TODAY’S PREP TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS : Esperanza Boys Begin Quest for Third Consecutive 3-A Title

The Esperanza boys’ track and field team starts its quest for a third consecutive Southern Section 3-A championship at today’s section preliminaries at Camarillo High School. Field events begin at noon.

The Aztecs are led by Mark Parlin, a senior shotputter and discus thrower, and Roshawn Sims, a senior 400-meter runner.

Parlin has the best shotput in the state this year--65 feet 4 1/4 inches--and the second-best discus mark--194-2. Sims’ best of 48.12 seconds is the fastest 400-meter mark in the section this year.

The girls’ 3-A meet features Shelley Taylor of Edison, who has run the 1,600 meters in 4:53.00 this season.

In the 4-A prelims (noon today at Gahr High in Cerritos), Tim Martin, a senior from San Clemente, will be running the 100 and 200 meters. He has bests of 10.4 and 21.81 this season.

The 1-A prelims (noon today at Arcadia High) feature Amber Parkinson, a sophomore from Orange Lutheran, who won the 1,500 (4:39.98) and 3,000 (10:12.70) at the Orange County girls’ championships April 20.