PREP TRACK : Marion Jones Easily Wins at 200 Meters

At a time when track and field seems to be losing its popularity, an athletic booster club at Birmingham High in Van Nuys decided to establish a new national meet.

The result was the National Scholastic Outdoor Track and Field Championships held during the weekend at Birmingham. The meet, although not a huge success, had enough positives to encourage the group to try again next year.

About 1,000 watched Sunday’s finals, which featured sprinting sensation Marion Jones of Oxnard Rio Mesa. Jones, who holds National Federation records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, easily won the 200 in 23.32 seconds. Her national prep girls’ record is 22.87.

Jones was not the only attraction, however.

Amy Acuff, a sophomore from Calallen High in Corpus Christi, Tex., won the high jump at 6 feet 2 inches, three-quarters of an inch shy of the national record.

Acuff attempted three jumps at 6-3 1/4 and nearly cleared the bar on two of those attempts.

Junior Nikki Shaw of Fillmore recorded the third fastest time in the nation this season in the 800, winning in 2:09.19.

National leader Juliana Yendork of Walnut did not compete in the triple jump because of an injury, opening the door for Twylana Harrison of Levelland, Tex. Harrison, a senior, easily won with a jump of 41-7 1/2.

In the boys’ competition, the featured event was the 3,200. Junior Arthur Jimenez of Tucumcari, N.M., won in 9:07.55 as favored David Hartman of Canyon County Canyon finished sixth in 9:31.88.

Dennis Black of Great Falls, Mont., was the only double individual winner, taking the shotput and discus. Black, a senior, threw 183-9 in the discus and 65-7 1/2 in the shotput. However, he suffered a broken ankle in the shotput finals when he fell out of the throwing ring on a toss that went 73 feet.

Acuff and Black were selected the top performers of the meet.