SOUTHERN SECTION MASTERS TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS : Tolson Wins Despite Injury, but Pinto Fails

There were few unexpected results in the Masters meet Friday night at Cerritos College; those who figured to qualify, did.

The top five finishers advance to the CIF State meet next weekend at the college.

One surprising absentee next week will be Katella distance runner Martha Pinto, whose brilliant prep career ended with a eighth-place finish in the girls’ 3,200.

Second in the State meet last year in that event, Pinto stepped on a rusty nail Wednesday at school and had to get a tetanus shot. Friday, she was never in contention, running 11:08.68.

Elinor Tolson of Fountain Valley also injured herself during the week, spraining an ankle in a workout Tuesday.

Though she was limping afterward, Tolson won the 100- and 300-meter hurdles impressively.

She ran 14.38 in the 100 hurdles and said, “I didn’t know I won,” then came back with a 43.25 time in the 300.

She said she is not considering dropping one race. “I’m going to try to do it again next week,” she said.

Esperanza, last week’s 3-A runner-up to Thousand Oaks, had three qualifiers, including Mark Parlin, who was a double-winner. He put the shot 62 feet 9 3/4 inches and threw the discus 184-4.

Next week, he’ll meet Jeff Buckey of Bakersfield, the national leader in the discus.

Roshawn Sims, lowered his personal best in the 400 to 48.01 for a fourth-place finish.

And Aztec pole vaulter Trevor Lycett cleared 14-8 to place third.

Melissa McDonald of Mater Dei advanced in three events--the high, long and triple jumps.

She won the high jump (5-5), finished fourth in the long jump (17-1 3/4) and third in the triple jump (37-11).

Shelley Taylor of Edison qualified in the 800 and 1,600, two races with wildly different tactics.

Going into the final 200 meters, no one in the 800 field could have been counted out.

Kemara Mayberry of St. Bernard, the early leader, faded, then surged in the final 100. Nikki Shaw of Fillmore seemed to come from nowhere to sprint past everyone for the victory in 2:11.75.

Taylor stayed out of trouble and finished third in 2:12.78.

Earlier, she watched Deena Drossin of Agoura and Erica Sumi of Long Beach Wilson break out to a 25-meter lead after the first 400 of the 1,600.

But the pack, led by Taylor and Shaw, closed in the final stretch--Shaw winning a furious sprint in 4:49.77, the nation’s fastest time this year.

Taylor was third in 4:52.38, a personal best.

“I felt pretty good,” said Taylor, whose previous best of 4:53.00 was the previous national best. “I ran really relaxed. It makes a big difference. I pretty much expected them to take it out fast. I just wanted to stay ahead of the main pack.”

Tim Martin of San Clemente, who set the Orange County record in the 100 meters at last week’s Southern Section championships, finished second to Ricky Carrigan of Compton with a time of 10.62.

Carrigan’s 10.49 clocking was enough to keep him unbeaten this season.

“I have some speed in (me). I just got to get it out,” Martin said. “It’s just something I haven’t figured out yet. I don’t know what it is, “ said Martin, who ran 10.56 last week.

Martin protests too much.

He blazed out of the starting blocks, stayed even with the slower-starting Carrigan through 80 meters before he began to lose ground. At that point, Carrigan buried Martin and the rest of the field.

Indeed, Carrigan seemed to reach for another gear at 75 meters and Martin and the others simply couldn’t respond.

They were at it again 35 minutes later in the 200, Carrigan rolling to another victory in 21.07, the fifth-fastest time in the country this year. Martin finished in 21.67, taking fifth.