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Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2001 10:42:30 -0700
From: don franken <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Los Angeles Invitational Info
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
= = ==
41ST L.A. INVITATIONAL KEY MATCHUPS / HEADLINERS
Headliners and key matchups for this Saturday, Jan. 20, 41st L.A.
Invitational indoor track meet at the L.A. Sports Arena. High School events
start at 11 am, with Invitational events at 6 pm. Meet information
available at www.frankenenterprises.com
MEN'S MILE
Bernard Lagat, Olympic bronze medalist at 1500 meters in Sydney, will be
matched against Jason Pyrah, the first American to make back-to-back 1500
Olympic finals since Dyrol Burleson (1960 and 1964).
Lagat is the 4th fastest ever at 3:28.51 (Zurich, 2000), and the latest gem
in the great line of Kenyan milers started by Kip Keino. Lagat, who will
try to become only the second runner to win the L.A. Invitational three
straight times (after Steve Scott), graduated from Washington State with a
degree in Management Information Systems.
Pyrah finished 9th in the 1500 finals in Atlanta and Sydney. The 30-year
old Brigham Young graduate ran a lifetime best 3:36.70 in winning the U.S.
Olympic Trials in Sacramento last year.
Rounding up the mile field are South Africa's Clyde Colenso, the 1999 NCAA
1500 champion; Stanford's Jonathon Riley, the third fastest collegiate
runner in the country last year; former UCLA half-mile standout Jess
Strutzel (US Olympic Trials finalist in the 800 who's moving up to the mile
after winning the last two LA Invitationals 880), and prep standout Ryan
Hall of Big Bear, a serious threat to break the 4-minute limit.
WOMEN'S 50 METERS
Angela Williams - the two-time defending NCAA 100-meters champion for USC,
has a chance to become the first sprinter ever, male or female, to win the
NCAA title as a a frosh, soph, and junior. Two-time U.S. High School
Athlete of the Year, national high school (11.13) and national junior
record holder (11.08) in the 100. Ran a windy 10.98 in 1997 to become the
first high school girl in history to break 11 seconds under any conditions.
Angela, who tied the national high school record in the 50 as a prep at the
1988 L>A. Invitational (6.32), wants to redeem herself after missing the
U.S. team for Sydney. Without her, and with injuries to Inger Miller and
Gail Devers, the U.S. 4x100 relay missed the gold, finishing third.
Williams will be challenged by Lakeisha Backus, a former Long Beach Poly
state champion and Texas NCAA finalist (11.11 lifetime best in the 100),
and Canada's Essy Benyarku.
WOMEN'S HIGH JUMP - Two-time Olympian and five-time NCAA champion Amy Acuff
(6-6 3/4 lifetime best) will be matched against Gwen Wentland (6-5 career
best).
MEN'S 600 METERS
Johnny Gray - The patriarch of U.S. track, a four-time Olympian,and 1992
Olympic bronze medalist, is coming back after announcing his retirement at
the U.S. Olympic Trials. Gray, who'll turn 41 in June, still holds the
U.S. records in the 800 (1:42.60 outdoors; 1:45.00 indoor), 880 indoor
(1:46.8) and 1000 yards indoor (2:04.39).
MEN'S 50 METERS
Veteran Jeff Williams, a 5th place finisher in the Olympic 200 final in
Atlanta and a 1995 World Championships bronze medalist, returns after
injuries to face defending champion Gerald Williams (5.64 last year),
Kaaron Conwright (10.05 in the 100), Milton Browne (10.07) and Jeff Laynes
(10.01). Also, USC football standouts Darrell Rideaux and Miguel Fletcher.
MEN'S POLE VAULT
Russ Buller won the NCAA titles for LSU both indoor and outdoors last year
and has a 19-0 1/4 lifetime best. He will be matched against Brent Burns
(18-6 1/2) and, probably,
MEN'S 50 HURDLES
Eugene Swift, a 1996 Olympic finalist in the 110 hurdles, will face
defending champion Rich Benoy.
MEN'S 880
Stanford's Michael Stember, a 1500 meters Olympian, will be matched against
Barbados Olympian Milton Browne.
Tickets for the 41st Los Angeles Invitational are on sale at the L.A.
Sports Arena Box Office, 3939 South Figueroa Street Los Angeles, CA 90037;
tel. (213) 748-6131, and through Ticketmaster. For meet information call
(310) 535-9230 or visit the meet's web site at www.frankenenterprises.com
HIGH SCHOOL PORTION LOADED WITH TALENT:
A record number of entries, including standouts from all Southland
track powerhouses and top talent from throughout the state, will again make
the high school portion of the 41st annual Los Angeles Invitational indoor
track meet, Saturday, January 20, at the L.A. Sports Arena, the highlight
of the indoor track season.
A quick look at the headliners, event by event:
GIRLS EVENTS
50 Meters: Last year's state meet runner up Porchea Carroll of Rio
Mesa (once Marion Jones' school) will be challenged by returning state
finalist Tracee Thomas of state team champion Riverside North.
500 Yards: With state runner up Angel Perkins (Gahr) receiving a
berth to compete in the Invitational 500, nationally-ranked Lashinda Demus
(Long Beach Wilson) is the favorite ahead of Ashlee Brown (Riverside
North), a state 400 finalist as frosh.
