Gibson Wins Arcadia Title on Third Try

It took three races, but Morningside High’s Tai-Ne Gibson finally came away a winner in the Arcadia track invitational Saturday night at Arcadia High.

Gibson, running the second leg on the Monarch’s 1,600-meter relay team, joined Nicole Thomas, LaShawn Stringer and Felicia Williams to win in 3:45.96.

Earlier Gibson, the defending Southern Section 2-A Division champion in the 100 and 200, timed 24.89 seconds to finish fifth in the 200 in a race won by Marion Jones of Thousand Oaks in a national-leading 23.49.

The junior anchored the 400-meter relay team of Stringer, Jaronda White, Felicia Williams to clock 46.57, but the Monarchs finished second behind Long Beach Poly, which ran 45.80--the fastest time in the nation this season and the ninth-fastest mark of all time.

“We got off to bad start in the 400 relay and I was very satisfied with the time in the 200,” Gibson said. “I guess there’s a time and place for everything.”

Thomas and Gibson ran the first two legs and Morningside shared the lead with Oakland Bishop O’Dowd.

Stringer gave Morningside a five-meter lead on the third leg before handing off to Williams, who extended the advantage to 20 meters at the finish.

Skyline of Oakland was second in 3:48.87, followed by Bishop O’Dowd (3:50.49) and Long Beach Poly (3:55.62).

Jones, who also set national-leading marks in winning the 100 (11.48) and long jump (20-9 1/4), was selected as the girls’ athlete of the meet.

Michael Granville of Bell Gardens was chosen as the boys’ athlete of the meet.

Granville set a freshman national record in winning the 800 in 1:51.61, defeating Vondre Armour of Bakersfield, the 1993 national scholastic indoor champion (1:52.03).

Edward Turner of Morningside was second in the 200, .12 seconds behind Anthony Velson of Merced.

Inglewood’s Leandrew Childs leaped 23-8 1/4 to finish second in the long jump behind Jared Hansen of Parma, Idaho (23-10 1/2).

Morris Giddens of Gardena, the City Section 3,200-meter champion, took nearly seven seconds off his personal best in placing sixth in the 1,600 in 4:14.62 in a race that featured eight runners under 4:15.

Ari Sol of Corona del Sol (Ariz.) overtook Tim Martin of Page (Ariz.) down the final backstretch to win in 4:10.10.

Inglewood’s Brandon Crockett was fifth in the 100 (10.83), won by Paul Turner of San Diego University City (10.62).

Other South Bay competitors included Jamie Artzner of Peninsula, who was ninth in the 1,600 in 5:09.2, and Marquise Jones of Hawthorne placed second in the seeded 110-meter high hurdles in 14.71.

Porchia King of Hawthorne finished fifth in the 400 (56.86) and seventh in the 200 (25.17).

Hawthorne Coach Kye Courtney was one of four inductees into the Arcadia Hall of Fame, along with Valerie Brisco, Denean Howard and Juliana Yendork. Courtney has guided the Cougars to seven state championships and 11 Southern Section titles.

Notes

Other national leading marks were turned in by Desmond Johnson of St. Augustine (LA.) in the 400 (47.83); Jamel Greene of First Colonial (Va.) in the high jump (6-10); Muir in the boys’ 400-meter relay (41.43); Miesha Marzel of Oakland Bishop O’Dowd in the girls’ 800 (2:11.69); Bisa Grant of Bishop O’Dowd in the 100-meter hurdles (14.23); Amy Acuff of Calallen (Tex.) in the high jump (6-0) and Agoura in the girls’ distance medley relay (11:57.02).