Heat Is On as Blutreich Settles for Fifth in Discus : Olympic trials: Former Capistrano Valley and UCLA athlete says his throw of 199 feet was good considering conditions.

Brian Blutreich is a realist. The former Capistrano Valley High and UCLA track standout knew his chances of making the U.S. Olympic team in the discus throw were slim, but he figured a fourth-place finish was well within reach.

That’s why Blutreich’s fifth-place finish in his first Olympic trials meet--he threw the discus 199 feet Monday in Tad Gormley Stadium--was a bit disappointing, even though it equaled his fifth-place finishes in the last two national TAC meets.

Kamy Keshmiri won the event at 211-10 and qualifies for the Olympics along with Anthony Washington and Mike Buncic. Carlos Scott took fourth place (202-7).

Blutreich, who went first in the throwing order, got his best mark in the second round, putting him in second place behind Buncic. Second-round throws by Scott, Washington and Keshmiri pushed him to fifth.

“I felt good today,” Blutreich said. “Throwing 199 in (hot and humid) conditions like today is pretty good, but I really thought I had fourth place. . . . Carlos Scott pulled one out of the hat. I really did want fourth.”

In the discus qualifying Saturday, Blutreich had the second best throw behind Keshmiri, but the final was seeded on a random draw.

“The whole day I was warmed up,” he said. “Then, they stick you first and you have to wait in between flights--I know it’s on a random draw, but (it should be different).”

Blutreich, a 1985 Capistrano Valley graduate and 1990 UCLA graduate said his training was limited during the year due to strains in both legs. He threw his personal best of 205-6 two weeks ago in a San Diego meet.

“I’m not really fast right now because I didn’t have a chance to do any speed work because of the injuries,” he said. “This whole year has been really crazy. The first trials are always tough.

“I’m just kind of glad it’s over because the stress level is tremendous.”

Former UC Irvine runner Buffy Rabbitt was one runner who didn’t let the oppressive heat and humidity stop her from running her best race of the season in the women’s 3,000 meters.

Rabbitt, who came into the trials running in the 9-minute, 20-second range, placed 10th in the final in 9:12.97, less than a second off her 1991 personal best. Rabbitt ran the last lap of her race in 72 seconds, moving from 12th to 10th. Afterward, she needed some assistance as a medical team draped wet towels on her.

“I felt OK, but they wouldn’t let me up,” said Rabbitt, who graduated from UCI in 1991. “If I got my PR (personal record), I’ll be really happy since I was running alone most of the time.

“I was the last qualifier (at 9:15.96) and I thought even if I were to get last, if I had a good race, I would feel good about it.”

Rabbitt’s coach, Vince O’Boyle, said her finish was what made the difference Monday.

“I think one thing is that she has been on pace for a 9:15 or better during races this season,” O’Boyle said. “But she was not finishing real well and we worked on her mental approach to finish fast.”

Rabbitt said she concentrated on a good finish.

“I was going close to 100% with a lap to go, but I knew I wanted to have a really strong finish,” Rabbitt said. “The last 100, I was determined not to lock up.”

O’Boyle said he was encouraged by Rabbitt’s performance.

“She had a good race on Friday, so to do back-to-back races is a tough situation,” he said. “In 1988, she didn’t get to the Olympic trials’ final (she placed eighth in a heat of the 1,500), so this is one more step toward ’96.”

PattiSue Plumer won the 3,000 in 8:40.98, as the top three in all events made the U.S. Olympic team. Her sister, Polly Plumer, who competed for University High, placed 10th in Friday’s semifinals and didn’t advance.

In the women’s javelin final, Ashley Selman, formerly of Foothill High, placed 11th. She threw 154-10 on her second attempt and fouled her two other attempts. Donna Mayhew won at 189-1.

In the men’s 1,500 quarterfinals, both former UCI runner Steve Scott, who hopes to compete in his fourth Olympic Games, and former University runner Greg Whiteley qualified for Friday’s semifinals. Scott won the second of four heats in 3:40.85. Whiteley was second in Heat 4 in 3:40.36.

“I wasn’t really confident going into the race,” Scott said. “But I was committed to running a full race and kicking hard at the end--not looking around and seeing where I was.”

Whiteley, who recently finished his first year of law school at Oregon, said an injury to muscles near his diaphragm have prevented him from putting in much mileage for the 5,000, and he is undecided whether he will compete in Wednesday’s semifinals.

“At this point the injury is better, and I need to focus on what I have to do,” he said. “The next challenge is the 1,500 semis.”

Mark Junkermann, who competed for Los Alamitos, placed seventh in the first round of the men’s 3,000 meter steeplechase, running 8:40.28.