Arcadia Invitational

Leading Entries 3/28

US Record Holders in 8 events!

by Caltrack.com

ARCADIA CA 3/28/01 -- The 34th annual Arcadia Invitational, regarded as the nation's premier in-season competition, boasts a field as strong as ever for the April 14 affair, with athletes from 21 states and two foreign nations competing. Here's just a sampling of some of the talent coming in, with full seed lists available here online next Thursday!

NATIONAL RECORD HOLDERS IN 8 EVENTS IN THE MEET

• Monique Henderson CA - Outdoor 400 meters
• Angel Perkins CA - Indoors 200-400 Meters
• Brendan Christian TX - Indoors 200 Meters 
• Jeff Garrison CA - Indoors 50 Meter Hurdles 
• Long Beach Wilson CA
  • Indoor Sprint Medley 
  • Outdoor 4x400 relay 
• San Lorenzo Valley CA - Outdoor Distance Medley Relay

Some highlighted events:  

GIRLS SPRINTS/HURDLES 

It remains to be seen exactly which events the nation's top dashers will request to be seeded in (entries due today, with the mail still pouring in), but would you believe there are seven girls coming to Arcadia with lifetime bests in the 400-meter dash at 55.00 or better?? Yikes! National record holders Monique Henderson (outdoor record of 50.74 and named Track & Field News' Female prep Athlete of the Year for 2000) of San Diego Morse and Angel Perkins (indoor U.S. record 53.29) of nearby Gahr HS top the entries, with New Yorker and frosh phenom Natasha Hastings (54.21 last year as an 8th grader!!!) also in the mix! Californians Tracee Thomas and Ashley Brown (both of J.W. North, Riverside) and Allyson Felix of L.A. Baptist (hot on the indoor circuit) and Porchea Carroll (Rio Mesa) are others to watch. 

One possible 11th-hour entry into the meet could be Floridian Erica Whipple (Palm Beach Lakes HS), the fastest prep sprinter in the nation last year at 11.32 for the century race. Her coach called in midweek to request info! Relays??? 

Check this group out: Long Beach Wilson (fresh off national indoor sprint medley record), Long Beach Poly (3:45.04), J.W. North (nation-leading 45.30 and 3:39.46 last year), William Penn of Philadelphia, Berkeley, Union City Logan, and San Diego Morse among others in, with Palm Beach Lakes, Fla. (46.15 for the Whipple-led group) still a possible addition! 

Long Beach Wilson's Lashinda Demus, the 1999 Track & Field News Prep Female Athlete of the year, tops the barrier-race entries with a national-leading and #3 all-time 40.41 in the low hurdles last year, with fellow Californians Undine Becker and Chelsea Johnson among her chief rivals. Mission Viejo's Dana Bethel is another expected top entry.

BOYS DISTANCES 

Talent is in abundance for the distance races, where the collection of distinguished multi-lappers assembled might be the greatest in-season group ever, and should elicit great excitement from those involved. Topping the list is reigning national outdoor mile champ Ryan Hall of Big Bear (4:04.73 converted, from the mile race distance). Among those in the Who's Who field are Florida's John Jefferson (recent 4:05 split indoors for 1600 as part of sizzling 10:03 DMR for Atlantic Community High), Colorado's Bryan Dillon (4:07.12c), Virginian Bobby Lockhart (4:08.36c), Californian Jin Daikoku (4:10.95 for 1600 last year), Indiana's Aaron Fisher (4:12.00/1600), California's Ben Aragon (4;12.08), Utah's Seth Pilkington (4:11 at altitude last weekend) and Montana's David Vidal (4:12.36c). Additional Foot Locker XC national finalists Chandler Goodwin (Utah), Brett Gotcher (California), Seth Watkins (West Regional champ, Montana) are also coming, Colorado's James Hatch (1:52.12), Californians Chris Wells-Anders (1:52.29), Aaron Powell (1:52.59 and Alonso Smith (1:52.87), Florida state champ Danny Soule (Pensacola Catholic, state track athlete of the year) are also in. Other possible attendees (but still seeking a definitive confirmation) are Oregon's Erik Heinonen and Arizona's Roger Cahill. Notable others are still inquiring!

