Moorpark Needs a Bit of Luck : Track: Raiders are strong in field events, but lack distance runners in WSC championships.

Thanks to a 1-4-6-8 finish in the men’s hammer throw Tuesday, the Moorpark College men’s track team will have a 39-32 lead over defending champion Bakersfield in the Western State Conference track and field championships today at Santa Barbara City College.

Moorpark defeated the Renegades on its way to an 11-0 record in WSC quadrangular and triangular competition, but men’s Coach Doni Green admits the Raiders will need some luck to win today.

“We don’t have any distance runners and that’s going to hurt us real bad,” Green said.

Early in the season, Moorpark had the WSC’s top distance runner--Jeff Wilson--but Wilson withdrew from school last month to begin a two-year Mormon mission.

In his absence, Moorpark must pile up big point totals in certain events to win.

The pole vault is a potential gold mine for the Raiders as school-record holder Jeff Beam leads the conference at 15 feet 11 inches and teammate Brian Lubocki is ranked third at 15-2. In addition, teammates Justin Burnett and Scott McFarland have each cleared 13-6 and could score in a meet that awards points to the top eight finishers in each event on a 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

The weight events will also to be crucial to the Raiders’ chances.

Manfred Wagner, who won the hammer with a throw of 151-10, could contend for top-three finishes in the shotput and discus. Josh Rappaport, fourth in the hammer, will compete in the javelin and discus. Austin Vulich, sixth in the hammer, is entered in the shotput and discus.

Moorpark’s Rob Scherrei will run in the 200 and 400 as well as the 400- and 1,600-meter relays.

Teammate Sandy de Barbieri will compete in the 100, 200 and 400 relay and in the shotput and javelin.

Although Bakersfield failed to qualify anyone for the finals of the 400 or 800, Green said the Renegades still should be favored.

“They should go 1-2 in the shotput and they’ve got a sprinter who should win the 100 and the 200, and help them win the 400 relay,” he said.

Isaac Turner of Glendale, defending WSC champion in the 800, is not expected to compete in that event. He will run in the 400 meters and also run a leg of the Vaqueros’ 1,600-meter relay.

While Bakersfield and Moorpark are the favorites in the men’s meet, Moorpark, Cuesta, Glendale and defending champion Santa Monica should battle for the women’s title.

Santa Monica won last year’s meet, 167-116, over runner-up Glendale, but the Corsairs do not have as many top-flight athletes this season.

The meet will start with field events at 11:30 a.m.