Spring Sports Notebook : Occidental Fast Track No Longer a Secret After Record Times

According to Occidental track Coach Bill Harvey, performances in the 5th Annual Occidental Invitational meet Saturday proved his track is one of the world’s fastest.

The track, built in 1984, has the largest legal curves in the world, and the surrounding structures often provide optimal wind conditions, Harvey said.

“After this meet, the secret is out,” he said.

UCLA’s 400-meter relay team turned in the world’s fastest time this year at 38.94 seconds, as did Jackie Joyner-Kersee in the women’s 400 hurdles (55.74). Michael Marsh of UCLA ran the year’s third-fastest 100 (10.12), and Ramona Pagel posted the third-best discus mark in the nation this year, throwing 197 feet, 6 inches.

Lee Balkin of Glendale High and UCLA won the high jump with a leap of 7-2.

Other winners include Henry Thomas in the 200 (20.18), Darrell Robinson in the 400 (45.80), Florence Griffith in the women’s 400 (52.50), Tonie Campbell in the 110 hurdles (13.50), and Robert Cannon in the triple jump (55-1 1/2).

For the first time since he began racing cars, Tom Kendall of La Canada will be playing catch-up to his brother Bart in the International Motor Sports Assn. GTU-class race at Summit Point, W. Va., Sunday.

Bart, 23, ranked third in the IMSA GTU standings, moved past his brother with a second-place finish at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March.

“Tom’s had some good and bad luck out there,” he said. “I’ll really have my work cut out for me if I want to stay ahead of him.”

Tom, 21, ranked ninth in the standings, is a two-time IMSA GTU champion and winner of the 1988 Miami Grand Prix. Despite being the younger of the two, Tom has a year of racing experience on his brother. But he hasn’t raced since Sebring, where he and his co-driver, Max Jones, had mechanical problems and were forced to pull out midway through the race.

Bart said both Summit Point and the June 5 Mid-Ohio in Mansfield, Ohio, will be crucial in determining the 1988 IMSA GTU champion.

Crescenta Valley High’s Jennie Jensen will vie for her second gymnastics title in three years Saturday in the Southern Section Championships at Westlake High.

Jensen, 18, who was the 1986 Southern Section champion as a sophomore, scored 37.60 points in all-around competition Saturday to win the individual preliminaries at Lakewood High. Teammates Wendy Cohen (36.15) and Jill Devore (35.50) finished second and fourth, respectively.

Add Crescenta Valley: The Falcons’ (20-1, 8-0 in Pacific League play) are counting on Heather Lindstrom to beat Buena Park in the first round of the Southern Section softball playoffs Friday at Montrose Community Park.

Lindstrom, 18, who has an 0.26 earned-run average and 206 strikeouts in 133 innings, has signed a letter of intent with Cal State Northridge. She pitched every game on Crescenta Valley’s schedule this season.