Prep Track Showcase in Arcadia

The Arcadia Invitational Track Meet always resembles a who’s who of prep track in the state, and Saturday’s 18th annual event at Arcadia High is no different.

Most of the top boys and girls in the state are entered in the meet, which starts at 4 p.m. with the boys’ discus. The rest of the field events start at 5:30 and the running events start at 6:30.

Heading the list is Hawthorne sensation Henry Thomas, who has a top time of 10.25 seconds (No. 2 in the nation) in the 100 meters and 20.73 in the 200 meters. Thomas also will anchor Hawthorne’s 1,600-meter relay team, which set a national record of 3:07.40 at the Texas Relays last week. He ran a blistering 400-meter anchor leg of 44.5 seconds in that race.

In addition, the meet has plenty of other national-class boys’ entrants. They include Brandon Richards of San Marcos, who has a national best of 17-6 in the pole vault; Brian Blutreich of Capistrano Valley, who has national bests of 210-8 in the discus and 63-11 3/4 in the shot put, and George Porter of Cabrillo, No. 1 in the nation in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles (36.8 seconds) and 110-meter high hurdles (13.8).

Among the top San Gabriel Valley competitors in the meet is Pasadena’s Damon Thomas, who is undefeated in the 110 high hurdles with a top time of 13.9 seconds.

Other top valley boys are Richard Bell of Muir in the 300-meter low hurdles (best of 37.8 seconds), Mark Triplett of Marshall Fundamental in the triple jump (48-10 best), Andy Allan of San Marino in the 1,600 meters (4:20.5) and Chuck Reep of Arroyo in the discus (174-10).

Heading the list of girls in the meet is Choo-Choo Knighten of Locke, the national leader in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and the 100-meter low hurdles. Knighten, who will be trying to win four events in the meet, also is entered in the 400 meters.

The Valley girls’ contingent is headed by a strong Muir team that includes sprinter Linetta Wilson, who has a top time of 53.78 seconds in the 400 meters, Lana Cantrell in the 300-meter low hurdles (42.9) and hurdler Carrie Franklin, who has a best of 13.78 in the 100-meter low hurdles. Muir also has a national best of 3:45.95 in the 1,600 relay.

Other standouts from the Valley area include Janeene Vickers of Pomona in the 200 meters (23.8 seconds) and 400 meters (55.2) and freshman Tracy Williams of Mountain View in the 3,200 meters (10:39.59) and 1,600 meters (5:01.0).

Many of the top NCAA Division II women’s tennis teams in the West will be competing in the first Bronco Spring Invitational Tournament today through Sunday at Cal Poly Pomona and the Village Oaks Racquet Club in Covina.

In first-round match-ups for the eight-team tournament, Northern Colorado faces Idaho State at 9 a.m., Cal Poly Pomona meets Denver at 2 p.m. at Village Oaks, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo takes on UC Davis at 2 p.m. at Cal Poly Pomona.

Cal State Northridge and Cal State Bakersfield also are in the tournament. Each school will play three matches in the semi-round-robin tournament.

Northridge, ranked No. 8 in the International Tennis Coaches Assn. Division II poll, and Davis, ranked No. 4, are considered the top teams in the tournament. The Matadors are leading the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. with an 8-0 record.

Pomona, which is second in the CCAA with an 8-1 record and No. 10 in the national rankings, also is considered among the top teams in the tournament. The Broncos are led in singles play by freshman Pat Choomngern, senior Saundra Rodriguez, sophomore Debbie Jung and junior Julie Gillespie.

Many of the same teams are expected to meet again in the NCAA Division II National Championships May 6-11 at Cal State Bakersfield.

Carol Dunn, coach of the Cal State Los Angeles women’s basketball team the last four years, has resigned to concentrate on her other positions of associate athletic director and faculty member at the school.

“Trying to coach, teach and be an associate athletic director was just too much,” Dunn said. “It didn’t leave me any personal time.”

Dunn guided the Golden Eagles to a 12-13 record last season, her best coaching mark at Cal State L.A. Her four-year record was 33-64.

Athletic director Dennis Keihn said that Marcia Murota, Dunn’s assistant last year, has been named interim coach. Murota, a former four-year starter for the Golden Eagles, played prep basketball at Schurr High in Montebello.