Track : Fresno State’s Men Put On the Finishing Touches to Defeat UC Irvine

All along the way, the triangular track and field meet among Fresno State, San Diego State and UC Irvine Saturday was a nonstop, crowd-pleasing event.

“This is what track and field is all about,” Irvine Coach Vince O’Boyle said. “Great races, great performances . . . “

And great finishes. Especially in the men’s meet, which ended with a grand finale in the final event--the 1,600-meter relay.

Fresno, boosted by a 47-second come-from-behind anchor lap by Benjie Green, won in 3 minutes 13.4 seconds. That was the finishing touch for the Bulldogs, the defending Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. champions in both men’s and women’s divisions, who won the men’s competition with 76 1/2 points.

Host Irvine was second with 65 1/2 points, and San Diego State was third with 58.

“That’s the closest we’ve ever come to Fresno State,” O’Boyle said. “Four years ago, they beat us (in a UCLA triangular meet) by 60 points. We’ve been getting closer and closer every year, and now we’re just at the doorstep of knocking them off.”

Fortunately for Irvine, Saturday’s meet does not count in PCAA competition. The PCAA championships, May 13-14 at Logan, Utah, is the first and final PCAA event of the season.

Another turning point of the men’s meet was the 400-meter relay. There, Irvine’s A team finished first but was disqualified for a lane violation. Irvine’s B team finished second (41.50), but because B teams cannot score, the third-place team, Fresno State, was awarded the victory--and the five points--in the event.

Irvine didn’t fare as well in the women’s division. Fresno won with 77 points, Irvine was second with 47, and San Diego State was third with 42. But that didn’t discourage Danny Williams, Irvine’s women’s coach.

“I’m beyond elated today,” Williams said. “Overall, I’d say it was the best team performance we’ve had here in many years. Today was Anteater track at its finest.”

The meet began with six career-best performances in the women’s triple jump. San Diego State’s Sharie Green won the event in 40-feet 6 3/4-inches, a best by 10 inches. Irvine’s LaJuene Gage was sixth at 36-2, a best by 7 1/2 inches.

Less than an hour later, Gage, a sophomore, won the 100-meter hurdles in 14.17 (14.35 automatic), edging SDSU’s Gaylen Ames, who ran 14.27. Gage also placed fourth in the 400-meter hurdles in a season-best 1:03.67.

In the men’s sprints, Fred Simmons won the 100 meters (10.77 automatic) and the 200 meters (21.41 hand-timed) for Irvine.

In the men’s distances, Irvine’s Richard Graves won the 5,000 meters in 14:29.9. Graves, the 1987 PCAA cross-country champion, spent most of the race in the middle of the pack, about 60 yards behind early leaders Gus Quinonez of Irvine and Matt Clayton of San Diego State. But with about two laps to go, Graves surged to the lead and held his kick to the finish line.

Quinonez finished second (14:37.0), holding off a fast-approaching Clayton (14:37.9) in the final 100 meters.

In the women’s distances, sophomore Buffy Rabbitt and senior Judy McLaughlin led the Anteaters. In the 1,500 meters, Rabbitt and McLaughlin, running side by side, took a 20-yard lead on the pack after the first 400 meters. The two finished with the same time--4:26.40--in a intentional near-tie for first, but Rabbitt was awarded the victory.

An hour later in the 800 meters, Rabbitt put on a strong surge with 200 meters remaining to win in 2:09.64, a career best. McLaughlin finished second in 2:09.77, also a career best.

Notes

Irvine’s Richard Hill won the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.35, and Irvine’s Joe Sordi won the 400-meter intermediates in 52.30, a career best. In the pole vault, Irvine’s Erik Kenyon tied his lifetime best by vaulting 16-4 3/4. Anteater sophomore Pete Vicencio ran a lifetime best 9:08.44 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, placing third. . . . Irvine’s LaQueta Harvey was third in the women’s 100 meters (11.88); fourth in the long jump (18-2 3/4) and sixth in the 200 meters (25.41).