Two sophomores set to represent the Coachella Valley at the Masters Meet

The Coachella Valley and its spring sports continue to shine, whether it's on the diamond in baseball and softball or in track and field. Indio sophomore Damian Durinzi is making quite a name for himself on the track. Over the weekend, Durinzi ran in the 300-meter hurdles, posting a 39.02. Now, while that placed seven out of the nine runners, Durinzi will be headed to the Masters this weekend. More on that in just a moment, but Durinzi deserves his flowers tonight, being named league MVP and now a four-time league champion. Also, the second-ranked sophomore in the entire state of California and 15th nationally. The most important stat, though, is what Damien does in the classroom: a 4.5 GPA. Staying in the 300-meter hurdles now, Palm Desert's Kingston 'Jax' Penny placed fifth in the race with a 38.06. Now, if Jax can run the same time or better than he did at the CIF, he'll automatically qualify for states as an at-large bid. The at-large time threshold is 38.68. As you see, Penny had already clipped it. Both athletes, though, could be competing in the same heat at the Masters meet this weekend. The top six will automatically qualify for states, both just sophomores.