Injuries a Concern for Local Favorites

Kris McLucas of Ventura College and Ramon Serratos of Glendale are regarded as potential winners of their respective events entering the Southern California track and field championships at Citrus College today, but no one knows for sure how healthy they are.

McLucas, the defending state champion in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles, missed the Western State Conference championships because of a tender hamstring and had only the seventh-best qualifying mark in last week’s preliminaries.

Serratos, the defending Southern California champion in the 3,000 steeplechase, is entered in that event and the 5,000, but he injured his left knee in the WSC finals when he banged his trail leg on a steeplechase barrier.

“I still don’t have 100% mobility,” Serratos said Wednesday. “I can run five-minute miles all day, but when I have to drop it to 4:40, I have problems.”

Sprinters Tom Farnbach ) of Moorpark and Charles Lee of Valley, quarter-miler George Daniels of Antelope Valley and thrower Dolores Tuimoloau of Ventura also will compete today.

Farnbach will run in the 100 and 200 and on the Raiders’ 400 relay team, and WSC champion Lee will go in the 200.

Daniels will run in the 400 and on Antelope Valley’s 400 and 1,600 relay teams, and Tuimoloau will compete in the women’s shotput, discus and hammer throw.

Field events will start at noon, running events at 3.