All-Comers Victory Keeps Phillips Sharp for Moses

Andre Phillips has one goal in track. “I want to be the first man to beat Moses,” he said.

Moses, of course, is Edwin, the man who has dominated the 400-meter intermediate hurdles since 1976. Moses hasn’t lost an intermediates race since 1977, winning 113 consecutive races. He holds the world record at 47.03, has won two Olympic gold medals and has been ranked No. 1 in the world by Track and Field Magazine eight times.

Despite all this, Phillips isn’t in awe of Moses. The easy-going, confident UCLA graduate respects his rival but believes the time has come for the streak to end.

“Sooner or later, he’s going to get beat,” Phillips said. “I just want to be in the race when he does.”

Phillips, who was ranked No. 1 in the world in the intermediates in 1985 when Moses didn’t run because of injuries, was one of several world-class athletes who competed in the Los Angeles Unified School District All-Comers Track Championships on Friday night at Birmingham High.

Because of a break in the European track season, Phillips is back in the United States for two weeks. Along with other elite American athletes such as shotputter John Brenner and middle distance runner Regina Jacobs, Phillips competed in the meet to avoid losing their competitive edge.

Phillips, who did not run in the hurdles Friday, easily won at 400 and 200 meters. In the 400, Phillips broke away from the field and ran 45.16. He then came back 30 minutes later to run the 200 in 20.55.

The stress fracture in his leg that forced Phillips to withdraw from several meets in Europe didn’t seem to affect him in either event.

“The 400 felt easy,” he said. “The 200 was a little more difficult. The leg is not completely healed, but I plan to run the second half of the European season.”

Jacobs, who shocked many people, including herself, with a 4:02.6 in the 1,500 at Birmingham on Wednesday, won the 800 Friday. The North Hollywood resident clocked 60.5 for the opening 400 and ran 2:02.05 for her second personal best in three days.

Former St. Genevieve standout Rose Monday finished second in 2:03.69.

Brenner, who won the Athletics Congress title earlier this year, threw 68-5 in the shotput.

Brooks Morris, who graduated from Burroughs High in June, won the pole vault competition in the novice division. His 15-0 effort was best in a good field that included City champion Jay Borick of Taft (14-6), Tom Parker of Notre Dame (14-6) and Jeff Lamonica of Poly (14-0).

The efforts by Morris, Parker and Lamonica were all personal bests.

Other top performances by Valley-area athletes were turned in by Quincy Watts of Taft, Ian Alsen of Granada Hills and Crissy Mills of Tarzana.

Watts won the novice 100 in 10.92, Alsen won the novice 3,000 in a personal best of 8:47.68 and Mills won the open high jump with a 5-4 effort.