Thousand Oaks’ Jones Heads Field for Arcadia High Meet

Thousand Oaks senior Marion Jones is the main attraction at today’s 26th Arcadia High Track Invitational, which will begin with field events at 4 p.m. The running events start at 6:35 with the boys’ 400-meter relay and end with the boys’ 1,600 relay at 10.

Nearly 7,500 are expected to watch top prep track athletes from across the nation. Jones holds national prep records of 11.14 seconds in the 100 and 22.58 in the 200. She will defend her title in the sprints and will also compete in the 400 relay and long jump.

Jones, who had never before competed in the long jump in high school, soared 19 feet 10 3/4 inches at the Cal Poly Pomona Relays last month. She is the event’s top entrant at Arcadia.

Victories in the sprints will not be as easy, however. Jennifer Wilson of Penn High in Philadelphia won the 200 and finished second in the 55 at the National Scholastic indoor championships last month. Andrea Anderson and Aminah Haddad of Long Beach Poly also are expected to give Jones a challenge.

In the 1,600, Webb Shelley of Westwood High in Mesa, Ariz., who ran 4:12.99 two weeks ago, will be challenged by Ryan Wilson of Agoura, Paul De La Cerda of Hart and Renaldo Mendez of Fordham Prep in the Bronx, N.Y. The 3,200 features Bob Keino of Ridgewood, N.J., the son of Kenyan Olympica Kip Kenyo, Margarito Casillas of Glendale Hoover and Matt Davis of Mead High in Spokane, Wash.