Atkins, Eaton Named Menifee 24/7 Athletes of the Week

Track standout Torrey Atkins and softball star Juliet Eaton were honored by Menifee 24/7 as Athletes of the Week for their postseason accomplishments at Heritage High School.

Atkins is the only representative of the Patriots' track program still competing this spring. He finished first in the 110-meter high hurdles (14.26) and in the 300 intermediate hurdles (38.93) at the CIF Southern Section prelims May 17 at Trabuco Hills High School. With those efforts, he qualified for the CIF Finals May 24 at Cerritos College.

Last year, Atkins' season ended at the CIF Finals. His goal this spring is to finish in the top nine, qualifying for the CIF Masters Meet the following week. Top qualifiers there advance to the state meet.

Atkins' speciality is the 110 high hurdles, where his personal best is 14.1. He's hoping to do even better than that to ensure he advances against top-notch competition on Saturday.

"I want to get into the 13s," Atkins said about his goal for a time this weekend. "I'm tired of running in the 14s. The 300 hurdles, I'm not serious about it until I get in the blocks. The 110 is my favorite. I know I'm going against the best athletes."

Eaton had a huge day Tuesday in the Patriots softball team's 10-0 victory at Arroyo High in the first round of the CIF playoffs. The senior first baseman hit three home runs on consecutive at-bats -- nearly doubling her season total.

"After the third one, my teammates didn't even walk out to greet me," Eaton said with a laugh. "They just bowed down and asked me to sign their bats."

Eaton said she and her teammates are confident about the team's ability to advance further in the playoffs. The Patriots are at home against Garden Grove today.

"We have a lot of momentum," Eaton said about the Patriots, whose overall record is 18-10 overall. "Our team chemistry is great."

Heritage High's Atkins, Sage Honored as Athletes of the Month

Cynthia Nemelka of RE/MAX Diamond Realty presents the Menifee 24/7 Athlete of the Month award to track and field standout Torrey Atkins. Also honored was softball player Jordan Sage (below).

Hurdler and relay runner Torrey Atkins and softball standout Jordan Sage of Heritage High School were honored this week with the Menifee 24/7 Athlete of the Month award, sponsored by RE/MAX Diamond Realty.

Cynthia Nemelka of RE/MAX Diamond Realty presented the honorees with a Target gift card. They also received a certificate from Menifee 24/7 for their accomplishments in March.

Atkins was named Athlete of the Meet at the recent Mt. Carmel Invitational. He set the meet record in the 110-meter high hurdles with a personal best time of 14.15, then established a personal best in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 39.56.

"I didn't know if I had the record when I ran the race," Atkins said about his meet record time in the high hurdles. "I knew it was fast. Then my coach was on the phone and running toward me, and he told me.

"There's something about Mt. Carmel I just love. I like the hard tracks, not the bouncy ones. And the hurdles felt really short because I'm tall, so I basically just walk over them."

On Saturday, Atkins will compete in the invitational heat of the high hurdles at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational against some of the nation's top athletes.

Sage is one of the top players for the softball team, which is in first place in the Sunbelt League with a 7-0 record and 12-6 overall. She She has a 4-3 pitching record and is batting .390.

She originally committed to a college in Nebraska but has decided to play at Mt. San Jacinto College next year.

"Jordan has been doing a great job both offensively and defensively," said her coach, Angela Ramiro. "I don't know what we would do without her. She is truly an asset to our team."

Heritage High Athletes of the Week: Gonzalez, Sage, Atkins

From left: Jordan Sage, Torrey Atkins, Adrian Gonzalez are the Heritage High Athletes of the Week.

Three standout student-athletes are honored today as Menifee 24/7 Athletes of the Week from Heritage High School.

Junior pitcher Adrian Gonzalez is 2-1 with a 0.37 ERA for the Patriots baseball team, which took a record of 4-4 overall and 1-1 in Sunbelt League play into today's game against Paloma Valley. He is also hitting .308 on the young season.

"So far, we're doing pretty good," Gonzalez said. "The chemistry on the team has matured since last year. We play more like a family. I think we can keep winning as long as we play together."

Gonzalez plays third base when he isn't pitching.

Senior softball player Jordan Sage is the top pitcher for the softball team, which took a 1-0 league record into today's game against Paloma Valley. She originally committed to a college in Nebraska but has decided to play at Mt. San Jacinto College next year.

"Jordan has been doing a great job both offensively and defensively," said her coach, Angela Ramiro. "I don't know what we would do without her. She is truly an asset to our team."

Junior track and field standout Torrey Atkins had four first-place finishes in meets last week. He swept the 110-meter hurdles and 300 hurdles in a dual meet on Thursday and pulled off the same double in the Beaumont Cougar Classic last weekend.

Atkins also broke the Cougar Classic 300-meter hurdles record with a time of 39.63.