Jones Tops Rio Mesa’s Run of Talent

Despite injuries to two key runners and a realigned Southern Section 3-A Division, Rio Mesa High Coach Brian FitzGerald is confident that his girls’ track and field team can repeat as 3-A champion.

Of course, any team that features state champion Marion Jones must be considered as a favorite. Additionally, all of Rio Mesa’s scorers in the divisional finals of a year ago return.

FitzGerald does not foresee any returning 3-A teams standing in the Spartans’ path to another division championship, but he added that the reshuffling of leagues within the 3-A Division could bring a potential challenger, something Rio Mesa missed in easily winning last year’s 3-A title over Costa Mesa Estancia, 63-34.

The newly aligned 3-A inherits the Northern League from the 2-A amd the Marmonte League from the 4-A.

“Lompoc from the Northern League and Agoura from the Marmonte League could score some points,” FitzGerald said. “I’m not overconfident, but if we stay healthy and on schedule, I don’t think anyone will touch us.”

FitzGerald, though, must first worry about getting two of his runners healthy.

Danielle Tanner, a 400 runner and member of last year’s 3-A champion 400-relay and runner-up 1,600-relay teams, has not raced this spring because of a knee injury sustained during soccer season. Tanner placed fourth in the 3-A 400 final and timed 58.6 as a junior.

Stacy Rosemeyer, also on the relay teams, suffered a minor back injury while playing soccer and has been running with pain, FitzGerald said.

But Rio Mesa’s strength lies in the sprints with Jones, who won two state titles as a freshman. Jones ran 11.62 seconds and 23.70 in the 100 and 200 meters, respectively. She started her sophomore campaign where her freshman season ended: She timed 11.61 in the 100 in the Spartan Relays on March 2 and a 23.89 200 in the National Scholastic Indoor Championships in Syracuse, N. Y., on Sunday.

Jones also anchors the Spartans’ 400-relay team, which timed 47.07 and placed seventh in the state final last year.

Alycia Burnham excels in the hurdles and long jump and is a solid No. 2 runner on the sprint relay. As a junior Burnham won the 3-A title in the 100 low hurdles in a region-leading 14.66 and placed sixth in the 300 hurdles.

The 2-A champion in both hurdle races last year, Lompoc’s Twila Sims is expected to challenge Burnham in the 100 lows. Sims ran 14.35 in the 100 hurdles and 41.76 in a second-place effort in the 300 hurdles in the state meet.

After finishing second by a half-inch in the division finals to now-graduated Channel League foe Stacy Peterson of Dos Pueblos, 17-9 3/4 to 17-9 1/4, Burnham is the top returnee in the 3-A long jump.

One of FitzGerald’s few concerns is Rio Mesa’s lack of depth in the distance races, a weakness that could be exposed in the 3-A finals by Agoura and Westlake, both of which are loaded in the distance events.

Rio Mesa sophomore Tiffany Marra, who finished fifth in the 1,600 (5 minutes 12.41 seconds) in last year’s 3-A meet, will contend with Agoura’s Deena Drossin and Tiffany York and Westlake’s Jeannie Rothman and Jessica Graham.

Graham ran 5:08.19 in the 1,600 and York timed 11:02.69 in the 3,200 last year. Drossin and Rothman placed first and fourth, respectively, in the 3,200 in the 1990 state finals.

INDIVIDUALS TO WATCH

Traci Anderson (Poly, 300 hurdles)--The No. 1 returnee in the City Section, Anderson clocked 47.09 to finish a state-qualifying third in the 1990 City final as a junior.

Veronica Barajas (Channel Islands, distance events)--Barajas timed 2:26.54 and 5:13.00 for the 800 and 1,600, respectively, as a sophomore, and her cross-country base should help her improve. She finished fifth in the Kinney national cross-country championships and second in the state Division I cross-country meet.

Deena Drossin (Agoura, distance events)--The defending state champion in the 3,200, Drossin already has established the nation-leading time in that event this year (10:40.2). The senior ran 10:29.60 in the state meet and also led regional 1,600 runners at 4:54.71.

Jen Frank (Oak Park, sprints, long jump)--Frank won the 1-A 100 title and was the top long jumper in the region last year as a freshman. Frank was just shy of the 18-foot barrier, leaping 17-11 3/4, and she clocked 12.0 (hand timed) in the 100.

Lela Lemell (Kennedy, 800)--Lemell’s 2:22.26 placed her seventh in the City final last year. Five of the top six finishers have graduated, making the senior one of the favorites for the City title.

Kim Nellis (Antelope Valley, hurdles)--As a sophomore last year, Nellis led regional hurdlers in the 300 at a converted 45.75 and placed fifth in the 4-A final. She also timed 15.36 in the 100 lows to rank third in the area.

Jeannie Rothman (Westlake, distance events)--Rothman was fourth in the state 3,200 at 10:50.48 and won the 4-A title last year as a junior. Rothman, second in the Kinney national cross-country championships in December, has run 5:25.53 in the 1,600.

Nikki Shaw (Fillmore 800, 1,600)--Shaw, a junior, placed seventh in the state 800 final and was the 1-A runner-up in the 800 and 1,600 last year. She paced regional 800 and 1,500 runners at 2:12.98 and 4:36.1, respectively, and ran 4:59.07 in the 1,600.

Renee Sprowl (Thousand Oaks, hurdles, jumping events)--One of the more versatile performers in the area, Sprowl, a senior, can score dual-meet points for the Lancers in the 100 lows (15.09) and the high and triple jumps. Last year she jumped 5-2 in the high jump and bounded 35-0 in the triple jump.

Taryn Tarver (Santa Clara, sprints, long jump)--Tarver, the sister of UCLA freshman basketball player Shon, is the defending 1-A long jump champion. She jumped 17-6 1/2 last year as a freshman. Tarver ran 12.54 and 26.22 in the 100 and 200, respectively, and placed fifth and sixth in those events in the 1-A meet.

Sarah White (Taft, high jump)--As a junior, White led regional high jumpers at 5-7, a mark that would have placed her second in the state meet, but she only jumped 5-3 in placing third in the City final and a non-qualifying 5-2 in the state preliminaries.