Arreola Earns Berth on U. S. Track Squad

Darcy Arreola of Cal State Northridge has run faster races but is it doubtful that her reward has ever been as great as it was Saturday evening after she had placed seventh in the 1,500 meters at The Athletics Congress track and field championships at the University of Houston.

The Northridge junior ran 4 minutes, 18.35 seconds to finish second among college runners from the United States, thus qualifying for the national team that will compete in the World University Games in Duisburg, West Germany, Aug. 22-30.

Regina Jacobs of Team New Balance won her second TAC 1,500 crown in the past three years, running 4:11.80.

The victory by Jacobs, a 1981 graduate of the Argyll Academy (now Campbell Hall) in North Hollywood, qualifies her for the national team that will compete in the World Cup in Barcelona, Spain, later this summer.

Jacobs has qualified for the U. S. teams for the World Championships (1987), Olympics (‘88) and World Cup (‘89) competitions in the past three years.

Suzy Favor of Wisconsin and the Nike North track club, winner of the past three NCAA titles, was the top-finishing collegian Saturday with her second-place effort of 4:12.29.

Teena Colebrook of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, who defeated Arreola for the NCAA Division II 1,500 title last month, finished fifth Saturday but is not eligible for the U. S. team because she is from Great Britain.

Arreola’s effort, meanwhile, improves upon her 10th-place performance in the 1987 TAC meet, although she ran 4:15.35 in that race.

Though Arreola qualified for the U. S. team, it is uncertain whether she will run in West Germany.

She said earlier this week that possible time conflicts with summer school and training for the fall cross-country season might prevent her from competing overseas.