32nd Arcadia Invitational

1999 Arcadia Event Sums - 

Girls 100 Meters 
     Get back!!! There are some flyers here!  Florida's Erica  Whipple and 
Colorado's Alexis Joyce are the real deal!!! The  nation's number two and three 
ranked sprinters behind Angela  Williams, were only ninth graders in 1998!  
During sterling  seasons Whipple clocked 11.51, with Joyce close behind at 
11.52,  Joyce establishing a National age-14 record and both racing  faster than 
all-time great Marion Jones did at that stage of her  career.  Whipple took the 
Florida Relays title in late March in  an impressive 11.55 that leads the 
nation.  Joyce took the Nike  Indoor Classic title in Columbus in mid-March, 
racing 7.28 for 60  meters, establishing a national soph class record, and 
running  within .02 of Angela Williams' best ever prep time for the  distance.  
Both are short, very powerful, and with frightening  turn-over.  So sit back and 
watch our visitors burn up the middle  of the track in this event!  Latrice 
Borders will lead the  California challenge to the duo here, with the fifth 
place  finisher in last year's State Meet over 100 meters off to a great  senior 
year start with an 11.81 win in the Pasadena Games that  leads the state.  Tania 
Woods (7th State 98 100m) had a great  indoor season, with the nation's #3 55 
meter dash time (6.97),  with Duarte's soph Shakhan Lewis 11.99 to win the 
Bishop Amat  Relays.  This will be a great event! 

Girls 200 Meters 
     Things will certainly not dally much on the Girls' side over  200 meters as 
well.  Erica Whipple simply raced the fastest ninth  grade time in U.S. History 
last year at 23.29, with Alexis Joyce  setting a U.S. age-fourteen record of 
23.63!  Marion Jones was  23.70 as a frosh athlete!  Floridan Whipple was the 
nation's  fastest indoors this winter during an abreviated season at 24.06,  
with Joyce 24.36 at the distance.  Amazing Nakiya Johnson will  drop down in 
distance to battle the spectacular soph duo.   Johnson, the nation's most 
improved prep from 1997 to 1998, where  she dropped about five seconds in the 
400 to 52.09 and a World  Junior Silver medal last summer.  The determined Ayala 
senior  does not like to lose very often, with the nation's best indoor  400 
this winter at 54.35 showing fine conditioning.  The tall  Johnson hopes to 
never look back from lane eight here.  Tania  Woods was super this winter, with 
the nation's #3 prep clocking  of 24.32.  Latrice Borders was fifth in last 
year's State Meet  with a 23.87 best (#4 returnee nationally), with a 24.06 
State  Leading Opener at Pasadena.  Aisha Margain was fourth at State  with a 
23.94 soph best in 1998, with Shakkerah Merritt eighth in  that same Meet with a 
24.20 best.  Soph Shakhan Lewis (24.7) and  Porchea Carroll (24.65) fill out 
another absolutely super event! 

Girls' 400 Meters 
     Two of the nation's great young stars lead this contest.   Monique 
Henderson recorded her lifetime best of 52.93 in winning  this event last year, 
and she is the nation's number two returnee  for the season and California State 
Champ along the way.  Her  52.93 was just short of the National Ninth Grade 
Record of 52.57.   Fellow soph, Lashinda Demus, of the Long Beach Wilson crew, 
was  53.06 last year, and she is the country's number three returnee  in this 
event--Demus has amazing range, racing on Wilson's  nation-leading 46.30 4x100 
relay team and she has the top time in  the country among preps with her 41.90 
in the 300 Meter Low  Hurdles.  She also leads off the National Record setting 
4x400  relay team!  Joni Smith, part of the great LB Wilson crew that  has 
arrived as seniors, was 53.89 last season for third in the  State Meet.  Laloni 
Anderson, a soph at Westchester, leads the  State this outdoor season with a 
54.89 win to give the state  another strong one-lapper.  Kori Hamilton (55.52) 
was among the  nation's top fifty in the event last season.  

Girls' 800 Meters
     Canadian Tanya Wright has become serious about track, with  the 2:07.53 
National Junior Champ giving up basketball during the  winter, impressive with a 
mid-February 2:09.69 win at Simplot.  A  flock of good Americans will challenge 
Wright.  Kim Gildersleeve  (2:10.39) was State runner-up last June, with Arlene 
Bledsoe one  place behind with a 2:11.05 best.  Liz Morse was 2:12.07 last  
spring as a soph, with Nan Evans 2:12.51 from Utah.  Jessica Marr  has run 
2:12.76, with Katie Scarlett amazing with  her  improvement to 2:12.81 and fifth 
in the State meet.  New Yorker  Jeanna Composti was 2:13.27 this winter 
(nation's #4 prep  indoors), with 4:49.64 1600 meter strength.   This will be a 
very  deep and strong race.  Wright takes it out, 29 for the first 200  in her 
Simplot win, with others dared to tag along! 

