High School Events Include O.C. Entries Martin, Pinto

Tim Martin of San Clemente High School and Martha Pinto of Katella, two veterans of important track and field meets, top the Orange County entries at the Sunkist Invitational tonight at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

The high school portion begins with the pole vault at 4:15 p.m.

Martin, fifth in last year’s state 100 meters, will compete in the boys’ 50 meters, scheduled for 8:32 p.m.

He won last year’s Sunkist race in 5.86 seconds, just off the national high school record of 5.81 set by Palo Alto’s Bill Green in 1979.

Last year’s victory and fast time shocked Martin, a senior who wound up the season with a 100-meter best of 10.68.

Pinto, second in the state meet’s 3,200, will run the girls’ rated mile, which is set for 5:35.

Pinto, a senior whose 10:42.51 best in the 3,200 last year was the fifth-fastest time in county history, moves down in distance because the metric two-mile is not being contested.

Pinto’s teammate, Kevin Carlson, the first county high jumper to go over seven feet, is an absentee. He will play in Katella’s basketball game against Esperanza.

Ocean View’s Christie Engesser, who won her first indoor race as a freshman last year, is back to defend her girls’ 880 title. She has bests of 2:12.79 outdoors and 2:19.8 indoors.

In the open two-mile, scheduled for 6:40, Wes Ashford and Mark Junkermann will try to stop Doug Padilla from winning his 11th Sunkist two-mile in 12 years.

Ashford, a Fullerton resident, was Padilla’s teammate at Brigham Young more than 10 years ago. Ashford is a sub-four-minute miler and has a two-mile best of 8:28.2.

Junkermann, a former Los Alamitos High School and UCLA standout, competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 1988 Olympic Trials.

UC Irvine’s Buffy Rabbitt, fourth in the recent NCAA cross-country championships, was entered in the women’s mile, but Tuesday announced she was not running.