Jones Shatters Section Marks in 3 Sprints

The big question surrounding Marion Jones’ sprint triple in the Southern Section divisional track and field finals Friday was not whether she would win but how fast she would run.

The Rio Mesa High sophomore set section and 3-A Division records in winning the girls’ 100-, 200- and 400-meter races by huge margins at Cerritos College.

Jones’ performances helped the Spartans to record 66 points and win their second consecutive 3-A girls’ title. Thousand Oaks was second with 37 1/2. Thousand Oaks won the 3-A boys’ title with 59 points.

After anchoring Rio Mesa’s 400 relay team of Stacy Rosemeyer, Alycia Burnham and Ashanti Austin from fifth place to first (48.39 seconds) in the stretch, Jones began her individual parade.

In the 400, Jones made up the stagger on Channel League rival Barbie Jones of San Marcos in the first 80 meters and won by 25 meters in 52.91 seconds. The time is the fastest in the nation by a high school girl this year and bettered the Southern Section record of 53.10 and the 3-A standard of 54.39. Barbie Jones was second in 56.62. Half an hour later, Marion Jones lined up for the 100, but the race was called back because of a false start.

The runners left the blocks cleanly on the second start and Jones breezed to a seven-meter win in 11.30. The time shattered the section mark of 11.52 by former Rio Mesa standout Angela Burnham in 1988 and bettered Jones’ own 3-A record of 11.34.

In the 200, Jones steamed to a 12-meter lead and held the margin to the finish en route to a 23.06 clocking. The time was almost two seconds faster than the runner-up 25.03 effort of Los Alamitos’ Cavetra Mitchell and was under the section record of 23.27 and Angela Burnham’s 3-A mark of 23.68.

Alycia Burnham won the long jump at 18-0 1/4 and placed fourth in the 100 low hurdles (14.76) and 300 low hurdles (45.71). Rio Mesa’s Karla Knudsen leaped 5 feet 6 inches to finish second in the high jump.

Fillmore junior Nikki Shaw also turned in a startling triple, winning the 1-A Division’s 400, 800 and 1,600.

Although the 100-200-400 triple or the distance-oriented 800-1,600-3,200 feat are more conventional combinations, Shaw enjoyed her challenge. “I know it’s crazy but I like to do things other people tell me I can’t,” Shaw said.

In the 1,600, her first event of the day, Shaw led wire to wire to win in 5:00.00.

About an hour later, Shaw was fourth entering the stretch of the 400 but put on a spectacular surge to win in 58.45. Blair’s Angela Graham was second in 58.67.

Shaw took the lead at the start of the 800 and never let up, winning in 2:15.58 over San Marino’s Marjorie Hsu (2:17.15. “It’s uncommon,” Shaw said of her triple. “People say it’s crazy and that I’ll be dead after the 800. They were right.”

The Thousand Oaks boys’ 400 relay team went from third to first on Bryan Krill’s anchor leg to win the 3-A race in 42.83. Jack Bellamy of Thousand Oaks finished second in the 3-A 100 in 10.99 and won the 3-A 200 in 21.70.