4/10/99 at Arcadia CA High School

32nd Arcadia Invitational

California preps vs. the nation's best

Leading Entries

by Doug Speck

April 10th Arcadia Invitational Features Super Fields!!
(CHECK YOUR LOCAL FOX SPORTS WEST 2 SCHEDULE FOR A REVIEW THE ACTION ON APRIL 11TH)

Continuing a tradition that highlights each spring prep athletic season,
the Thirty-Second Annual Arcadia High School Invitational Track and Field Meet will be held April 10th, and will mark the beginning of "National High School Track and Field" outdoor action for the year.

As is the tradition each year, there wil be a gathering of the nation's best from over fifteen states on the Arcadia High School Track, with Field Events starting at 5:00 p.m. and Running Events at 6:00 p.m. An absolute ton of super athletes and relay squads will take part.

Heading the meet will be a great group of sprinters who will gather to
sort out national bragging rights early on this outdoor season.

On the Boys' side Casey Combest (Owensboro, Ky), hotter than a pistol off a National High School Indoor Record 60 meters (6.57), will battle Darrell Rideaux (Poly, Long Beach), the nation's #2 prep 100m dasher (10.36) outdoors last year. Interestingly, in mid-March Combest was the winner of the 60m in the Nike Indoor Class in Columbus, Ohio in his national-record time while Rideaux was the winner over the same distance at the National Scholastic Indoor in Boston. They will head to Arcadia to sort out the "true national championship." Long Beach Poly's other sprint star, Kareem Kelly, the nation's top returning 200m dasher (20.76) will lead a top group of 200 meter runners.

On the Girls' side, Southern California's great recent sprint tradition will be blessed with presence of the nation's top duo of dashers in Erica Whipple (Suncoast, Riviera Beach, Fl) (11.51 100m 23.29 200m) and Alexis Joyce (Washington, Denver, Co) (11.52 and 23.63). They are
the two top sprinters in the country, with Nakiya Johnson (Ayala, Chino Hills), World Junior Silver Medalist over 400 meters (52.09) moving down to battle them over 200 meters.

All other events feature super groups!

Jill Camarena (Woodland) just took over the national lead for this year in the Shot Put (48-07) from Karen Freberg (Arroyo Grande) (48-05), with the top returner from last season, Rebekah Green (Girls, Columbus, Oh) 48-05.75 also in the field! April Burton (Bakersfield) returns as the top Girl Discus thrower in the nation off her 171-04 best from last spring, with Cari Soong (North, Riverside) leading the country this year so far with a 156-00 best.

The Boys' Shot Put has six sixty-footers, with Danny Ames (El Capitan, Lakeside) the national prep indoor leader at 63-03.75 and Doug Sells (Shelton, Wa) 62-09.5 (98) and 60-07.5 this spring. The Boys' Discus has seven throwers over 180 feet, with Lucais MacKay (Hughson) 197-09 last year leading a fine group!

Kathleen Donoghue (Rancho Bernardo, San Diego) has already Pole Vaulted 12-06 to lead the nation outdoors this spring, with that jump making her the equal #6 U.S. Prep ever in the event! A great group backs her up!

Tracee Thomas (North, Riverside) had the farthest Long Jump ever by an
American eighth grader last summer at 19-11, with Zakiya Harris (Perry, Masillon, Oh)
19-10.25 last year as a frosh with the nation's #4 prep jump of the year.

Other running events feature screeching fields!!!

The Girls 400 will have the nation's #2 and #3 from a year ago, Monique Henderson (Morse, San Diego) 52.93 and Lashinda Demus (Wilson, Long Beach) 53.06, with 1999 National Yearly prep leader outdoors, Laloni Anderson (Westchester, LA) 54.89 a week ago. Daniel Mentu (Antelope Valley, Lancaster) 47.29 last summer leads a group of sub-49 dashers in the Boys one lap event.

