Northridge’s Arreola May Skip Sunkist Meet Because of Injury

Darcy Arreola of Cal State Northridge is expected to withdraw from the Sunkist Invitational indoor track meet at the Sports Arena on Friday night because an ankle injury she suffered last fall has not healed completely.

Northridge Coach Don Strametz said that he would inform Sunkist meet director Al Franken today that Arreola would not run in the open women’s mile.

Arreola, 20, redshirted the 1988 cross-country season because of an injury to her right ankle. Although she has trained well in recent weeks, according to Strametz, the ankle has not fully healed and a doctor advised her not to race on the tight turns of the sharply banked 160-yard Sunkist oval. “He basically said that we’d be pushing our luck to have her run on an indoor track right now,” Strametz said. “He didn’t think the ankle was strong enough to take that kind of stress.”

The 1988 NCAA Division II champion in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters, Arreola qualified for last year’s Olympic Trials in both events but competed in only the 1,500 at the trials and was eliminated in the semifinals.