High School Events Are Moved to Saturday to Generate Interest

In an effort to stimulate attendance, organizers of the 36th Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut shifted the schedule this year.

They moved the high school portion of the three-day meet to today in hopes of drawing more spectators. Last year, it was held on a Friday.

More than 3,000 athletes are expected to participate in the biggest meet of the season, including most of the state’s top performers. Competition begins at 8 a.m. with the 3,200 relay and concludes with the four-mile relay at 7 p.m.

The field includes sprinters Bryan Howard of Moreno Valley Canyon Springs and Pat Johnson of Redlands, who have battled twice earlier this season. Johnson leads the nation in the 100 meters with a time of 10.42 seconds, and in the 200 with 20.7, but he finished behind Howard in the 100 at last weekend’s Arcadia Invitational.

Other national leaders expected to compete include Jeremy Fischer of Camarillo in the high jump, Michael Granville of Bell Gardens in the 800, Ken Haslip of Pasadena Muir in the 110-high hurdles and 300 hurdles and Andrea Anderson of Long Beach Poly in the 100 and 200.

After the high school events, the invitational distance carnival will begin at 7:30. Included on the program are a men’s distance medley relay, women’s 3,000 meters, men’s 3,000 steeplechase, men’s 5,000 and men’s and women’s 10,000.