Chino Sprinter Williams Is Disappointed but Crowd Isn’t

It wasn’t hard to figure out when Angela Williams of Chino High was running Saturday in the Mt. San Antonio College Relays.

Williams, Track & Field News magazine’s 1997 girls’ national high school athlete of the year, settled into the starting blocks once in the 100 meters and once in the 200 and each time the crowd quieted.

The hush was soon followed by the collective oohs and aahs of those in attendance as Williams roared to victorious times of 11.50 seconds in the 100 and 23.64 in the 200.

The 100 time was the fastest in the nation this year, but such is Williams’ talent that it dimmed in comparison to her personal best of 11.14 set last year.

That time was only a hundredth of a second off the national high school record of 11.13 set by Chandra Cheeseborough of Ribault High in Jacksonville, Fla., in 1976.

“I didn’t get a good start,” Williams said to friends as she walked past the starting area after the 100. “I’m disappointed.”

Williams seemed more pleased with her time in the 200, which was only .15 seconds off her best and the second-fastest in the nation this year behind the 23.29 of freshman Erica Whipple of Suncoast High in Riviera Beach, Fla.,

Although Williams was the center of attention during Saturday’s high school competition, there were plenty of other outstanding marks, particularly in the weight events and in the relays.

Mission Viejo ran a nation-leading time of 10:13.52 in the boys’ distance medley as Mark Gleason ran 4:12.3 on his 1,600 anchor leg.

Chaniqua Ross of Elk Grove Laguna Creek, the defending state champion in the discus, won that event with a throw of 170 feet 7 inches to defeat state leader Stephanie Brown of Arroyo Grande, who threw 161-7.

Brown came back to win the shotput, however, as her personal best of 47-11 1/2 defeated Ross by eight inches. It was the best mark in the state this year and third-best on the national outdoor list.

Van Mounts of Bakersfield, the defending state champion in the shotput, won that event at 67-11 with Joe Alexandrow of Arroyo Grande second at 63-2 1/4.

In the discus, Reedus Thrumond of Gardena Serra threw 189-7 to defeat Lucas McKay of Hughson, who threw 180-10.

Long Beach Poly’s Aaron Smith, Darrell Rideaux, Sammie Parker and Kareem Kelly ran 1:24.79 in the 800 relay to move to third on the all-time national list.

The Jackrabbits, Compton Dominguez and Serra staged a great race in the 1,600 relay.

Serra, which won the 400 relay in 41.37 earlier in the meet, had the lead with 150 meters to go, but was passed by Long Beach Poly and then Dominguez.

Poly, anchored by Rideaux, held the lead for most of the homestretch before being nipped by Derek Brown of Domiguez at the finish line.

Dominguez, the defending state champion in the event, clocked 3:14.64 with Long Beach Poly at 3:14.66.

Yucaipa’s girls clocked a nation-leading 20:57.73 in the 6,400 relay and 12:13.48 in the distance medley.