State Title Within Grasp of Rio Mesa : Prep track: Spartan girls’ chances improved when misfortune struck two favorites.

A missed race one day, a dropped baton the next and, suddenly, the Rio Mesa High girls’ track and field team is in the hunt for a state championship, its first since the Spartans tied Bakersfield in 1988.

The meet begins today and concludes Saturday at Cerritos College in Norwalk.

Bakersfield High’s Janice Nichols, the defending state champion in the 400 meters, failed to show up for the start of the 200 in the Central Section finals last week and was scratched from the event.

In the Southern Section Masters meet last Friday, Morningside was leading by about 10 meters in the 1,600 relay when the Monarchs’ No. 3 runner dropped the baton with 180 meters left on her leg. Morningside finished a nonqualifying seventh.

Morningside, second to Bakersfield in team scoring in the state meet last year, was dealt another blow in the Masters meet when Sonoma Nickson did not finish among the top five finishers in the 100 low hurdles. Nickson was the 2-A champion in the event and posted the fastest qualifying time for the Masters meet, in which she finished seventh.

“Maybe our relay team can score and maybe Karla (Knudsen) and Alycia (Burnham) can get one or two points,” Rio Mesa co-Coach Brian FitzGerald said. “Heck, maybe 25 points could win it.”

The bulk of the Spartans’ points, however, will come from sophomore Marion Jones. Jones won the 100 and 200 in last year’s state meet and accounted for all of Rio Mesa’s 20 points as the Spartans tied for third with Santa Monica and Walnut.

Jones is expected to repeat as champion in both events after posting National High School Federation records of 11.28 seconds in the 100 and 22.87 in the 200 earlier this season. She also will anchor Rio Mesa’s 400 relay team of Stacy Rosemeyer, Burnham and Ashanti Austin, which timed a season-best 47.85 in the Masters meet.

Burnham qualified third in the 100 low hurdles in a personal-best 14.45 and is the fifth qualifier in the long jump (best of 18 feet 1 3/4 inches). High jumper Knudsen tied for fourth in the Masters at 5-4 but twice has cleared 5-6 this season.

Also expected to repeat as state champion is Agoura’s Deena Drossin in the 3,200. Drossin won the title as a junior and currently is the fastest outdoor performer this season in 10:19.63. Drossin, who will attend Arkansas, also qualified in the 1,600 in a personal-best 4:52.78 but will drop the race to concentrate on the 3,200.

Fillmore junior Nikki Shaw is a favorite in the 800 and 1,600 after winning both--the latter in a state-leading time--in the Masters meet. Shaw, seventh in the state 800 final last year, qualified for the state meet in 2:11.75, the No. 2 mark in the state this season. Her 4:49.77 effort in the 1,600 is the No. 2 high school time in the nation this year.

Leonice Brown of San Fernando must go against Compton’s Ricky Carrigan in the 100 and 200. Brown is the second-fastest performer in the state in the 200 behind Carrigan, 21.07 to 21.32. Carrigan also leads state 100 runners at 10.41. Brown has run 10.70.

Canyon’s Dave Hartman leads state runners in the 3,200 at 9:00.63 but will be challenged by San Gabriel’s Angel Martinez (8:56.48 in 1990) and San Luis Obispo’s James Menon (8:59.05 last year).