In the 800 Canadian National Junior Champion, Tanya Wright (Leduc) has run 2:07.53, with Indiana's Brett Tipton (Northrup, Ft. Wayne) the find of the American prep indoor season over two laps, headling the Boys' field at 1:51.77.

Nebaskan Brian Turner (Millard North, Omaha) raced one of U.S. Prep history's fastest ever soph miles last year at 4:09.29, with a group of eight others under 4:18 who hope to crash the 4:10 barrier here!   Katie Hotchkiss (Mission San Jose, Fremont) was the star of the Girls' winter miling season, taking the Millrose national event and returning with a super 4:49.77 from last season. Spring Dawson (Vallejo4:52.84) and Sara Gorton (Mountain Pointe, Phoenix, Az 4:55 in a recent dual meet) will lead the competition over four laps.

Adam Tenforde (Hanford, Richland, Wa) leads the nation outdoors this season with a solo 9:15 for 3200 meters, with Josh Rohatinsky (Provo, Ut), the Foot Locker Western Regional champion (9:08.22), the nation's top 1998 soph. Eight others who have run under 9:20 for 3200 meters will be along in the race.   Catherine Guiney (Middletown South, NJ) was 10:25 for two miles indoors this winter, with four others under 10:40 in the 3200 chasing the east coast star.

Ricardo Moody (Harrison, Colorado Springs, Co) (13.64 nation's #2 returnee)
faces six others with bests under 14.10 in the Boys' High Hurdles. Canadian
Felicien Perdita (Pickering) was 13.47 outdoors last year in the Girls' 100
Meter High Hurdles. She will battle with Nicole Denby (North, Riverside), who
this winter equalled the U.S. Prep record in the 60 Meter High Hurdles at 8.33
and was 13.86 last spring over the 100 meter barriers.

The battle of Long Beach will move to the 300 meter hurdle distance on the Girls' side, with Lashinda Demus (Wilson 41.90) and Detra King (Poly 41.96) simply the two top returnees in the nation. James Smith (Cambelback, Phoenix, Az) (37.58) battles California's best, Terry Jenkins (Muir, Pasadena 37.93), and a good group in the Boys' 300 Meter Intermediates.  

Relay action will cook!!

The Long Beach Wilson Girls, with same the group that established a national record in the 4x400 relay last year (3:36.32), amazed with a Nation-leading 46.30 for the 4x100 relay a week ago! Long Beach Poly has targeted 40.0 this season on the Boys' side in the one lap baton event, with the Jackrabbits racing 41.3 in one meet last weekend, while Dorsey (LA) won another in Los Angeles in 41.60.

The Meet's first running event will feature all of California's top baton squads. The Wilson Girls 4x400 group (all of whom return this spring) was named Athletes of the Meet last year at Arcadia for their 3:39.48 Meet Record. The Boys' four lap relay will close the meet down in style, with the two teams looming as main combatants in the California State team title hunt, Long Beach Poly (3:16.3) and McClymonds (Oakland 3:15.57), battling for the physical and mental edge heading into May and June.

In the High Jump, Canadian Jason Pilkington (Pickering) won the National
Scholastic Indoor Meet a few weekends back, and has a 7-01.5 best. Julie
Stevenson (Diamond Bar) has jumped 5-10 on the Girls' side, with a half a
dozen over 5-08 in that field.

Blake Powell (Highland, Gilbert, Az) leads the Boys' Pole Vault at 16-00, with Brandon Braunstein (Newark, Ca 15-10) and Chris Steddum (Klein Forest, Houston, Tx 15-09), as a dozen in the field have cleared 15-0.

Vincent Ibia (Silver Creek, San Jose) has jumped 24-03 (LJ) and 49-02 (TJ) to lead the state, with Oliver Jackson (Royal, Simi Valley) 24-01 a number of fine jumps already this Spring.

Outside of those stars it should be a normal Arcadia event-- super deep fields performing in front of a packed house with a stunning series of competitive events resulting in great winning efforts and great marks to back up the champions!
For more information on the meet, please contact (626) 445- 7507.

Arcadia Invitational Meet Management

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