800 Yards: Junior Treani Swain (Oakwood Academy) seeks an
unprecedented third straight victory in this event.
Mile: With Stanford-bound and Foot Locker Cross Country National
Championships runner up Anita Siraki of Glendale Hoover invited to compete
in the Invitational mile, the prep seeded race is up for grabs.
2 Mile: State finalists Julie Allen (Fountain Valley), Natalie
Stein (North Hollywood), Emily Vince (Peninsula), and Heather Hansen
(Madera) appear to be the cream of the crop.
50-meter Hurdles: Versatile Lashinda Demus (Long Beach Wilson) will
be challenged by fellow returning state finalist Undine Becker (San Jose
Mt. Pleasant).
Long Jump: The field includes returning state finalists Porchea
Carroll, Dana Bethel, Nastassja Hall (Rancho) and Elzunia Lamb-Wojciecka
(San Benito), the state leader at 19-11, whose grandmother, Elzbieta
Krzesinska, won the 1956 Olympic long jump gold medal for Poland.
Pole Vault: A rematch of the state final is to be expected between
champion Laura Chen (Temple City) and Melissa Astete (Birmingham).
Triple Jump: Candice Baucham (Long Beach Poly) was second in the
state meet behind fellow Jackrabbitt Blessing Ufodiama (who graduated), and
has the best marks among the entrants at 40-6 3/4.
Shot Put: State champion Karen Freberg (San Luis Obispo) is a
prohibitive favorite to win for the third straight time and a serious
threat to surpass the national high school record.
The sprint relays (4x160, 8x160, 4x440) will feature perennial
powers Long Beach Poly and Wilson, Riverside North and Muir in highly
anticipated duels.
BOYS EVENTS:
50 Meters: Maurice Dosty (Franklin Stockton) is the fastest
returning 100 runner in the state at 10.47. He'll battle a strong Southern
Section legion led by Chris Morgan (Woodland Hills Taft), the defending
state 110 hurdles champ, Chreston Anderson (Long Beach Poly), Chris
Singleton (Etiwanda), and other stars. The always popular Football 50 will
feature Blake McKay (Bakersfield), Matt Clark (Cleveland), Jahlamb Sinclair
(Westchester), Lamar Ferguson (Inglewood), and Tyronne Gross (Lincoln
Stockton).
500 Yards: State 400 finalists Ramal Porter of Birmingham and Jason
Lovell (Cleveland) will be challenged by Jibril Raymo (Beverly Hills), Dion
Cason and Jamaal Broomfield (both Long Beach Poly), Dominique Roux and
Andre Reed from state team champion Gardena Serra, Raphael Assabo-Agye (Don
Lugo) and Michael Hilbe (Hamilton, Chandler, Arizona).
880 Yards: Christopher Wells-Anders (El Camino Real) was a state
runner up in 1:52.28. Martell Mungia (Woodcreek) finished third in the
state meet and has a best of 1:53.09. Nico Cueva (Escondido) and Jimmy
Ungricht (Fallbrook) are others to watch.
Mile: Last year Athlete of the Meet Ryan Hall (Big Bear) had a
stellar junior season, clocking a 3:45.12 1500 meters (equivalent of a sub
4:05 mile), good enough to be ranked second in the nation. He's so good he
will run in the Invitational mile, against Olympic bronze medalist Bernard
Lagat of Kenya! Two out-of-state runners, Nick Schneider (St. Louis Park,
Minnesota; 4:08.33 last year) and David Vidal (Kalispell, Montana) are the
top entries, with Arturo Garcia (Don Lugo), Josh Yelsey (Corona del Mar)
and Daniel Clements (Woodland Hills Taft) the top locals.
50 Hurdles: Taft's state champion Morgan will have his most serious
challengers in Wes Alexander, coming all thw way from Kentucky, and fellow
state finalists Scott Jarvis (Covina) and Jeff Garrison (Riverside North).
Other top entrants include Jeff Hunter (Granite Hills) and Kenneth Thomas
(Gardena).
High Jump: Chadd Smith (Camarillo), 3rd in the state meet last
year, has the best mark among California entrants at 6-10, but the jumper
to watch is Quentin Matthews (Chesapeake, Virginia), who has cleared 7-0
1/4. Other standouts: John Wratten (Pasadena), and Alex Marbley (Tustin).
Long Jump: Versatile Morgan, with a 23-7 1/4 personal best, is
again among the favorites, along with Aaron Williams (Diamond Ranch), with
an identical PR, and Travis Johnson and Gemayel Alexander from Bakersfield.
Triple Jump: Johnson and Alexander are again favorites, with
Trandon Harvey (Sweetwater), Donald Wilson (Dorsey), and brothers Martin
and Malcolm Boston (Union City Logan), the nephews of legendary long jumper
Ralph Boston, other top entries.
The high school portion of the L.A. Invitational is presented by
the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles. Other sponsors of the meet
include Charter Communications, Daily News, and AMC Theaters.
High school events go under way at 11 am, with the Invitational at
6 pm. Tickets for the 41st Los Angeles Invitational are on sale at the L.A.
Sports Arena Box Office, 3939 South Figueroa Street Los Angeles, CA 90037;
tel. (213) 748-6131 and Ticketmaster (213) 480-3232; For meet information
call (310) 535-9230 or visit the meet's web site at
www.frankenenterprises.com ###
