Masters Track Meet : One More Hurdle Before the Finals : Top Marks to Be Combined for Southern Section’s Best

The Masters track meet, the last step for Southern Section athletes before the state finals and the first one that combines the best marks from all four divisions, will be held tonight at Cerritos College beginning at 6:30.

The top nine performers from last Saturday’s Southern Section finals will compete, and the five best from this meet will advance to the state championships June 6-7, also at Cerritos.

The high hurdles will feature a rematch between Rodney Bradshaw of 3-A champion Saugus and Terry Johnson of Katella. When Bradsahw ran a 14.02 last weekend to had Johnson his first loss of the season, he also broke Johnson’s year-old division record of 14.16.

In the pole vault, Servite’s Steve Williams will be one of the favorites despite the fact he also lost for the first time this season last week. Williams cleared just 14-4--his personal best is 16-5--and was defeated by Estancia’s Doug Miller, who cleared a personal high of 15-6.

Williams’ poor performance might be traced to attempts in which he landed feet first in the metal pit that vaulters place their poles in. He reinjured an ankle that he originally hurt during a warm up run two weeks ago.

“I was running and put my foot in a hole and twisted it,” he said. “After landing in the metal pit a couple times, the ankle really started to swell.”

Williams, whose ankle has healed, said his problems last week could also be attributed to technical mistakes in his takeoff and release from the pole.

“There were things wrong with my technique that caused me to come up short of the pole,” Williams said. “I’ve worked on correcting them this week and everything should be fine this time.”

Eric Dorn of Estancia, who recorded a 6-9 last week to win the 3-A high jump title, will be one of the favorites in that event tonight.

The depth in the girls’ events will come in the 3,200 with 4-A winner Melissa Sutton of Newbury Park, 3-A champion Tracey Williams of Mountain View and 2-A winner Amy Dabul of Temple City. In the high jump, three athletes--Debbie Orr of Ocean View, LaShawn McBride of Long Beach Poly and Yleana Carrasco of Anaheim--share the state lead at 5-10.

Orr will also compete in the triple jump, the event in which she recorded a 39-4 to win the 4-A title. That mark would have been good enough to break Orr’s own 4-A record of 38-7- 1/2 but was disallowed as a wind-aided jump.

For contrast, there is the senior-vs.-freshman showdown in the 800: Sherri Smith of Woodbridge, who has the best time in the Southern Section this year (2:11:22), against Kathy Grayson of Mission Viejo, whose best time is 2:11.56. Smith (3-A) and Grayson (4-A) are the division champions.

Hawthorne senior Tami Stiles is expected to run the 100 against her main competitor, Quartz Hill junior Madette Smith, and in the 200. Junior Janeene Vickers of Pomona, a four-time winner last Saturday (three individual and one relay) has dropped the 400 to concentrate on both hurdle races and the 400 relay.

Daren and Kirk Stonerock, the twins from Saugus, will double in the 1,600 and 3,200, with the 1,600 stacking up as the most competitive. Jim Zimmer of Simi Valley won the 4-A title with a 4:11.34. Raul Serratos of Moreno Valley (4:11.15), Kirk (4:12.36) and Daren (4:15.26) finished first, second and third in the 3-A.

The triple jump features three athletes who recorded a 49-8- or better last week. Marcus Hooks of Lakewood, who holds the national record at 52-3- 1/2, is the favorite.

Times staff writer Steve Lowery also contributed to this story.