Arcadia Invitational : El Dorado’s Olson Finishes 2nd in 800 Meters

Craig Olson’s second-place finish in the boys’ 800 meters was the best showing by an Orange County athlete Saturday night in the 20th Arcadia Invitational, a track and field meet that attracted the premier high school athletes on the West Coast.

More than 350 schools from four states were represented in what is considered to be the top in-season meet in the state. Six national records have been set in the meet, so, predictably, county athletes found the competition tough.

Olson, the student body president at El Dorado, ran the 800 in 1 minute 54.3 seconds for a personal best, beating two other runners in a photo finish for the runner-up spot. Later, he predicted he would slice four seconds off his Saturday time before the conclusion of the season.

“I haven’t had a quality workout yet this season,” he said. “Once they come around, I’ll be a force to be reckoned with. My goal is 1:50, and I don’t see why I can’t reach it.”

The early pace was fast on Arcadia’s new all-weather track, and Olson appeared to gain a second wind as he closed fast, passing three runners after the last turn. Olson moved to the outside on the third turn, a risky move that paid off.

“It hurt to go outside, but I had to do it,” he said. “The pace was fast, but a lot of that had to do with the hype that comes by competing at Arcadia. The competition was so strong.”

Olson, who has maintained a 3.87 grade-point average at El Dorado, plans to spend his spring break shopping for a college to attend next year.

“I’m visiting Humboldt State tomorrow, then I’ll look at Fresno State,” he said. “I’ve also had an offer from Adams State (a Division II track power) in Colorado.”

Charles Titus, El Dorado track coach, didn’t tell Olson that he had been invited to the Arcadia Invitational until Wednesday.

“I’ve been hyped up since he told me,” Olson said. “This is the top meet on the West Coast. Just to finish second here is an honor.”

Several other prominent county athletes had to be content with something other than first place. Still others struggled and didn’t approach their top marks.

Foothill pole vaulter Steve Slocum and high jumper John Amneus had forgettable meets. Slocum, who cleared 16 feet in a dual meet against Santa Ana Thursday, missed three attempts at 15-feet 9-inches.

Amneus had cleared 6-10 in the high jump at the Valencia Invitational only a week ago and matched the mark in a dual meet against Santa Ana. But he failed in three attempts at the mark Saturday.

Edison’s shotputting duo of Kaleaph Carter and Doug Blanchard failed to reach the 60-foot plateau, but Carter duplicated his fourth-place finish last year, and Blanchard had a personal best of 57-3 1/2.