SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA JC TRACK FINALS : Ventura’s Cain to Make Run at Opara in the 200

Simone Cain of Ventura College has shown that she is ready to step into the shoes of a champion, but in the end they might just be a borrowed pair.

Cain, who will compete Saturday in the Southern California junior college track and field finals at Cerritos College, has defeated Nikywa Prevost of Valley, the defending state champion at 200 meters, twice in the past two weeks.

However, Christy Opara of Citrus, a Nigerian who was the NCAA long jump champion last season at Brigham Young, has emerged as the strong favorite in the 200, turning in the fastest qualifying time at 23.65.

Opara, 18, who set a pending national junior college record of 21 feet 6 3/4 inches at the Fresno Relays in April, also posted top marks in last Saturday’s regional preliminaries in the 100 (11.76) and long jump (20-3 3/4).

A former Hueneme High standout who transferred to Ventura from Nevada Las Vegas this season, Cain beat Prevost in the Western State Conference meet April 27 (24.28 seconds to 24.49) and again in the preliminaries (24.35 to 24.57).

Cain, who will run in the 400--she timed 56.39 in the prelims--and Prevost, who will compete in the 100 (12.34 in the prelims), also will run in the 400- and 1,600-meter relays Saturday.

The top four in most running events and the top six in the field events will advance to the state meet, May 18-19 at Santa Barbara City College. Six also will qualify in the 1,500 meters, the 3,000 steeplechase and the 5,000.

Ryan Rapoza of Ventura has the top qualifying mark in the javelin (196-8) and also will compete in the pole vault (14-6).

Glendale’s Marty Beck has the third-best qualifying time in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles (53.52) and will anchor the 1,600-meter relay team of Rick Provenzano, Derrick Mitchell and Phil Simpson.

Marji Gilles of Glendale, a state meet qualifier in the heptathlon (4,008 points) will compete in the triple jump, javelin and long jump.