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1/23/99 at San Diego Sports Arena - Contact: Don Franken (310) 535-9230.
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San Diego Indoor Games

HS Highlights

From: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, January 25, 1999 12:50 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: San Diego Indoor Games - Prep Story

San Diego Indoor Games - Saturday January 23rd
San Diego Indoor Arena
High School portion
by Doug Speck

Blaine Bussey and Tracee Thomas lead San Diego Indoor Games

Taft (Woodland Hills) 400 meter star Blaine Bussey shocked with a 500 yard performance early in the first Indoor meet in San Diego in a dozen years, with a female prep star born in frosh Tracee Thomas (North, Riverside). There were a number of other   solid performances in this affair resurrected by the "first family of Southern California," Don and Al Franken, with sponsorship by "Ultima," the latest power in the sports drink
industry.

The Boys 500 Yard race was held early in the meet that started at 11:30 a.m. and lasted until near 10:00 p.m. The San Diego track had accounted for forty-two World and American records through the years with its interesting banked turns, but had been in storage for over a decade, so anything was possible.

Blaine Bussey of Taft HS in Woodland Hills put to sleep any rumors about the quality of the running surface early on today, running in a loaded 500 Yard section that included 47.97 400m runner Raheem Barnes (Gardena), 21.48 200m runner Michael Mitchell (Paramount), and 48.35 one lapper Travon Walton (Chino). Bussey was part of the pack early in the contest, but steadily pulled away from the other runners over the final lap and half that showed his conditioning to be of a superior level, racing through the finish in a quite controlled manner. The clock read 57.3, a quite stunning time!! Famed Clinton Davis (Pa) has the national prep record at 55.65, with Bussey joining Tony Darden,
another famed Pennsylvania one-lapper, and National 800m record holder Michael Granville at the number two spot on the all time prep national list, as the trio all have 57.3 clockings in the event.

Bussey started the 1998 outdoor spring prep season as only the third best 400m runner on his team, but steadily improving to his best of 47.20 during summer Junior Olympic
action. He is a tall and fluid runner, with the outdoor season assured to be a special one with a good group back to compete against the new star locally. Bussey was awarded the Ultima Male Prep Athlete of the Meet for his effort.

Tracee Thomas had dominated Junior Olympic action last summer, with an impressive series of performances that included 24.14 for 200 meters and a 19'11 Long Jump in regional competition. This Fall she showed up at North HS in Riverside, with followers of the sport tickled that Coach Charles Leathers there had another talent to work with. The developer of US Prep Track Athlete of the Year Joanna Hayes (13.38 100mH), Nicole Hoxie (13.35 100mH), and current star, Nicole Denby, the top soph in the country last year at 13.89, has another talented athlete.

The short, but very quick, Thomas impressed more than mildly here. Competing first in the Long Jump late in the morning, the short, slim lass clad in a gray uniform showed great speed down the runway, popping an 18-01.5 on her third effort to take the lead from Long Beach Poly's Naonka Mixon (17-09.25). With heavy pit action here the jumpers were only allowed three efforts, with Thomas's effort taking down the meet record of 17-09.75 that dated from 1982. The 18-01.5 came on a runway which did not seem to give much in the way of excellent jumps in competitions later in the day, making it all the more impressive.

Later in the afternoon Thomas showed up in the third 55 meter dash heat against a respectable group. The short frosh star started nicely, and quickly accelerated away from the field, winning by three full meters over Long Beach Wilson's Joni Smith, who has
run close to 24.0 for 200 meters and under 54 seconds for the 400. The time, quickly secured from the timing crew, was quite stunning, with Thomas's 7.03 winning clocking the number two clocking in the nation for preps this indoor season! The winning time also took down the 7.07 Meet Record set by none other than Gail Devers, who went from local stardom at Sweetwater HS (National City) to UCLA and eventual Olympic gold! Thomas was awarded the Ultima Female Prep Athlete of the Meet for her efforts.

