THE PREPS : IN FAST COMPANY : Erin Vali of University Faces Tough Test in Talented 2-Mile Field of Sunkist Meet

Erin Vali is probably not going to win the high school boys’ 2-mile tonight at the Sunkist Invitational in the Sports Arena.

He’d be the first to say so.

Vali, a senior at University High School, is probably in a little over his head in the race, which is scheduled to start at 6:30. He faces a deep and talented field, one filled with runners of national renown.

Brian Grosso of Walled Lake, Mich., the Kinney national cross-country champion, and Nick Radwetich of Longwood, Fla., are the top out-of-state runners. Bryan Dameworth of Agoura and Scott Hempel of Walnut are among the top Southern California entries.

Then there’s Vali, who checks in with less-impressive credentials. He does not have a state or Southern Section championship to his credit. He hasn’t even won a league track title.

His best 2-mile is the 9-minute 29.6-second clocking he ran in the Sea View League final, which earned him second place. It was only the 11th fastest by an Orange County runner in 1988.

Hampered by a virus, Vali finished in 12th place in the 4-A cross-country championships in November.

But Vali is not going to dwell on any shortcomings he might have as a runner. He is just happy to be running in the Sunkist meet. After all, an invitation to compete in the meet, one of the most prestigious of the season, is thrill enough.

“It certainly is an honor to be running with those guys,” said Vali, a 17-year-old senior. “I’m definitely nervous about it. It’s almost for fun. It’s not to say I don’t care how I do, but it’s not all on the line for me. It’s early in the season.”

Running in the Sunkist meet is also just another step in Vali’s rapid progression from a mediocre freshman to a contender in Southern Section championship meets.

When Vali began running at University as a freshman, the fastest he could cover a 3-mile cross-country course was a less-than-impressive 19 minutes.

“I hadn’t trained that much,” said Vali, whose only other attempts at running were a couple of 10-kilometer races when he was 10 years old. “I really didn’t have any experience.”

But Vali kept running and improved his time in each meet. By the end of the season, he was running in the low 17-minute range and had earned a varsity letter.

He’s improved to the point where he now holds the school record in cross-country.

Vali ran 14:47 last fall to break Greg Whiteley’s school record of 14:49. Whiteley made a name for himself in national running circles after leaving University. He went on to Brown University and competed in the 5,000 meters at the 1988 Olympic trials.

Vali hopes to follow Whiteley’s lead and continue running--and improving--in college next season.

“I’m better at the longer distances,” he said. “I don’t have that much speed, so I have to make up for it over the longer distance.”

But that doesn’t seem to bother Vali right now. He’s just trying to do his best and stay competitive in what will be his most difficult race to date.

“I’m not sure how I’m going to do,” Vali said. “It’s a nice experiment.”

Sunkist Notes

The boys’ 2-mile is not the only high-profile high school event in the meet, which opens with the boys’ 2-mile relay at 4:40 p.m. . . . The boys’ seeded mile, scheduled for prime time at 8:46 p.m., features the county’s top two distance runners, Jimmy Rodriguez of Santa Ana Valley and Eddie Lavelle of Corona del Mar. The pair face stiff competition from some of the top runners in the country, including Robert Nelson of Muir, the 4-A cross-country champion last fall. . . . Greg Shryock of Corona del Mar and Joe Komasinski of El Modena are entered in the boys’ rated mile. . . . In the girls’ 2-mile, Martha Pinto of Katella is the only county entrant. Other county performers to watch include Allison Franke of Canyon, who will compete in her usual long jump-triple jump combination. She will be a favorite in both events. . . . William Dancy of Santa Ana Valley competes in the boys’ long jump. . . . Trevor Lycett of Esperanza and Eric Whitcomb of Valencia will compete in the pole vault.