Jones, Lucas and Dirling Top List of Prep Stars Headed to UCI

Sita Jones of La Habra High School, Sandi Lucas of Corona del Mar and Ray Dirling of Ocean View have signed national letters of intent to attend UC Irvine in the fall, Irvine announced Wednesday.

Jones placed third in the Southern Section 3-A 1,600 meters. She has best times of 5 minutes 3.21 seconds in the 1,600 meters and 11:04.22 in the 3,200.

Lucas, the Sea View League champion in the long jump and triple jump, had best marks of 18-feet 3-inches in the long jump and 33-0 in the triple jump.

Dirling was one of Orange County’s top pole vaulters this season, with a best leap of 15-0.

Irvine also signed 11 other top athletes from outside Orange County. They are:

* Brigid Stirling, a two-time NCAA Division III All-American at Claremont McKenna. Stirling has best times of 4:23 for 1,500, 9:29 for 3,000 and 17:10 for 5,000.

* Andrea Samsom (Glendora High), the Southern Section Masters champion at 800 meters and eighth at the state meet. Samsom has bests of 2:13.11 in the 800 and 57.22 in the 400.

* Monica Scott (San Pasqual High), the San Diego Section 2-A runner-up at 800 meters, has bests of 2:16 in the 800 and 5:10 in the 1,600.

* Jennifer Woodford (New Orleans Franklin), the two-time defending Louisiana state champion in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters. Has bests of 5:05 in the mile and 11:10 for two miles.

* Kevin Berko (Covina High), the Southern Section 2-A champion at 1,600 meters, who has a best of 4:11.22.

* Adam Shanks (Covina High), the Southern Section 2-A champion at 800 meters, who has bests of 1:54 in the 800 and 4:14 in the 1,600.

* Ben Ayers (Sacramento Christian Brothers High), who placed 12th in the Kinney National cross-country championships and has bests of 4:18.22 in the 1,600 and 9:16.44 in the 3,200.

* Fili Arizmendi (Azusa High), the Southern Section 2-A 1,600 meter champion in 1987.

* Mike Hewitt (Greeley Central, Colo.), who was third in the Colorado state meet in the pole vault at 15-0.

* Robert Ureno (Bonita High), a Southern Section finalist in the 110-meter hurdles (14.32) and 300-meter hurdles (39.0).

* Andy Shaben (San Joaquin Delta Junior College), who has bests of 14.5 in the 110-meter hurdles and 52.6 in the 400-meter hurdles. Shaben, who will be a junior in the fall, attended high school at Stockton Lincoln.