There was some other great action in the short sprint here. As a matter of fact, five of the top ten prep female 55 meter times of the year for the entire nation thus far came from the different sections here. Crystal Phillips, an eleventh grade Long Beach Poly sprinter with a 12.21 100m best from 1998 outdoors, emerged mightily with a 7.04 win (#3 time nation 1998-99) in her Section here, with Anita McCallum (San Lorenzo) 7.15,
Porchea Carooll (Rio Mesa, Oxnard) 7.16, and Latrice Borders (Wilson, LB) 7.18 all showing surprising sharpness in their first indoor contest of the year. It should be a great spring in
California!!!!

On the Boys' side it was Kareem Kelly (LB Poly), 10.39 and 20.76 (20.53w), hot off a great Football season who was stunning! Against a solid group in his section, Kelly was
shocking with the power in his acceleration through 40 meters, totally shutting it down from there on in, and still recording a 6.44 clocking, among the top ten marks in the nation this winter for preps. Poly teammate stars Darrel Rideaux and Sammy Parker were off on trips this weekend, with Poly certainly aiming at being the first California team ever under 40.00 in the short relay this spring.

Julie Stevenson (Diamond Bar) was very impressive in the High Jump. After a 5-10 in mid-season last spring one hardly expected rising to nearly those heights so early here, but the quick, fluid star clad in a gray body suit left the competition behind today after 5-04. Stevenson has a long run-up from the left, and she cleared 5-06 on her second jump, and had two close misses at a mark equal to the nation's best prep "undercover"
mark this indoor season at 5-09. With the crowd focused, she slinked over on her final effort, with some good jumps later at 5-10. With only ten Californians ever over 6-0 in the High Jump outdoors as preps, Stevenson could move into some pretty select company on a good day this spring! A 36-11.25 Triple Jumper outdoors last spring, Stevenson was added to the Triple Jump later in the day and also emerged a winner there at 34-06.5.

A good Girls Pole Vault Field was led by Rancho Bernardo stars Kathleen Donoghue and Natalie Dennison (11-02 last spring). Donoghue was third in the State meet last year with a 12-04 best. The tables would be turned today, as Donoghue had some towering clearances early in the competition, but missed three times at 11-0, with Dennison over on her third attempt, then clearing a life-time best of 11-04 on her second try. Continuing the series of impressive performances in the meet, the 11-04 is the #3 jump in the entire nation among preps for the 1998-99 indoor season.

Sean Daley (Vista) impressed with a personal best in winning the Boys' Vault at 14-03.

The Girls 500 yard event had an interesting story. A scheduled Seeded event late in the evening mixed in with the Open events would have 52.93 one-lapper, home town hero, Monique Henderson (Morse), battle a great crew. The only problem was that scratches and defections to earlier in the day events left Henderson with no one to run against. Upset, Henderson turned down a chance to run in the Open event, competing "unattached" against College and Open competitors, vowing to exact some revenge against her California rivals in the mid-February Los Angeles indoor meet.

Three sections in the event earlier in the day had impressive results. Leshinda Demus took Race 1 in 1:06.9, with Long Beach Wilson teammate Joni Smith nipping surprising Weschester (LA) star Laloni Anderson 1:06.9-1:07.0, with all those times inside the top twenty U.S. all-time run by preps. Anderson, 56.11 for 400m during the summer in Junior
Olympic action, looks capable of running in the 54's this spring off her effort here in the 500 and the relays.

The other Girl Middle distance events were very interesting. Treani Swain, the impressive Los Angeles eighth grader, who last summer took New York city middle school legend Robin Mortel over 800 meters 2:09.00-2:10.47, showed up here in Section 1.   Cruising a 66 second first 440, Swain was very impressive in an unpressed 2:19.9 win. Katie Hotchkiss (Mission San Jose, Fremont), 2:09.77 last spring, met a good group in Section Two that included 2:11.87 star, Foot Locker National Cross Counry  runner-up, Lauren Fleshman (Canyon, Canyon Country) and 2:12.07 runner, Liz Morse (Corona del Mar, Newport Beach). Hotchkiss did most of the work, with the Stanford bound star leading through a 68 second first 440, then having to work very hard down the homestretch to hold off the hard-charging Morse to win 2:16.0-2:16.3.

