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40 Years of Arcadia Invitational
Nation's Best Come to Southern California
April 6th-7th, 2007

A Look Through 40 Years of Action!

1978

1978 Meet Program

photos by Colin Van Gordor

Valerie Brisco's magical 1978 Arcadia Invitational
100m =#5 AT US prep 11.57 - 200m 4th AT US Prep 23.77
400m 53.77 - National Federation Record 400m
1978 Meet Photo Album

1978 was a year of rain on the original April 15th meet date, so there was a two week delay in the action back in the days of dirt tracks! The extra time to prepare fit nicely in the plans of one Southern Californian, whose efforts here created a legend that ended in gold in the 1984 Olympic Games in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Valerie Brisco (Locke, LA) was in against some great groups in the 100-200 and 400 meter event, with her squad also in the 4x400 meter relay. Brisco absolutely glided thorugh through great efforts of 11.57 100m, 53.77 400m, a National Federation Record, and 23.77 for 200m. At the end of the evening she came from waaaay back in the 4x440 relay with a 53.4 leg that had her team win over Satna Ana Valley 3:56.7-3:56.9. Coach Bob Kersee of UCLA and Olympic fame later said it was the first time he saw Valerie run, and he was instantly sold on the potential of this young lady that he would take to Olympic Gold six years later!

Michael Sanford (Pasadena) would dominate the Boys' speed events this year, blazing 10.57 (100m) and 21.46 (200m) efforts over great fields, with Rod Bethany (Fontana) keeping the action going up through the 400 with a dominating 47.05 win. Dave Porath (Atwater) impressed with a weight double, 63-07.25 (SP) and 204-11 Discus, the latter the #4 prep throw in US History! Mike O'Reilly of San Rafael, who has been a key Assistant to Vin Lanana at Stanford and now at Oregon, was the 1500m Boys winner at a fine 3:51.5, as the meet tried to keep a "metric" trend in distances. Gardena took a snappy Boys 4x100 relay at 41.5, with the Currans of Crespi (Anthony Pole Vault 16-05 and Willie 36.15 300 Meter Low Hurdles). Great horizontal jumping had Dokie Williams (El Camino, Oceanside), later of LA Raider fame, win again at 50-08.75 in the Triple Jump, with Tony Pitts (Santa Ana Valley) 24-05 in the Long Jump. David Mack, who would run sub-1:50 in a great race the next year with Jeff West, took the Boys 800 at 1:53.6, with Tony Campbell (Banning, Wilmington) taking State Champ Philip Johnson (Gardena) at 14.0 in the Highs.

Sharon Ware of Berkeley anchored her team to a 47.30-47.38 win over Westchester, anchored by Gwen Loud. Loud returned to win the Long Jump in 20-04.75, the top jump in the nation! Sharon Hulse (Edison, Huntington Beach) won the Girls 1500 at 4:33.0. Ellen Fargo (Crescenta Valley, La Crescenta) took State High Jump champ Kari Gosswiller (Upland) at 5-08, as Kari was going for her third straight win here. Jackie Nelson (Canyon, Anaheim) was 43-03 to win the Shot Put. Susie Meek (Palos Verdes) was a 9:56.5 3000m Girls winner, with Christie Pyle (Hoover, Glendale) a 154-06 Discus winner (and National Leader) .

1977

1977 Meet Program

Linda Goen (North Bakersfield)
2:10.2 National Record 880

Tim MacAuley (Notre Dame) takes the 1977 Boys 800- Fremont and Pasadena
(anchored by Michael Sanford) battle in the 4x100 relay

Pasadena's James Sanford takes
the 1977 400 Meter Event

The young ladies started to steal the top headlines with the 1977 Arcadia meet, with that half of the sport now rolling along at the CIF level, with the strong club programs bolstered by prep teams that raised the number of female high school age participants in the sport to huge levels. It was a wiry lass from North Bakersfield HS, Linda Goen, who wowed the crowd with a distance double no male athlete would seriously consider at this level. at 7:15 in the evening Goen cranked a 4:54.7 mile in winning comfortably there, then returned less than 45 minutes after finishing at 8:00 to run the 880. The red-clad Bakersfield star with the economical stride blazed in at 2:10.2, lower than the National Federation record at the time, giving the Arcadia meet its first National Federation Record performance in its history. Goen went on to a great prep career, with the widely publicized start at this competition that year.

