MT. SAC INVITATIONAL : Chase Seeking Entry Into Exclusive Club

Jamaal Chase of Quartz Hill High already has established himself as one of the best high school jumpers in the area. Now, he wants to become one of the best in the nation.

Chase, a senior, leaped 24 feet 2 1/4 inches to win the long jump in the Arcadia Invitational last Saturday to become only the second athlete from the region to have spanned at least 24 feet in the long jump and 49 feet in the triple jump during his high school career. Paul Jones of Kennedy, who completed the rare double in 1981, was the first.

Gaining admittance into the exclusive 25-50 club is one of Chase’s top goals this season, but Quartz Hill Coach Don Crimin and his protege don’t expect it to happen immediately.

They intend to chip away slowly at the 25- and 50-foot barriers, starting today in the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut.

“We’re not trying to peak right now,” Crimin said. “We don’t expect him to produce his best jumps for another six to eight weeks, but if he’s able to add an inch or two to his (personal bests) at Mt. SAC, fine. If not, we’re not going to worry about it.”

If Chase--who posted a personal best of 49-3 to win the triple jump in the Sunkist Invitational in February--attains the goals he has set for himself, he will become only the 11th high school athlete nationwide to join the 25-50 club.

Bob Beamon, the 1968 Olympic champion in the long jump and the first to jump 29 feet, became the club’s charter member as a high school senior in 1965.

“As long as (Jamaal) stays healthy, he’ll join the 25-50 club,” Crimin said. “But you’ve got to realize that there’s still two months left in the season. He won’t be ready for his best jumps for quite a while.”

Chase will not be the only local athlete in pursuit of big performances today.

Jeremy Fischer of Camarillo, who set a meet record and then-personal best of 7-2 in winning the high jump last year, will be gunning for a mark substantially higher.

Fischer set a regional record of 7-4 at the Santa Barbara Easter Relays last month to move into a tie for eighth on the all-time U.S. outdoor high school list. A jump of 7-5 would not only move him to third on the list, it would break the state record of 7-4 1/2 set by Maurice Crumby of San Francisco Balboa High in 1983.

Fischer is coming off a so-so 7-0 effort at Arcadia, but he loves the facilities at Mt. SAC.

Jason Medearis and Brett Strahan of Hart, Andrea Wasden of Rio Mesa and Cathy Prater of Agoura also will compete in the high school portion of the meet, which will begin at 8 a.m. today.

Medearis, who set personal bests of 14.12 seconds in the 110 high hurdles and 37.42 in the 300 intermediates at Arcadia, will compete in those events.

Strahan is entered in the 1,500 meters after running a personal best of 4 minutes 9.71 seconds in the 1,600 at Arcadia. He will probably also run a 1,600 leg on Hart’s distance medley relay.

Wasden and Prater are expected to compete in the girls’ 100 high hurdles and 300 lows. Wasden ran personal bests of 14.40 in the highs and 45.18 in the lows at Arcadia.

Prater, third in the 300 lows in last year’s state championships, has run 44.45 in that event and 15.4 in the 100 lows.

Burroughs’ Esa Sallinen, a Finnish foreign exchange student, cleared a school record of 16-0 1/4 in the pole vault in a meet against Burbank on Thursday, but he won’t compete at Mt. SAC because of a prior commitment.