Hotchkiss returned to lead a battle of good milers near the end of the evening in the Seeded Girls' Mile. Four others under 5:10, led by San Diegans Desiree Davila and Courtney Baird would battle the San Francisco Bay area star. Hotchkiss led through
65.0 and 2:31.7 quarter mile posts, with Helix (La Mesa) star, Courtney Baird, taking over after that point and definitely trying to force the pace and edge away. Baird, who showed great potential early in the Cross-Country season, racing close to Foot
Locker National runner-up Lauren Fleshman as both destroyed a very good Course Record in the late September Woodbridge Invitational, continued to push through a 3:50.1 1320 post, with the local crowd cheering Baird on to a thirty yard victory in a fine 5:05.5.

Super Nebraska prep, Brian Turner (Millard North), who raced 4:09.29 for a full mile last year as a soph for one of prep history's fastest ever at that age, came to town for the Seeded Mile. A good group of sub-4:25 locals would battle Turner, but no one would help early with the pace setting, with the Nebraskan leading through 68.3 and 2:16.1 quarter posts. At the 880 Turner started to edge away, upping the pace to 65.6 for the third
quarter to cruise by the 1320 in 3:21.7, then add a 64.6 to finish in 4:26.34, a comfortable winner over Javon Broderick (O'Dea, Seattle, Wa) 4:28.76.

Broderick was a story himself. As part of a fine two mile field, three who had run under 9:25 last year and 4:15 miler James DeBruhl, Broderick was content with running along with the lead pack, as Matt McInvale (Ramona) did most of the pace-setting through 73 second quarters. During a furious 66 second final quarter mile Broderick eventually edged
up to and past McInvale to win 9:34.0-9:34.3. Broderick had a nice day of running!!!

In the Girls' Two Mile, 10:45 star, State Divison II Cross-Country champ, Jamie Witt (Folsom), did most of the early pace-setting, with an 85 second average through the mile (5:42). After that point local star, Julie Manson (Rancho Bernardo), became impatient, taking the lead and pulling away steadily to an 11:22.4 win over Michelle Barrack (University, SD) 11:27.2.

Jason Gatewood (Rancho Buena Vista, Vista) looked good in clearing 6-06 to win the Boys' High Jump.

Las Vegas, Nevada star, Anthony Park was 45-10.5 on his only fair jump to take the Triple Jump. Gahr's Roger Nunn took the Long Jump at 21-03.5.

Long Beach Jordan's Athur Hoskins took Dorsey's 14.03 star Greg Lee 7.61-7.66 in the 55 Meter Highs for the best time of the day there. Mission Viejo's Dana Bethel, the local family star nowadays with sister Ashley off to LSU, was the quickest in the Girls' barrier event, with an 8.70 win.

A ton of relay races, of the 4x160, 8x160, 4x440, and 4x880 variety, filled the remainder of the day. The Esperanza (Anaheim) Girls, ranked eighteenth in the nation by Harrier
magazine in Cross-Country, loooked sharp here in a 4x880 race, racing 9:57.3 to take Long Beach Wilson 10:15.0. Some strong individual legs high-lighted other races, with the tight turns on the boards and sprint hand-offs in the short events a bit of a challenge for locals, early in the year and with no one with any meets under their belts. Chino's 48.35 junior Travon Walton, Gahr's Erby Houston, Paramont's 21.48 dasher Micheal Mitchell,
and University City's (SD) 21.45 flyer Stephen Hayes showed special sharpness for their teams. Mitchell, a 22-06.75 and 21.48 200m star last year, showed amazing power and cat-like control around the tight 160 yard track while taking his team from behind to victory in a 4x160 event.