32nd Arcadia Invitational

1999 Arcadia Invitational Event Summaries 

Boys 100 Meter Dash 
     The 100 Meter dash field is as strong as any that will be  gathered in the 
nation this spring.  Defending State Champs from  California, Oregon, Utah, and 
Kentucky will battle.  Casey  Combest wowed the prep world this winter with a 
6.19 55 meter  dash during the regular season and highlighted the Nike Indoor  
Classic in mid-March in Columbus with a dismantling of a good  prep 60 meter 
record of 6.62 with a blazing 6.57 clocking.   Combest has huge big-meet 
credentials, including a silver medal  from the 1998 World Junior Championships 
on the U.S. National  team.  The confident southerner was 10.44 (10.41w) last 
spring  for 100 meters.  Darrell Rideaux, the California Champion, was  10.36 
last year, and was the National Scholastic Indoor 60 Meter  champ this winter.  
The battle between the two should be a great  one!!!  Cody Fonnesbeck was the 
Utah State Champ last year  (10.65), with Nic Acosta wowing fans in Oregon with 
a State title  as a ninth grader (10.71)!  Ric Cotengim was 10.46w-10.67 last  
year, with Albert Hollis the Stanford Invite champ two weeks ago,  and 10.71w-
10.82 last season as a soph.  Sammie Parker is another  Long Beach Poly flash at 
10.67, with the duo of Lamont Long  (10.73) and Stephen Hayes (10.72) quick 
sophs in 1998.  Rideaux  opened up outdoors with a 10.4 three weeks back to lead 
the  state.       

Boys 200 Meter Dash 
     Kareem Kelly is the second half of the great Long Beach Poly  sprint team 
(Darrell Rideaux will defend the program's honor over  100 meters in this meet).  
Kelly, the nation's #2 returnee over  200 meters at 20.76, raced a fine 21.51 in 
placing second in the  National Scholastic Indoor Meet last month to Jamacian 
World  Junior silver 200 Meter medalist, Dwight Thomas, now attending a  high 
school in Maryland.  Keeping the California star honest will  be a fine group, 
with Reshaun Ross of Arizona, the #5 back in the  event nationally at 21.12, and 
Warren Rogers the nation's top  soph last year at 21.15.  Ric Cottengim was 
21.32 and fourth in  the State Meet (Rogers was fifth behind Kelly's win).  
Michael  Mitchell was a quick 21.48 last spring, with 22'6 long jump  abilities 
and some fine efforts indoors this winter.  Haddon  Weatherborne was the winner 
of a big Pasadena Games showdown a  week ago in 21.51 (State outdoor leader), 
with Acosta (Oregon  21.69) and Fonnesbeck (Utah) the best from their areas of 
the  country.  Acosta was a State sprint champ in 1998 as a ninth  grader!  

Boys 400 Meter Dash 
     Daniel Mentu impressed with a 47.29 summer best during  Junior Olympics 
action last year.  Travon Walton is hot off a  47.6 on Chino High's super 3:25.1 
sprint medley team from two  weekends back.  Walton will reprsent the U.S. in 
the first World  Youth Track & Field Championships (under 18) in Poland this  
summer off his Junior Olympic successes last year.  Maurice  Douglas is the San 
Diego area best with a 47.93 lifetime best,  with Raheem Barnes 47.97 last year 
in this event.  Adam Land had  a fine Pasadena Games run two weekends back at 
48.23.  Giovanni  Miles was a fine 48.12 last spring, with Stagg of Stockton  
transfer Maurice Washington (48.99) and 21.71 for 200 two  weekends back in the 
Pasadena Games, part of the strong  McClymonds squad.   

Boys 800 Meters 
     Indianan Brett Tipton was the find of the Winter prep indoor  season, 
exploding to 1:51.89 and 1:51.77 clockings during that  campaign that had him 
emerge the winner at the Nike Indoor  Classic in Columbus, Ohio.  A 4:14.90 1600 
runner last spring,  Tipton has amazing acceleration and hopes for a good early 
pace  that will help him to record a time under 1:50 here.  A good  group should 
rise to the challenge.  Nebraskan David Stott  was  1:53.51 last year, with Sean 
Ricketts the nation's top soph  clocking in 1998 with a 1:53.51.  Zach Salberg 
was 1:53.84 last  year out of Washington, with Andre Young 1:54.31 (9th State),  
Chris Burns 1:54.48 (6th State), D.J. Ozan 1:54.67 (8th State),  and Brandon 
Shaw 1:54.73 good credentials.  It should be a good  group! 

