PREP TRACK / SOUTHERN SECTION MASTERS MEET : Easy Victory Doesn’t Erase the Sting

In a week of unpleasant surprises for the Long Beach Wilson High girls’ track team, Erica Sumi provided a little relief Friday night.

Sumi, a senior, easily won the 1,600 meters at the Southern Section Masters Meet at Cerritos College. Her time of 4 minutes 58.48 seconds was seven seconds better than runner-up Carrie Caulkins of Anaheim Esperanza.

The victory qualified Sumi for the State meet, next Friday and Saturday at Cerritos College. The top five qualifiers advanced to the State meet.

But Sumi was not in much of a celebratory mood. On Thursday, Southern Section officials disqualified Long Beach Wilson in four events for illegally using one of its athletes during the divisional preliminaries and finals the last two weeks.

Senior Karen Vigilant participated in five events during the divisional meet, a violation of national federation rules. Athletes can participate in a maximum of four events.

Vigilant ran in the 100 and 300 low hurdles, 400 relay and competed in the triple jump at the divisional preliminaries two weeks ago at Mission Viejo Trabuco Hills. At the divisional finals last week at Cerritos College, she ran both hurdles races and in the 400 and 1,600 relays.

Since the divisional preliminaries and final are considered the same meet, Vigilant was disqualified.

Teresa Butler, Long Beach Wilson’s coach for 16 years, said an official told her the two meets were separate and that is why Vigilant added the 1,600 relay.

“I am admitting I made a mistake,” Butler said. “But I’m also claiming I went to the coaches’ corner and was told the preliminaries and final were separate meets. This whole thing has been very hard on me and the team.”

Wilson was expected to challenge for the team title at the State meet.

Notes

All-American sprinter Marion Jones of Thousand Oaks won the 100, 200 and long jump. She bettered her national best times in the 100 and 200 with times of 11.31 and 23.0 seconds. . . . Edward Turner of Inglewood Morningside and Tyson Lingenfelter of Upland each won twice. Turner won the 200 and long jump, and Lingenfelter won the shotput and discus.