Eventual UCLA Women's Coach, Jeanette Bolden, a super star at Centennial of Compton, took the 100 yard event at 10.7, with Rolling Hills the mile relay at 3:58.6 for the other top Girls' efforts.

Pasadena's James Sanford, eventually considered the World's fastest human while a student at USC, amazed with some super relay carries and individual efforts here. James took the 440 at 48.0, cruised to a Meet Record 21.2 for the 220 distance, and was on strong PHS Relays, just missing catching LA Fremont with both 42.3 in the 4x1 and adding a 47.8 in the 4x4 event. Hemet's Mark Fricker took the Mile event at 4:11.3 over Charlie Christensen (Edison, Huntington Beach) 4:11.4, with Chuck Assuma (Eisenhower, Rialto) taking a tight two mile at 9:08.8 over Tom O'Neil (Jesuit, Sacramento) 9:09.4, and Frank Assuma 9:09.4, with two others under 9:10. Curtis Perry (Banning, Wilmington) took the 120 Yard High Hurdles at 14.02.

In the Field, Anthony Curran (Crespi, Encino), a junior) was a 16-01.5 Pole Vault winner, with Rod Smith (Western, Las Vegas) taking the High Jump over Dennis Smith (Santa Monica), with both at 6-10. Dokie Williams (El Camino, Oceanside), a mid-1980's star with the then Los Angeles Raiders after a good career at UCLA, took the 1977 Triple Jump at 49-09. David Thompson (Santa Ynez) was the Discus winner at 188-00.

1976

The mid-1970's distance crew continued to tear it up at the Montreal Olympic year 1976 Arcadia Invitational. Thom Hunt, the current San Diego Mesa College Coach after a six year stint at Patrick Henry HS in San Diego was hot off a 4:02.7 indoors that winter, and had a 4:06.6-8:49.6 double the week previous to Arcadia as he battled sucessfully with Eric Hulst (Laguna Beach). Hulst decided to push the middle of the 1976 Arcadia two mile, with good surges after a 4:24.3 first mile that never could shake the San Diegan Hunt. Thom finished strong, 61.2 for the final lap on the way to a #5 US Prep History effort of 8:45.2. Hulst was 8:47.2, with Don Moses (Crescenta Valley, La Crescenta) 8:52.6, Mark Spilsbury (Foothill, Santa Ana) 8:53.6, and Sal Godinez (Salesian, LA) 8:54.4, making five under 8:55! Eventual USC star Billy Mullins (Hamilton, LA) took the 440 over Donn Thompson (Gahr, Cerritos) 47.2-47.5, with Hamilton a 41.7 440 relay winner. Greg Caldwell (LA Fremont) won the Triple Jump at 50-05, current UCLA Coach (then a prep soph) Anthony Curran (Crespi, Encino) the Pole Vault at 15-07, footballer Dennis Smith (Santa Monica), a six-time pro-bowler for the Denver Bronco's as a defensive back, took the High Jump at 6-10.5, with Mark Malone (El Cajon Valley) the Discus at 186-03. Crescenta Valley clocked a state leading 10:13.6 distance medley relay in taking University (LA) 10:15.2.

1975

1975 Meet Program

The Field events took some of the headlines away from the distances in the 1975 Arcadia Meet, with the first prep competition ever where two athletes from the same school cleared 16-00 in the Pole Vault, with the Orange County duo from Villa Park, Keith Schimmel and Tim Vahlstrom, going 1-2 with that mark. The event was referred to by Jack Shepard of Track and Field News as probably the best regular season vault competition ever, with Brian Worden (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks) also at 16-00 and Brian Goodman (Agoura) 15-06 in fourth. Distances were hot once again, with Ralph Serna racing a 59.8 final 440 to win the mile at 4:07.0 over juniors Thom Hunt (Patrick Henry, San Diego) 4:08.1, Jim Arriolla (Gahr, Cerritos) 4:09.1, and Eric Hulst (Laguna Beach) 4:11.3. Brian Hunsaker (Corona del Mar, Newport Beach) came on board for the two mile, blazing a 4:24 first mile on the way to an 8:58.2 win over Hunt (9:02.6) and Serna (9:02.8), with Mark Spilsbury (Foothill, Santa Ana) next at 9:04.6. Brian Theriot (Newport Harbor, Newport Beach) cranked a 47.6 to win the 440, with soph Chip Benson (Lutheran, LA) 48-05 to win the Triple Jump, and Newport's Dave Kurrasch a 66-10.25 Shot Put to win over eventual Olympian Dave Laut (Santa Clara, Oxnard) 64-08.