Girls 1600 Meters
     Katie Hotchkiss, state runner-up in this event last spring  in an 
impressive 4:49.77, has had a super winter.  During travels  as far as New York 
she picked up a big win against a  national field in the Millrose Games and 
added the Nike Indoor  Classic title in Ohio!  The strong finisher will be 
matched  against 1998 State third placer Spring Dawson (4:52.84) and  fourth 
place finisher Angela Sanchez (4:56.76).  Sara Gorton,  winner here last year 
over 3200 meters in a fine 10:33.11, is  dropping down in distance for this 
race, with a last month that  has included competing for the U.S. National team 
in the World  Cross-Country Championships at the junior level.  Sara has  
clocked 4:55 in a dual meet, so she has track conditioning!   Allyson Marquand 
was 4:55.43 last year for four laps, with  Desiree Davilla an eight place effort 
in State and 4:59.59 best.   Courtney Baird impressed mightily with a mid 
10:40's Nike Indoor  Classic two mile win, with Jamie Rosenquist under five 
minutes  last spring in Washington.  Improving Alejandra Barrientos was  5:00.42 
at Stanford for a full mile.  There is the mix for  something special in this 
event. 

Girls 3200 Meters
     New Jersey's Catherine Guiney is the nation's most improved  prep distance 
runner in the last year, amazing with a 10:27.20  two mile in the National 
Scholastic Indoor Meet, a clocking among  the top fifteen prep times ever run 
undercover!  A good group  will challenge the East Coast star.  Indiana's 
Michelle De La  Vina set a National Frosh Record Indoors for Two Miles last year  
with an amazing 10:23.46!  Nevada's Abby Miller had a super Fall  Cross-Country 
season and will be tough here--two years ago she  clocked the nation's fastest 
ninth grade 1600 at 4:53.11 in this  meet.  Katie Brizgys (10:31.99 State 
runner-up), Trina Cox  (10:33.75 third state) and Foot Locker National runner-up 
Lauren  Fleshman (10:38.58 fourth state), and Nike Indoor Classic Two  Mile 
Champ Courtney Baird (10:45.62) will help make this another  strong that should 
show results with impressive depth!  

Girls 100 Meter High Hurdles 
     Canadian Perdita Felicien clocked an amazing 13.47 last year  in the 100 
Meter Hurdles.  She will come to town to challenge  California's latest prep 
record holder in Nichole Denby.  The  latest hurdle star out of Coach Charles 
Leathers' JW North of  Riverside program, Denby raced 8.33 this winter to tie 
the prep  60 Meter Highs best, with a 13.86 from last year's outdoor  season.  
Felicien took the Nike Indoor Classic in Columbus in  mid-March, with Denby the 
National Indoor Scholastic winner that  same weekend in Boston!  It will be 
""book and cook"" when this duo  meets!  Dana Bethel was an impressive 14.40 last 
year and sixth  in state as a frosh athlete, with Seneca Holmes and Allison  
Sewell the best out of Arizona this year.

Girls 300 Meter Low Hurdles
     The nation's two fastest athletes, both out of Long Beach,  Detra King 
(Poly 41.96) and Lashinda Demus (Wilson 41.90), with  third and fourth place 
finishes at State, respectively.  Demus  had a huge lead at the Pasadena Games 
two weeks ago before  falling over the last hurdle, with Daneeka Torrey moving 
to the  win in a State Leading 44.27.  A group of others, under 45.0 will  make 
this a good event! 

Girls 400 Meter Relay 
     Wilson (Long Beach) shocked with a nation-leading 46.30 to  win the 
Pasadena Games, with the group earlier thought of as  favoring the longer baton 
events like the 4x200 and 4x400 where  they have national records indoors and 
out.  Rival Long Beach  Poly was opening up at 46.9 across town that weekend.  
Morse (San  Diego) is out quickly this season with a 47.7 already, with North  
(Riverside) 47.82.  Skyline has great potential from up north,  with Muir 47.90 
two weeks ago.  

Girls 1600 Meter Relay 
     Last year the Long Beach Wilson Girls put on an inspired  effort, racing a 
Meet Record 3:39.48 and being named ""Athletes of  the Meet.""  That entire group 
returns for the 1999 season, with  soph Lashinda Demus joining seniors Joni 
Smith, Latrice Bordes,  and Kim Gildersleeve for the last trio's ""farewell 
tour,"" with an  annual April stop here at Arcadia.  The squad has a great  
tradition in this event, and who will ever forget Kinchasa  Davis's 51.7 anchor 
to win two years back over Penn of  Philadelphia.  Long Beach Poly has a ton of 
talent, and has to  face Wilson ""heads up"" a number of times during the season 
as  both teams go in search of a State team title.   Westchester has  run 
3:53.69, with Taft (Woodland Hills) 3:54.64 with a dropped  baton.  Morse (San 
Diego) anchors with 52.93 star Monique  Henderson, and has a 3:57.4 already this 
spring.  Kearns of Utah  was under 4:00 indoors this winter.  St. Bernard has 
great  potential, with Gahr welcoming back indoor star Angel Perkins.

