SOUTHERN SECTION MASTERS TRACK MEET : Jones Settles Score With 2 Sprint Wins Over Miller

Three times this spring, Marion Jones of Rio Mesa High has finished second to Pasadena Muir’s Inger Miller, the national leader in the 100 and 200 meters. But Jones’ frustration turned to jubilation Friday night in the Southern Section Masters Meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk.

Jones, a freshman, ran a personal-best 11.64 seconds in the 100 to edge Miller by one-hundredth of a second, then wallopped her in the 200 in a lifetime-best 23.70.

The time bettered Jones’ national age-14 record of 23.80, set earlier this season. Miller was second in 24.27.

“I had the urge now to beat her even more,” said Jones, who was second to Miller in the 100 and 200 at the Arcadia Invitational and in the 100 at the Northridge/Alemany Relays.

But the margin of victory in the 200 surprised Jones. “I thought she would come back at me with a little more revenge,” said Jones, who also anchored the Spartans to a state-qualifying fifth in the 400-meter relay.

The top five finishers in each event return to Cerritos College on June 1 for the state preliminaries.

For the second year in a row, Miller finished second in the 100 and 200 at the Masters Meet. And for the second consecutive year, she finished second to a Rio Mesa sprinter. Last year she lost to Angela Burnham, who went on to win state titles in both events.

“I just wanted to qualify in my events and see what I can run next week,” said Miller, who missed a month of competition after injuring an ankle at the Arcadia meet April 7. She reaggravated the injury last week running a leg on Muir’s 1,600 relay in the 4-A Division championships.

A fast start in the 100 favored Jones as she jumped to a three-meter lead in the first 40 meters. She then held Miller off at the finish as the 4-A Division champion closed quickly in the final 30 meters.

“For a girls that’s 5-foot-9, she gets out of the blocks as fast as anyone I’ve seen,” Rio Mesa co-Coach Brian FitzGerald said. “The start is the part of the race where she’s improved a lot.”

A quick start also helped Agoura’s Deena Drossin notch a wire-to-wire win in the girls’ 1,600. Drossin ran a personal-best 4:54.71.

The Charger junior led by as many as 20 meters before Edison’s Shelley Taylor and South Hills’ Karen Hecox narrowed the gap to four meters by the final stretch.

But Drossin surged again with 50 meters to go to secure the win.

Taylor and Hecox finished second and third in 4:55.50 and 4:55.82.

Drossin finished second to Hecox in the 3,200 after a thrilling stretch duel. Hecox timed 10:41.99 and Drossin 10:42.40.

Agoura’s Bryan Dameworth successfully defended his Masters title in the boys’ 3,200, running 8:54.70, just off his personal best of 8:53.85.

Angel Martinez of San Gabriel was second at 8:56.48. Eliazar Herrera (9:00.29) of Hoover and Camarillo’s Abe Valdez (9:01.77) were close in third and fourth place. San Luis Obispo’s James Menon was fifth in 9:02.00.

Canyon’s Dave Hartman ran a personal-best 9:06.28 but finished a non-qualifying sixth.

Ryan Kieling of Crespi and Westlake’s Demetrius Wynn placed fourth and fifth in the 110 high hurdles at 14.63 and 14.68.

Camarillo’s John Crumrine (14 feet) was fifth in the pole vault and Quartz Hill’s Gabe Higa bounded 47-6 1/2 in the triple jump to place fifth.