HIGH SCHOOL TRACK : Martinez, Jones Voted Top Athletes

With 300 meters to go in the boys’ 3,200 meters at the Arcadia Invitational, Angel Martinez of San Gabriel High was ahead by 25 meters--but knew his lead was shrinking.

He heard the crowd cheer as Theo Molla of Tuscon (Ariz.) University High closed to within five meters with 100 meters to go. Then, as quickly as Molla had closed, Martinez opened up again to win in 9 minutes 2.82 seconds compared to Molla’s 9.04.81.

“I was getting really tight and I knew that he was right behind me,” said Martinez, who won the state cross-country title in November. “I had slowed down, but when I heard the crowd and saw him coming, I just took off.”

Martinez, who became the national leader in the 3,200 meters, again brought the crowd to its feet 45 minutes later when he ran a 4:13.7 anchor leg of the distance medley to rally San Gabriel from seventh place to win.

Martinez was named the boys’ athlete of the meet.

Overall, there were 12 national-best marks set in the 25th anniversary of the event, with junior Marion Jones of Thousand Oaks voted the girls’ athlete of the meet for the second consecutive year.

Jones, the two-time defending state 100- and 200-meter champion, did not break her meet records, but did establish national-best marks in the 100 (11.51) and 200 (23.43).

“I felt better than I did last year because I’m a lot stronger from running more early-season quarter-miles,” said Jones, who had the nation’s top times in the 100, 200 and 400 meters last season and was Track and Field News’ girls athlete of the year.

Other meet highlights include: Bryan Woodward of Long Beach Poly, who set a national best in winning the 800 meters in 1:50.76 for the second consecutive year; Jeff Buckey of Bakersfield, who won the discus in 208 feet 11 inches; Shelly Taylor of Huntington Beach Edison, who won the 1,600 meters for the second consecutive year in 4:51.98 and anchored Edison’s winning distance medley relay team; Twila Sims of Lompoc, who set a national best in the 300-meter low hurdles in 42.86; Demond Smith of Hawthorne, who won the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in 37.86, and Charlie Davidson of Santa Ana Saddleback, who won the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.37.