Watts, Bultman and Manship Shine in Northridge Relays

Quincy Watts of Taft High, who normally gets top billing, had to share the spotlight with Dave Bultman of Royal and Sharon Manship of Thousand Oaks at Saturday’s Northridge/Alemany Relays at Cal State Northridge.

Watts, the defending state 200-meters champion, won the 400 meters with the fastest high school time in the state this year (47.56 seconds), but Bultman and Manship matched the Toreador junior with their own state-leading performances.

Bultman, a transfer from San Jose, threw a 61-6 in the shotput, and Manship was clocked in 43.50 seconds in the 300-meter low hurdles. Manship’s performance was also the fastest high school mark in the nation this season.

The trio did not, however, confine their performances to single events.

Watts also won the 100 meters in a season-best of 10.70 seconds and anchored Taft’s victorious 440-yard (42.68) and runnerup 880-yard (1:28.93) relay teams.

Bultman won the discus with a throw of 174-7 and Manship placed second in the triple jump with a season-best of 35-11 1/2.

Watts started quickly in the 400, blasting the first 200 meters in 21.8. He slowed considerably in the final 100 but still lowered his personal best by .71 seconds. Ralph Blanks of Royal (48.55) and Steve Espo of Poly (49.71) also ran personal bests but finished in second and fourth places.

In the 100 Watts came out of the blocks slowly and had to run down fast-starting Steve Provenzano of Arcadia in the last 30 meters. Provenzano placed second with a personal best of 10.80.

Watts was pleased with his effort in the 400 but disappointed with the 100.

“I wasn’t as geared up for the 100 as I should have been,” he said. “I was kind of lackadaisical and got left in the blocks.”

He didn’t in the 400.

“I went out hard and just tried to maintain my speed in the home straight. I’m really happy with my time and the way it felt. I wasn’t that tired afterwards.”

Manship, who placed second in the 300 hurdles at the 1986 Southern Section 4-A championships, was pushed to her national-leading effort by teammate Staci Leach.

Leach placed second with a season-best of 44.30. Earlier, she placed second in the 100-meter low hurdles (14.4).