Reading through the 1975 program finds some interesting names, with Mike Granville Sr (Lynwood), the father of the eventual National Record setting Mike Jr from Bell Gardens at 1:46.48, a 1975 Arcadia Invite two lap competitor. Eventual Olympian Alice Brown (Muir, Pasadena) was in the Girl sprints in 1975.

1974

1974 Meet Program

Distance events were the feature in the 1974 Arcadia Meet, with titanic mile and two mile contests. Andy Clifford (Sunny Hills, Fullerton) took the mile 4:07.1 over Ralph Serna (Loara, Anaheim) 4:07.6, John Musich (Burbank) 4:08.9, with Eric Hulst (Laguna Beach) and Jim Schankel (Lompoc) fourth and fifth, both at 4:09.1. Twelve dipped under 4:18 in the mile contest. Hulst, just a sophomore, amazed, as he came back to take the two mile at 8:59.8 over Schankel who was 9:04.8. Hulst was one of a great group of young runners across the nation that year, with eventual University of Oregon star, soph Rudy Chapa (Hammond, Indiana, a school that had three sub 9 minute two milers in 1975) also under 9:00 as a tenth grader in 1974. 13.9 Hurdlers from Muir, Pasadena, Jim Austin and Fred Shaw, went 1-2 in the 120 Yard High Hurdles, with Wilson (San Francisco) sub 14 second star Mike Kirtman third. The Wilson of San Francisco crew kind of opened the world of prep track and field to the uniform fashion scene, wearing bright green and white striped uniforms, and as the state's top 4x100 relay group added some style into the baton passing, with each of the three runners who received exchanges an exaggerated march couple of steps before they accelerated up to racing speed and accepting the baton.

1973

1973 Meet Program

The 1973 competition was another super one. Jim Spillane (Palos Verdes), better known as an All-Ameircan basketball player who went to UCLA and was a part of the last John Wooden team that won the NCAA Championship in 1974-75, shocked with a 24-10 Long Jump effort that won there over El Rancho Football star Mark Bailey (23-07.5). LA Fremont took the 4x1 (42.5) and 4x4 (3:19.3) relays. The home school's Bob Cass took the 880 at 1:54.8, with a super group from Taft of Woodland Hills 2-3-4 in that race. Bob O'Brien (Bellflower) took the mile with a 59 second final 440 at 4:10.2, with nine in the competition finishing under 4:20. Harold Ketting (Aviation, Manhattan Beach), a school closed down to lack of enrollment, with students dispersed to Redondo and Mira Costa, took the two mile at 9:10.0. Another top field event mark was Dave Doupe of Inglewood's 64-11.75 Shot Put.

Ruth Kleinsasser (Azusa) led the Girls action in 1973, with a fine 2:14.0 880 Meet Record. Ruth was the eventual conqueror of famed Mary Decker in the 1978 National Championships at 2:01.99 over 2 laps while running for Citrus College, and she was a 1984 Olympic Games double finalist (800 6th 2:00.34 and 1500m 8th 4:08.92). During a lengthy career Ruth raced to a seventh in the World Championships in 1995 and had an 800m best of 1:58.65 and 1500m clocking of 4:00.18 (both from 1984). Of all the male and female distance runners in the history of the Arcadia Invitational she probably accomplished more at the Olympic level world-wide than any other athlete.

