RUNNING / BARBIE LUDOVISE : Longer Distance Puts Her Back on Track

Ten years ago, Teresa Barrios-Scott started on the fast track to distance-running fame . . . and failure.

A standout as a freshman and sophomore at University High School, Barrios-Scott fell victim to so many injuries and illnesses throughout her late teens and early 20s that many people never expected to see her name in another race program.

Others simply forgot about her.

Tonight, she’ll try to prove that her name is worth remembering. Barrios-Scott will run in the women’s 10,000 meters at the USA/Mobil National Championships at Cerritos College in Norwalk. The race, featuring many of the best in American distance running, begins at 8:10 p.m.

In high school, Barrios-Scott helped lead the University girls’ cross-country team to three consecutive Southern Section championships. In track, she set the Orange County record as a sophomore in the 3,200 meters with her time of 10 minutes 29.03 seconds.

But from her junior year in high school through most of her years at Mira Costa College and Arizona State, Barrios-Scott experienced more than her share of downfalls: exercised-induced asthma; mononucleosis; tendinitis in her feet, heel and knee; several season-long bouts with hepatitis, and a mystery cough that six doctors could not diagnose.

Although there were highlights--she was fourth in the Pacific 10 cross-country championships as a junior at ASU--there were many more low points. As a result, Barrios-Scott says she can sum up her college athletic experience in one word:

“A disaster, “ she said, laughing. “But I’ve learned a lot from college. Even though I feel it was disastrous, I feel I’ve grown a lot and learned to be more patient and to take things one step at a time.”

And her first step, she said, is to become healthy. Her last of three relapses with hepatitis ended in January, making it possible for her to start training with intensity again.

Although she was more of a 1,500- and 3,000-meter runner in college, Barrios-Scott opted to run in her first 10,000 at the Mt. SAC Invitational in April, hoping to meet the 34:28.04 qualifying time for the USA/Mobil outdoor nationals. She ran 34:25, and was encouraged by the fact that she had done little training for the race.

“I was happy (with the Mt. SAC race), but I still thought I had a lot left at the end,” said Barrios-Scott. “I had fun with it. I’m glad it was a good experience, otherwise I would be dreading this one.”

And although Barrios-Scott said she certainly does not expect to be among the leaders tonight, she is aiming for a hefty one-minute improvement on her Mt. SAC performance.

“The last time I had hepatitis (last fall and winter) I thought ‘I’m never going to run again!’ ” said Barrios-Scott, who two weeks ago married her college sweetheart, miler Treg Scott. “I felt so burned out mentally and physically, and to be that totally out of shape . . . it just took so long.

“And after getting out of college, it’s so easy to get lost. But I’m pretty positive right now. I feel like I have a focus--finally.”

Last Friday, USC men’s Athletic Director Mike McGee announced the re-organization of the school’s track and field programs. Ernie Bullard was removed after six years as head coach of the men’s team, and Larry Knuth, men’s cross-country head coach and assistant track coach, resigned, according to the USC athletic department.

“Resigned? I guess you can call it that,” said Knuth, a Laguna Niguel resident who formerly coached at UC Irvine, Fullerton and Saddleback colleges.

“(In the track program) I was the assistant and, as an assistant, had no destiny. It was a pretty cold shot. We started a program that didn’t exist (USC cross-country), and the last two years we beat UCI and UCLA in the regional meet. But that’s life in the big city, I guess.”

Knuth, who was named the 1980 PCAA coach of the year in cross-country after turning a last-place UCI team into the conference champion in one year, called his six seasons at USC “by far the most frustrating . . . that I’ve ever experienced.”

Knuth said the difficulty in recruiting distance runners to such an urban environment was frustrating, but even more frustrating was what he described as the NCAA’s seemingly uncaring attitude toward non-revenue sports such as cross-country. The NCAA announced recently that it is considering trimming scholarships on non-revenue sports by 10%. That would mean men’s track--a 20-event sport with a current maximum of 14 scholarships--would be cut to 12.

“My biggest concern right now is what the NCAA is going to do with cross-country--what is its future? The whole sport at the collegiate level has been disintegrating steadily,” Knuth said. “We (track coaches) are all looking over our shoulder, looking at what we can do for the sport. I’m not burned out on coaching, and I’m not bitter. Maybe I should be, but my life will go on.

“I hope for the best, I have too many years (at USC). I love the school and I hope the program goes in an upward direction. I am just really concerned for the sport. I’ve given too much of my life to give up on the sport. I just don’t know if I want to make a living at it anymore.”

UC Irvine Coach Vince O’Boyle, who coached with Knuth at Pasadena City College in the early ‘70s, said: “Larry has so much to offer track and field. I think (USC athletic department officials) should have retained him in some capacity. . . . I look what happened to Larry and I’m going, ‘There’s a good coach. There’s a good person.’ You don’t want to see good people go.”

Ant Attack: UC Irvine’s track program was well-represented at the Corona del Mar Scenic 5K last weekend. Five of the top six finishers in the men’s division were current or former UCI runners.

John Koningh, a 33-year-old former Anteater now living in Irvine, won the race in 14:42. He was followed by former Anteater Ralph Garabaldi (second in 14:48) and current standout Aaron Mascorro (third, 14:52). Kevin Broady was fourth (14:58) with former Anteaters Pete Vicencio (15:21) and Sean Evans (15:26) fifth and sixth.

In the women’s division, Kathleen Smith of Costa Mesa won in 17:06, followed by Denise Witting-Hertsch (17:42), former UCI standout Lisa Gonzales (17:47), Annette Cooper (18:02) and Southern California College’s Sherri Hall (18:13).

Race Schedule

Saturday: Union Bank Heart of the City 5K, 7 p.m. Downtown Los Angeles. For more information, call (213) 236-5716.

Main Street Anniversary 5K, Garden Grove, 8:30 a.m. For more information, call 741-5280.

Run to the Mall 5K, Riverside International Raceway, Riverside. For more information, call 661-6062.

Sunday: Valley of the Flowers Marathon and Half Marathon, Lompoc High School, 7 a.m. For more information, call (805) 733-1428.

Venice Father’s Day 5K & 10K, Rose and Main Streets, Venice. For more information, call (213) 326-5894.

Note: Information on upcoming Orange County running events and on county runners with noteworthy accomplishments should be addressed to Barbie Ludovise, Los Angeles Times Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626.