Jones Breezes in 100, but Wind Blows Away Mark

The unwritten rule regarding preliminary competitions in track and field is to relax and just be sure to qualify.

Always, always, save the all-out, run-till-you-drop strategies for the final, holds the conventional wisdom.

However, Rio Mesa co-Coach Brian FitzGerald wanted to see some fast times from sophomore sprinter Marion Jones in the state preliminaries Friday night at Cerritos College. So that’s what Jones gave him.

The defending state champion in the 100 and 200 meters, Jones ran wind-aided times of 11.12 seconds in her 100 heat and 22.97 in the 200 to win both races.

The program for tonight’s finals begins with the field events at 5 p.m. The first running event is scheduled for 6.

Although a 4.10 meters-per-second tail wind aided Jones in her 100 heat, making the time unacceptable for record consideration, Jones’ mark is the second-fastest time by a U.S. high school girl under any conditions. Only the hand-held 10.8 of Margaret Bailes of Churchill (Eugene, Ore.) High is faster. Bailes recorded that mark at altitude in the 1968 U.S. Olympic Trials at Echo Summit, Calif.

In the 200, Jones was helped by a 3.08 m. p. s. tail wind, but the time was still off her personal best of 22.87.

Given her 10-meter margin of victory in both races, Jones could have eased off and won with a slower time. But FitzGerald wanted it otherwise.

“It’s best to get out there and run hard,” Jones said. “I don’t want to take any chances.”

Jones also anchored Rio Mesa’s 400-meter relay team of Stacy Rosemeyer, Alycia Burnham and Ashanti Austin into tonight’s final, surging past San Jose Mt. Pleasant’s anchor runner en route to a 48.06 clocking. That was the sixth-fastest mark in the four heats. Morningside led all qualifiers at 46.14.

Burnham also qualified for the final in the 100 low hurdles, winning her heat in a wind-aided 14.41. She is the seventh-fastest qualifier overall.

Burnham missed advancing to the long jump final by three-quarters of an inch, leaping 18-1 1/4.

In other events, San Fernando’s Leonice Brown was expected to challenge state-leader Ricky Carrigan of Compton in the 100 and 200, but the Tiger senior did not show up, according to San Fernando assistant Jeff Drumm.

Brown has run 10.70 in the 100 and 21.32 in the 200 and before Friday he was the state’s second-fastest performer in the 200.

Brown also failed to show for the 400-meter relay, so San Fernando ran Brian Brison in his place. The race was Brison’s first in California after completing a one-year suspension imposed last year by the City Section because Brison allegedly punched Birmingham track Coach Scott King.

Brison, who transferred to Clark High in Las Vegas, returned to San Fernando this spring and regained his athletic eligibility April 30.

Taft’s Cornell Hill advanced to the long jump final with a personal-best leap of 23-11 1/2. Glendale’s Mike Wright qualified sixth at 23-5 3/4.

Because the top three finishers in each heat of the 1,600 automatically advanced to the final, Nikki Shaw of Fillmore let Milena Glusac of Fallbrook and Livermore’s Becky Spies set the pace. Shaw timed 4:58.68 in placing third.