Girls High Jump 
     A good prep group will battle here.  Julie Stevenson is one  of the 
nation's best, with a 5-10 lifetime best and number of  fine jumps this year 
indoors and out.  She was 5-09 in winning  the San Diego Indoor Meet in January.  
Annmarie Turpin, Jena  Grimaldi, and Emily McCarter have all been over 5-08 
already this  outdoor season.  Kim Stone and Sarah Foster were over that 5-08  
height during successful 1998 seasons.  

Girls Pole Vault
     Kathleen Donoghue has been very hot in San Diego.  Her 12-06  seasonal best 
is among the top half dozen clearances ever by a  high-schooler.  Teammate 
Natalie Dennison can be counted among  the nation's best at 12-00.  Donoghue was 
the third placer in  State last year.  
     Leora Ward was sixth in State last year with a best of 11- 06, with Bridget 
Pearson (11-06) next in that competition and  Caroline Rebello fifth (11-06).  
Christine Ahn is another 11-06  star.  Those with 10-06 bests are among the top 
dozen in the  entire nation! 

Girls Long Jump 
     Tracee Thomas has been off to a fine start at JW North at  Riverside, with 
the 19-11 Long Jumper and 24.14 (200 meter dash-- those marks are done as an 
eighth grader!!!!) star racing the  year's #6 prep clocking nationally over 55 
meters of 7.03 during  a short schedule.  Tracee opened up outdoors with a 19-02 
Long  Jump, and will concentrate here and in the Relays this evening.   Ohio's 
Zakya Harris had a super 1998 season, where she was the  nation's top ninth 
grade jumper at 19-11.25.  Dee Scott (4th  State 18-11.5) is strong from the 
Central Section, with Tiffany  Jones (fifth State) a big wind-aided jump of 19-
03 last year.   Jamara Smith was the K-Bell champ at a fine 18-10.25 with Porcha  
Carroll 18-07 in 1998  

Girls Triple Jump 
     Blessing Ufodiama was runner-up at the State Meet last June  at 39'06.75, 
with Tinishia Johnson not far behind in fifth at  39'03.5.  San Diegan Adrien 
Farrington has gone 38-08.75, with  Canadian Alaynam Miller and Heather 
Contreras 38-07.  Andrea  Kincaid was over 38 feet this winter indoors.  

Girls Shot Put
     A great group will battle here.  Ohio's Rebekah Green  returned as the 
nation's top thrower at 48-05.75.  Arroyo Grande  soph, Karen Freberg, amazed 
with almost ten feet of improvement  over a couple of months out to 48-05 about 
a month back, with  Jill Camarena ""one-upping"" that two weekends ago with a 
super  48-07 effort.  Mary Etter 44-04.75, Jessica Cosby 44-03.25 (4th  State), 
and April Burton 44-03.25 can provide back-up as among  the nation's twenty 
throwers.  

Discus 
     Another of the Meet's super fields will compete in this  event.  April 
Burton returns as the nation's top thrower off her  171-04 best from 1998.  
However, Cari Soong has come out charging  in 1999, already improving out to 
156'00 by mid-March.  Great  quality depth will compete here, with Mary Etter 
157-07, Rebekah  Green 152-1, Jill Camarena 150-04, and Oregon's Katie Tuttle 
149- 02 all marking themselves as among the top fifteen throwers in  the entire 
nation.  The competition for the five medals here will  be very tough! 

Girls Distance Medley  
     Some fine teams will battle here.  Ayala (Chino Hills) is  saving Tess 
Cendejas and Nicole Gurnicz for this race, with 52.09  400 meter star Nakiya 
Johnson a huge help!  East Salt Lake City,  who shocked with U.S. Prep History's 
#8 All-Time clocking of  11:53.85 in 1996 with a win here, are coming in all 
fresh, with a  fine 9:27.12 indoors this winter in the 4x800 relay.  Sachem  
(Lake Ronkonkoma, NY) is usually very strong, with 4:51.33 miler  Jeanna 
Composti anchoring.  A number of very strong runners will  make appearances with 
their teams here, with it expected that  Katie Hotchkiss (Mission San Jose), 
Allyson Marquand (University,  Irvine), Courtney Baird (Helix), Tiffany Burgess 
(Birmingham),  and Abby Miller (Green Valley) all capable of well under 5:00.0  
on the anchor four lap leg!