1972

1972 Meet Program

The 1972 marked what could be called the first "great" Arcadia Invitational Meet. Robert Harrell of Santa Ana returned to the meet with a stunning 47.5 440 and 1:51.4 880 double win, then added a 46.4 relay split on a 3:16.8 4x4 winning squad. Junior Barrie Williams of North Torrance took the mile at 4:06.7, breaking world record holder Jim Ryun's age-16 national record of 4:07.8, with three others under 4:10.0, with smooth-striding Curtis Beck (Santa Monica), a league rival of Williams, next at 4:07.0, Jose Amaya (Wilson, LA) 4:09.5, and Mark Schilling (Garden Grove) 4:09.9. Terry Williams (Lompoc) took the two mile at 8:57.2 with Mark Genet of the powerful Santa Ana program next at 9:01.8. Crenshaw, behind fine sprinter Wendell Tyler, who went on to football glory with UCLA and the Los Angeles Rams (and whose son Marc was one of the stars of State Division III Champs Oaks Christian (Westlake Village), won the 440 relay at a quick 41.9.

1971

1971 Meet Program

1970

Thanks Simon Langer for the 1970 Program

The Meet that Director Doug Smith marked as a huge step in the competition's development was the 1970 affair. Coach Earl Engman, the Meet Director of the Southern Section championship affairs and a number of State competitions until his death a few years ago, had a super team at Santa Ana High School during his years as a coach there. He made the decision to bring his super squad up fron Orange County for the 1970 Arcadia meet, and the affair gained a more "Southern California" sense with the participation of one of the state's top programs from out of the greater San Gabriel Valley area. The Saints let no one down, with Jackie White, a statuesque, tall, and stylish sprinter taking the 100 yard event at 10.0, with a spot on the team's 41.8 state leading 4x100 relay winners! Murray from Mira Costa continued the South Bay's success in the distance events, winning the mile at 4:16.9. The Two Mile marked the top three prep times in the nation for the year, with long-time Villa Park Coach Dave White winning for El Modena of Orange and their fine program at 9:03.0, with Ron Johnson (West Torrance) next at 9:05.0, and Larry Greer (Lakewood next at 9:06.4

1969

1969 Meet Program

Participation grew in the second of the Arcadia Invitationals, with Ron Johnson (West Torrance) starting to build the distance event momentum that has highlighted the evening meet each year, winning the two mile with a fine 9:08.8 performance. Ova Wildridge (Fontana) took the 100 yard event at 10.0 and the Fontana relay squads swept the 4x100 (42.8) and 4x440 (3:25.4). Dean Lingenfelter (Ganesha, Pomona), of the very athletic family from the greater Pomona Valley area (relative Tyson would be a 60-foot shot-putter at Upland HS later), took the 120 Yard High Hurdles at 14.7.

1968 - First Competition

1968 Meet Program

With the idea of a evening track meet for area schools, Arcadia High Track Coach Doug Smith held the first Arcadia Invitational for 23 schools and six track clubs. The meet featured a slate of events for the young ladies of the club variety, as this was contested in the pre-CIF female days. The list of officials included a number of great names in local history: Andy Bakjian, Fred Barton, Paul Risinger, Don Nordvold, and others, with coaches including Ed Austin of Mira Costa and Frank Chong of Glendora. Club coaches included Mihay Igloi (Santa Monica TC), Fred Jones (LA Mercurettes), Bob Seaman (Crown Cities TC), and Ron Allice (Long Beach Comets).

Andy Young (LB Jordan) took the Boys 440 at 48.7 (this was back in the days of yard distances), with Dave Whiteing (Mark Keppel, Alhambra) posting a 1:55.1 880, and Dave Gneere (Fontana) registering a 4:23.5 mile. Tony Baker (Mira Costa) started the Arcadia distance tradition with a 9:14.4 two-mile win over Chuck Smead (Santa Paula). Fontana swept the Boys' relays, with 43.1 for the 440, 3:34.8 for the sprint medley, and 3:22.8 for the mile relay clockings. Luther Reagan (LB Jordan) was 6-06 in the Boys HJ, with Ernie Cathcart (Fontana) a winning 59-03 SP effort. Tracy Smith, a 1963 Arcadia grad and State Mile Champ while a prep, who would go on to place eleventh in the high-altitude Mexico City Olympics of 1968 at 10,000 meters, won a special Open 3000-meter run at 8:00.6.

Pernetta Glenn (LA Mercurettes) swept the Girls' sprints at 11.2 (100y) and 25.4 (220), with her club a 49.3 440-yard relay winner.