Coast Section Tri-Valley track and field championships in Livermore battled tough competition and unrelenting heat in an effort to qualify for this weekend's NCS Meet of Champions (MOC) at UC Berkeley. The top finishers there advance to the CIF state championships the following weekend.

Deer Valley's varsity girls team was once again the big winner, bringing home the team title with 121.5 points. Carondelet finished second with 50 points.

Jasmine Cox led the Lady Wolverines with victories in the 400 and 800 meters. Her time of 55.19 seconds in the 400 broke the meet record. She clocked in at 2:17.52 in the 800. But the speedy senior

helped propel both relay teams to victory as well.

She's probably the hardest-working athlete I've ever coached, said Deer Valley coach Bernard Stephens. I tell my other athletes she's the best training partner you could ever have. She leads by example.

Cox claimed the 400-meter title at last year's MOC and went on to place ninth at state. She dropped the 800 from her MOC schedule last year to save energy for the relays. This year, however, she intends to compete in all four events.

Deer Valley senior Ese Ntekume placed first in the triple jump with a mark of 38-feet, 3