Timing Problem Forces Southern Section to Schedule Runoffs : Track: Fifteen athletes will re-run their event Thursday in order to qualify for Saturday’s finals.

Southern Section officials determined Tuesday that 15 athletes whose times were affected by the mechanical failure of the automatic timing system at the Division I track and field preliminaries Saturday must participate in runoffs for qualifying berths for this Saturday’s finals.

Runoffs will be at 3 p.m. Thursday at Cerritos Gahr High. Competitors have to participate in order to advance.

“We’re in the process of notifying schools and coaches of the runoffs today,” said Dean Crowley, acting Southern Section commissioner. “I don’t see a lot of coaches holding back their kids (from competing in the runoffs). It’s just unfortunate that this occurred, but we’re doing the right thing for the kids.”

Officials began reviewing times Monday night after The Times discovered the Accutrack automatic timing system at Saturday’s preliminaries malfunctioned before the start of the girls’ 100-meter hurdles. The meet’s remaining events were timed by starting the Accutrack manually but allowing the machine to record automatic times.

National Federation of State High School Assn. rules state that when an automatic timing system fails, races are to be hand-timed.

Eight runners were eliminated improperly Saturday because the procedure was not followed. If it had been, ties would have resulted, and runoffs would have been held that day.

Runoffs are necessary because in hand-timed races, any time above a 10th of a second (10.11 or 10.19) is rounded up to its nearest 10th (10.2). Because races were being timed by the malfunctioning Accutrack, runners advanced to the finals or were eliminated based on times recorded to the 100th of a second.

Carey Hubert, Dana Hills coach, said, “You’ve got to be kind of lucky sometimes” and plans to have hurdler Roberta Burns ready for Thursday’s runoff.

“We’re just going to go on with it and adhere to whatever the people (Southern Section) want to do,” Hubert said. “What else can I do? I mildly feel sorry for the girl in ninth (Capistrano Valley’s Laurel Simpson, who had seemingly clinched the last berth in the finals), but I would be remiss not to want our girl to make the final.”

Simpson is the two-time defending South Coast League 100 hurdles champion. Her “unofficial” time of 15.31 Saturday edged Burns (15.32). But under the rules, they should have tied at 15.4, with a runoff that day.

Simpson’s coach at Capistrano Valley, Tom White, knew there was a problem Saturday.

“I just figured the Accutrack was calibrated wrong,” he said, adding that the runoffs are “ludicrous, but probably the best solution to an unfortunate situation.”

Crowley said no disciplinary action is planned against those involved with the meet.

“Bob McGuire (Division I meet manager) was not at fault,” Crowley said. “He knew the machine had broken down but was led to believe it was working when he read the double-digit results.

“McGuire should have been told the machine wasn’t working and a decision made right then.”

Thursday’s runoffs:

Girls’ 100-meter hurdles (one advances): Simpson (Capistrano Valley) and Burns (Dana Hills), tied at 15.4 seconds.

Boys’ 400 (one advances): Desmond Ketton (Fontana) and Jeremy Womack (Ocean View), 50.8.

Girls’ 100 (two advance): Jaime Taylor (Etiwanda), Virginia Williams (Compton Dominguez) and Miesha McKelvy (Cerritos Gahr), 12.0.

Boys’ 100 (two advance): Troy Searcy (Quartz Hill), Jamal Carr (Pasadena Muir), Anthony Rudolph (West Covina) and Tyson Murphy (Santa Monica), 10.7.

Boys’ 110 high hurdles (one advances): Ignacio Barrios (El Monte Mountain View) and Levar Castillo (Lynwood), 14.6.

Boys’ 200 (two advance): Michael Granville (Bell Gardens), Murphy (Santa Monica) and Akinyela Taylor (Dominguez), 21.6.

Matt Farmer and Times staff writer Jason H. Reid contributed to this story.