Boys 1600 Meters 
     Nebraskan Brian Turner brought back memories of Jim Ryun  in his running as 
a soph, with an impressive 4:09.29 best for a  full mile in placing second to 
California star Jon Stevens at the  National Scholastic Outdoor meet last June.  
Turner has 1:53 800  speed and has already qualified once for the Foot Locker  
Nationals in Cross-Country, with the smart-striding midwesterner  seeming to be 
the whole package as a runner!  A flock of others  will challenge Brian here.  
James DeBruhl has been very sharp  lately, winning over Turner and a strong 
group in a 4:18.39 L.A.  Indoor Mile in February.  DeBruhl has soloed 4:16.98 
outdoors,  with interesting 48.5 and 1:52.0 relay legs in the last few  
weekends.  Josh Spiker has emerged as a great miler, cruising by  at 3:09 for 
three laps on the way to a solo 4:16 relay split a  month back, then racing 
4:15.6 (State Leader) in the Arroyo  Distance Carnival two weeks back.  Marcus 
Chandler 4:15.77 (6th  State), Javon Broderick 4:17.08, Daniel Mejia 4:17.5, 
Justin  Neuroth Vista 4:17.65, Mike Kamm 4:18.03 mile, John Russell, and  Tyler 
Williams have all been under 4:20.  Some good early pace- setting in this event 
could have another of those great deep  Arcadia distance finishes.  

Boys 3200 Meters 
     Another great group will battle here!  Josh Rohatinsky has  run his fastest 
time as a ninth grader and tenth grader (9:08.22)  in this competition the last 
two years, with a Fall season where  he was the top underclass finisher in the 
Foot Locker National  Cross-Country championships hopefully moving him a bit 
closer to  the head of the class and a win.  A super crew will keep him  honest.  
Adam Tenforde was 9:09.96 last year and just returned  from representing the 
U.S. in the World Cross-Country  Championships at the Junior level--Adam opened 
up outdoors with a  nation-leading solo 9:15.  Ryan Craig 9:12.22 is another 
Spokane,  Washington star, with Jose Herrera 9:13.19 (7th State 98 with a  solo 
9:18.5 this year to lead the state), Nick McCombs 9:13.31,  Juan Reyes 9:15.48, 
Phil Yoder 9:16.42, Jason Finch 9:16.69, and  Stanford Invite 3k winner Andrew 
Hill 8:40.33 making it appear  that sub-9:10 will be needed for one of the five 
medals!  Augie  Escobar was 9:19.5 in a solo effort two weeks ago to add to the  
mix! 

Boys 110 Meter High Hurdles 
     One of prep history's great hurdle gatherings will take  place here.  
Colorado's Ricardo Moody cranked 13.64 last year,  but will be kept honest by a 
great group.  Marcell Allmond,  defending California champ at 13.83, was a close 
second to Moody  Indoors at the Simplot Games over the 60 Meter barrier 
distance.   Charles Ryan, 14.06 last year, blazed a California-leading 14.04  
two weekends back.  Clement Owunna has surprised with 13.9 and  14.26 clockings 
already this season (remember Oakland only has  one rep to the state meet with 
Ryan and Owunna battling for that  spot).  Greg Lee was fourth in last year's 
State Meet with 14.03  (13.98w) bests.  Marc James has improved mightily for 
Coach  Teenan Anderson at Harrison, joining teammate Moody under 14.0  this 
spring already, with James Smith Arizona's best with a 14.13  98 best.  Terry 
Jenkins was fifth in the California State Meet  last spring in this event 
(14.39), with Jason Williams one of  Canada's fine junior age hurdlers.  

Boys 300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles 
     Arizona's James Smith, UC Berkeley bound for Football and  Track, was 37.58 
last spring and is the nation's #9 returnee in  this event.  Terry Jenkins raced 
a California-leading 37.93 in  winning the Pasadena Games in late March.  
Marcell Allmond, the  nation's finest all-around prep athlete, was 37.80 and is 
the  defending champ here!  Rico Hatter was 38.06 on the way to a  sixth in 
State last year (Allmond finished eighth there over this  distance), with Trevor 
Jones racing the State's number two time  (38.15) two weeks ago behind Jenkins.  
Ben Gardner is currently  Utah's fastest long hurdler.  

Boys 400 Meter Relay 
     The annual ""sell-out"" knowledgeable crowd settles in early  at Arcadia for 
the annual showdown between the State's top relay  groups.  Early on ""bragging 
rights"" will be sorted out here, with  Long Beach Poly, having potentitally the 
State's best ever short  relay group off Darrell Rideaux (10.36) and Kareem 
Kelly (10.39),  hoping to establish superiority over the field.  The Jackrabbits  
were 41.3 two weekends back before a big trip to the Texas Relays  last weekend.  
Dorsey won the big Pasadena Games showdown at  41.60 with McClymonds a solo 41.6 
from earlier in the season.   University City was 41.77 two weekends ago, with 
Serra the Santa  Barbara Eastern Relays winner.  Everybody here could finish 
under  42.0! 

