SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA JC TRACK PRELIMINARIES : Prevost, Cain to Renew Rivalry in 200 Meters

Nikywa Prevost of Valley College, the defending state junior college champion at 200 meters, could be hard-pressed to repeat if Cain is able. And Cain has given every indication that she is.

Last week, Ventura’s Simone Cain beat Prevost (24.28 seconds to 24.49) in the 200 in the Western State Conference track and field championships. The pair will renew their rivalry in the 200 and both also will compete in the 400- and 1,600-meter relays Saturday in the Southern California preliminaries at Cerritos College.

The meet is a qualifier for next Saturday’s Southern California finals. The women’s 5,000 meters and men’s 10,000 meters will be run as finals and the top six in each race will advance to the state meet, May 19 at Santa Barbara City College.

Prevost, a former San Fernando High standout who has signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Nebraska, also will run in the 100 (she placed second in the event in the state last season). Cain also is entered in the 400 meters, an event that she won in 54.76 at the WSC meet.

Glendale’s Marty Beck is among the favorites in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles. Beck set a meet record of 51.84 seconds in the WSC meet--the fastest qualifying time in the field.

The UCLA-bound sophomore, who placed ninth in the state last year in his first year competing in the event, also will anchor Glendale’s 1,600-meter relay team that includes Rick Provenzano, Derrick Mitchell and Phil Simpson.

Provenzano, the WSC champion at 1,500 meters, will drop down to the 800, in which he has posted the top qualifying mark at 1:52.01.

Jaime Galindo of Ventura, a state finalist at 5,000 meters who ran 14:51.34 last year, has qualified in the 1,500 and 5,000 but will drop the shorter race. Noureddine Morceli from Algeria and Riverside City is a strong favorite in both races.

Morceli, the defending 1,500- and 5,000-meter state champion, has broken the national junior college record in the 5,000 twice this season and recorded the fastest time (13:25.20) in the nation this year at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays two weeks ago.

In the 1,500, Morceli should face a stiff challenge from Jose Luiz Barbosa, an 800-meter specialist from Brazil and San Diego City.

Barbosa, 28, finished sixth in the 1988 Olympics and has a personal best of 1:43.20.

In the 10,000, James Moore of Glendale has the second-fastest qualifying mark at 31:36.0.

Other individuals from the region who should contend are Dave Swanson (high jump), Marji Gilles (triple jump) and Nicole Jimenez (1,500 and 5,000) of Glendale; Ryan Rapoza (javelin) of Ventura; Melanie Clark (400, long jump, high jump) of Valley; and Gil Carrillo (javelin) and Tricia Mathiesen of Moorpark (5,000).