GIRLS DISTANCES 

Just to give you an idea of the strength converging here, let's rattle off the names of some of the Foot Locker National XC Finalist in attendance: California's Anita Siraki (10;14.45c for 3200), Clara Horowitz, and Liza Pasciuto (sixth at nationals as a freshman!), Wyoming's Alicia Craig (FL XC West Regional champ), Pennsylvania's Julia Pudlin, Utah's Laura Zeigle (top finishers at U.S. Trials for World Junior XC Championships!), Coloradoan Megan Kaltenbach (two-mile indoor winner at recent Nike Indoor Classic), and North Hollywood's Natalie Stein. Other mega-talents making the trip are Californians Heather Hennessy (Golden West Inv. 800 champ), Jenny Aldridge (sub-2:11 and 4:49.63), Alejandra Barrientos (4:46.60), Lynn Dixon (4:50.05), Amber Steen (4:50.2 over the weekend), Virginian Kelly Ostott (2:08.93!), Utah's Kassi Anderson (2:09.97), California's Shannon Rowbury (2:10.88), Julie Allen (10:46.3), Laura Jakosky (10:48.15) and Natalie Garcia (2:11.39), and Utah's state champ Phoebe Ko!

BOYS SPRINTS/HURDLES 

Texan junior Brendan Christian is the hottest sprinter in the land, fresh off a national indoor record 21.05 (also 20.78 and 10.48 outdoors) in the deuce in New York earlier this month, with the talented underclassman from coach Cliff Kealing's powerhouse leading sprint relay groups of 40.77 and 3:15.4 also making the long anticipated trip! 

Californin's Maurice Dosty (10.47) and Carlos Moore (21.25) also share top billing. San Diego's Chauncee Smith, L.A.'s Jason Lovell (47.43), Arizona frosh phenom Michael Hilbe (49.14 last weekend, 21.75 last year as an 8th grader!), Colorado's James Hatch, Taft's Chris Morgan and traditional national sprint powers Long Beach Poly, Gardena Serra, St. Mary's of Berkeley and Union City Logan also look strong! 

Texan Anthony Francis (Giddings HS, TX) just entered the meet, carrying a sparkling 13.60w clocking on his resume for the high hurdles, the fastest 2000 time in the U.S. under any conditions. But J.W. North's Jeff Garrison (a recent national indoor record over the 50-meter hurdles), fellow Californians Chris Morgan of Taft (13.94) and Chris Johnson of Arlington (13.9ht) are also out quickly in 2001!

GIRLS FIELD EVENTS 

Californian Karen Freberg put the shot over 53 feet recently, good for #3 on the all-time national outdoor lists, with Utah's Kelli Burton (still awaiting confirmation) and California's Katie mcKeever and Rachel Varner also over 45 feet thus far. In the disc, California's Michelle Pequignot (Arroyo Grande HS) and Gennessa Guzman (Charter Oak HS) have been red hot of late, with many others on the cusp of national-class notoriety. California also leads the way among the high-jump entries, with Edison's (Huntington Beach) J.W. North's Chaunte Howard, Taft's Schquay Brignac all at 5-8 or better! Birmingham's Melissa Astete (recent L.A. City Section record over 12-9) and Temple City's Laura Chen (CIF-Southern Section record at 12-7) are California's best in the pole vault, with Pennsylavania's Kim Stuyvesant (12-4 at Golden West) among six others at 12-0 or better! Californian Michelle Sanford of Woodbridge High (yes, the daughter of famed former sprint talent James Sanford!) had a great 20+/40+ double in the horizontal jumps last weekend, headlining a a field that includes Elyzieta Wojcieka.  Jimia White, Dana Bethel and Tracee Thomas are other Golden State athletes with personal bests at 19 feet and beyond! Sultana's Shanon Meyer, the reigning national heptathlon champ, is also in the field.

BOYS FIELD EVENTS 

Utah's Niklas Arrhenius (Orem HS) tossed the disc an eye-popping 218-2 last week, the #2 all-time performer on the U.S. lists and bearing down on famed weight man Kamy Keshmiri's 225-2 all-time mark! Sean Shields (Arroyo Grande HS), Chris Gocong (Carpinteria HS) and Jason Rider (Murrieta Valley HS) are other notable stars at 180+. Arrhenius is also the big gun in the shot put, with his 63-0 mark of a year ago a true indication of his versatility. Rubidoux's Jake Knight and Arroyo Grande's Sean Sheilds are others heaving the 12-pound implement at 61-0 or better. 

Quentin Matthews of Virginia boats the leading mark in the high jump (7-0 1/4), with Hemet's Levi walker (15-09 this week) a possible entry in the pole vault.   Gemayel Alexander (well beyond 24 feet in the long jump and UCLA-bound footballer Matt Ware (Loyola HS) are among the leading high jump entries, with James Sims ranking as a 50-foot plus talent from Las Vegas in the triple jump!