Boys 1600 Meter Relay 
     The end of the evening will be capped by another great baton  event, as two 
teams that have emerged as favorites for the State  team title hunt, Long Beach 
Poly, and McClymonds, head a top  group doing battle.  ""Mack"" was 3:15.57 during 
a Pasadena Games  win, with Poly 3:16.2 the same weekend in winning over Chino, 
who  has a 3:17.29 (state's top three times).  Dorsey, Gardena, and  Vallejo 
(Stanford Invite winners) have also been under 3:20 in  what should be a deep 
and competitive event!  

High Jump 
     Canadian Jason Pilkington was the National Scholastic Indoor  Champion a 
month back, with a 7-01.5 lifetime best in the event.   Great all-arounder 
Marcell Allmond shows up here also, with a  lifetime best over 6-10, with 
Spokane star Casey Clark leading  five others in the field who have jumped 6-08 
or better.  One of  those, Jason Gatewood, was runner-up in last year's State 
Meet.   

Pole Vault 
     Arizonan Blake Powell has already jumped 16-0 this spring.   This has 
developed into a very fine event, with Brandon  Braunstein (Newark state runner-
up 1998) 15-10 and Texan Chris  Steddum 15-09 leading a dozen who have been over 
15-0 in their  careers.  Covina's Sam Boswell was third at last year's State  
Meet at 15-02.    

Long Jump 
     One of the first events on the main field has had some great  efforts over 
the years.  Vince Ibia (7th State 1998) has been  very hot in the San Jose area 
with the State's top jump, a 24-03  effort.  Fine all-arounder Oliver Jackson 
has been 24-01 with a  series of good meets down south.  Kevin DeSouza is a fine  
Canadian jumper, with Dan Littlefield fourth at State with a 23- 09.25 mark.  
Jonathon Lott, a 23-footer last year as a soph, is  another Californian who will 
compete in the World Youth  Championships (under 18) for the U.S. National team 
this coming  summer off his Junior Olympic success last summer.  

Triple Jump 
     Fine all-around jumper, Vincent Ibia, headlines this event  in addition to 
the Long Jump, with a 49-02 State leader from  early in the season.  Nebraskan 
Lonell Cooper was 48-00 last  season, with Canadian Kevin DeSouza also over the 
48 foot mark.   James Samuels was over 47 feet indoors this winter, with Kevin  
Carano (47-05) continuing the fine line of jumpers out of Hoover  HS in Fresno.  

Shot Put 
     A group of great athletes will meet here!  Six have bests of  over 60 feet.  
Danny Ames led the nation indoors this winter with  a fine 63-07.75 and was 64-
08 last spring.  Washington's Doug  Sells (62-09.5 98 and 60-07.5 already this 
year) is amazingly  also competing here in the High Hurdles where he has a 14.50  
electronic best clocking!  Lucais MacKay was 61-01 last spring,  with a 75-01.5 
(equal #3 All-Time U.S. Prep) in the weight throw  during this past indoor 
season.  An interesting clash of young  stars will have super juniors, Rusty 
Price (60-1.5 this spring)  and Rhuben Williams (60-06.5 as the nation's top 
soph in 1998),  battling.  Price was also named to the U.S. National Team for 
the  World Youth Meet (under 18 World Championships) off his Junior  Olympic 
successes last summer.  Sam Lightbody has also edged over  60 feet this season 
to help make medals tough to come by in this  field! 

Discus 
     This late afternoon event starts the Invitational Meet, with  a deep 
history including Kamy Keshmiri's still standing National  Federation record 
(the Meet Record) 224-03, and last year's  winning toss by Reedus Thurmond (209-
00) that held up as the best  toss in the entire nation for the year.  Discus 
head official  Lloyd Higgins should herd his charges to another series of great  
efforts!  Two Hundred Feet would not surprise at all from someone  in this 
field.  Lucais MacKay was 197-09 last year (he leads the  state at 188-00 this 
spring) and is the nation's #2 returnee in  the event.  Danny Ames was 192-00 
last year, with Sam Lightbody  186-06 already this season.  Arizona's Jeremy 
Fulton has been out  to 185-00 in a meet this year, with Travis Pendleton 180-
11.   Georgia's Kipway Johnson has reported some great practice efforts  prior 
to entry, with soph Nick Arrenius (over 180 feet already  this year) the latest 
from that throwing family out of Utah.  Tim  Adrian 183-06 last year is the 
eighth thrower in the field over  180 feet! 

Distance Medley 
     A flock of sub-10:20 times usually come from this event,  with some strong 
groups along this year.  West Hills (Santee)  will be fresh for this race, with 
4:15 star Josh Spiker anchoring  what will be a good Ventura High group.  
Katella (Anaheim) was  one of the nation's top Cross-Country squads, with 1:56 
800 star  Tony Lozano and 4:17.5 1600 star Daniel Mejia making them tough  to 
beat!  Don Lugo (Chino) has run under 10:30 solo already.