Cooksey, McCarter to Run at Moorpark

Travis Cooksey of Rio Mesa High and Paul McCarter of Thousand Oaks High, two of the top middle-distance runners in the Southern Section, will attend Moorpark College next season.

Cooksey, the 1987 Southern Section 4-A Division 800-meter champion, wanted to attend either Fresno State or Nebraska but failed to meet NCAA Proposition 48 requirements (minimum of 700 points) on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

“I’m a little disappointed, but it’s probably for the best,” said Cooksey, who has a personal best of 1 minute, 52.05 seconds in the 800. “This way, I’ll get a chance to see how college life is without all the academic pressures of a major university.”

McCarter, the runner-up in the 4-A 1,600 this season, has run 1:55.7 in the 800 and 4:15.54 in the 1,600.